{"id":8,"date":"2015-01-23T10:26:43","date_gmt":"2015-01-23T09:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2015-06-10T13:52:55","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T12:52:55","slug":"hi-ste","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/blogg\/hi-ste\/","title":{"rendered":"Coastal course Rand\u00f8ya."},"content":{"rendered":"

Randoya:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Day 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Arrived at the bay, half of the group were loaded into the transport boat with gear and set off to the island. I stayed and helped unload the kayaks off the trailer which then needed to be transported over to the island, so those who had paddled before (including me) paddled over to the island, delivering them safely. It was important that the people paddling the kayaks had had some experience since if anything did go wrong people knew how to react and more importantly how to help each other.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On arrival we took the gear into our dorms and set up.\u00a0 Activities started at 2.00, with my group beginning with kayaking. Firstly we were instructed about the basic parts of the boat\/ equipment and basic paddle strokes. Once demonstrated we were told to freely have ago, allowing us to experiment with the techniques demonstrated.\u00a0 From me, having done this before, it was a matter of refreshing my memory and supporting those who were new to the sport.\u00a0 Playing safe, in support of first time kyakers, we stayed around the islands where the water was less disturbed by the weather.\u00a0 We practised recoveries, such as when the kayak loses balance you can slap the water with the paddle which enables you, most times, to stay up right. This was done in a very shallow area which was very useful because it allowed people to lean more than usual since it encouraged them to take greater risks whilst working within a controlled, comfort zone<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Day2:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kayaking was the morning activity.\u00a0 This time, with basic knowledge covered, we were to go a little further out. We began with maps being handed out and we were asked which route we should take taking into consideration such factors as wind direction etc.\u00a0 With this planned I was chosen to lead the first leg.\u00a0 Through effectively using key land features and the map I was able to successfully navigate the group to our assigned point. This was new to me, as I hadn\u2019t done any proper navigation on the sea before, so it was an interesting first hand experience of fully applying the theory in a real situation.\u00a0 On our journey we encountered some sizable, turbulent waves, which forced us to turn back due to the group\u2019s overall limited experience and for obvious safety reasons. I believe this was the correct decision made since had we continued there was a high chance of capsizing. Advice given before approaching the waves was to always keep the paddle in the water, so you are in control.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t, then the sea is then in control of you.\u00a0 Turning back forced us to detour from our original route back into safer paddling conditions which did not impact on the intended learning and maintained enjoyment of the activity.\u00a0 We made it back for 12.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Later that day the next activity was shallow water biology, where we investigated the shallow bay, picking out sea creators and plants from beneath the surface.\u00a0 By using pictures and descriptions of the organisms we could<\/p>\n

therefore identify them and what part they played.\u00a0 After this activity on the evening\u00a0 we were given a tour of the island and came across German bunkers which we investigated further and were told the history of them which gave the experience greater meaning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Day3:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Activity: deep-water biology.\u00a0 We kitted up with wet suits and snorkels.\u00a0 Working in pairs we entered the bay, having been informed of the limits as to the area where we were allowed to swim. When swimming around we had a net bag, which we used to collect items of our choosing. We also had weighted belts, which enabled us to dive down to the bottom and collect organisms from the sea bed.\u00a0 Once everyone had successfully gathered enough we then made our way back to the shed, where we had got the gear from.\u00a0 Here we did the same as last time in terms of identifying the organisms the group had collected.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After lunch we were instructed to bring a day sack, containing only what you would normally bring on a day tour.\u00a0 In groups of 4 we were each assigned a row boat and fishing nets. In due course, the instructor informed each boat where to place their nets down, then told us to head to the island. The island was the last one looking out to sea and as such was very exposed especially since it was without any trees.\u00a0 Luckily for us the weather wasn\u2019t bad. To get a fire going we needed to collect firewood, but first we needed to catch our dinner. We fished for 30mins, successfully gathering the sum total of four fish, then went onto another island to gather firewood.\u00a0 Each boat was doing the exact same thing, which was excellent since it ensured everyone was doing their part to support the group\u2019s welfare and ultimately a better night for all.\u00a0 Once back we needed to find a place to sleep. Sharon and I were together and were lucky enough in find a tarp sheet on the island. We used rocks to hold it down – making a sleeping area for the two of us. Once set up we could now fillet the fish, which one of the Norwegians had a lot of experience of doing, so he went through the process with us which enabled us to give it ago. Once the fish was prepared we now had to get the fire going. With the aid of a lot of dry heather, which acted as great fuel to get the fire started, we achieved this with ease. With enough wood on the fire we kept it going to 1am.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Day four:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With a few hours of sleep we awoke at 7am to re-join with our boat group. Once all the groups were ready we paddled out and brought in the nets. We had caught about 5 fish in total, placing them in a bucket with some water for the meanwhile.\u00a0 We then paddled back to the island, where we were originally based, and on arrival placed the nets of fish in a cool area for safe keeping.<\/p>\n

A few hours later we returned to the nets and were shown how to clean them and detangle the fish. This took sometime but was an easy activity to do especially since we were tired following a rough night\u2019s sleep. \u00a0 The cleaning activity was also useful as we got to see how the net functions – having three net linings with different size holes which effectively trap the fish.\u00a0 Once we had completed this we were shown again how to fillet a fish, however this time by the instructor who showed us a very fast way of doing it – which is especially useful when you have a lot of fish when caught via net fishing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Later that day we went on a power boat ride where we went through identifying features on the map and rules of the sea. We had talked through this in a previous lecture so was a mater of refreshing what we had already learnt and putting it into practice. Heading out we were placed into small groups of three.\u00a0 I was the driver, there was then a navigator and a captain, who overlooked everything. This was a useful method in getting us to work together to navigate to a certain point. Not having driven or navigated on the sea before this was a novel experience and undoubtedly one of my favourite activities over the course of the week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All done and at the end of the day it was time to cook fish soup, enhanced with fresh\u00a0 chives which were found on the island and freshly picked.\u00a0 It was really rewarding to sit down and have this meal knowing that we had earned it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Day five:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Final day.\u00a0 We went down to the bay where we were we taught by the Norwegians how to row boat correctly and efficiently.\u00a0 Setting off we did a few races and skill tasks such as performing a 360 turn. However, this is the one activity of the week I really didn\u2019t enjoy that much! \u00a0 I don\u2019t know if it was because it was just tired but I couldn\u2019t seem to grasp the rowing synchronisation necessary when working with my partner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Overall, a highly successful week of trying out new activities that brought about new skills acquisition and learning which I wouldn\u2019t have experienced, had I not been on this course.\u00a0 In terms of effective leadership: learning in small groups and the rotation of activities ensured we were all fully engaged in the activities which allowed us all, both collectively and individually to take some key knowledge from the activities and the experience overall.\u00a0 Again a leadership style I will take into account when leading activities myself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Randoya:\u00a0   Day 1:   Arrived at the bay, half of the group were loaded into the transport boat with gear and set off to the island. I stayed and helped unload the kayaks off the trailer which then needed … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":619,"featured_media":0,"parent":12,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/619"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86,"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8\/revisions\/86"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.uia.no\/stevew14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}