The coastal course was a residential course that took place on an island to the south east of Kristiansand, called Randoya. The islands geography is typical of any of the islands in the archipelago around Kristiansand, rocky outcrops, wooded areas rock and sand beaches. However the history of Randoya is different from the majority of the rest as it was a strategic asset during WW2 and the Cold War housing troops up until the late 1990’s.

The aim of the coastal course was to introduce the course to activities that are associated with the sea. These activities were:

1. Sea Kayaking.
2. Rowing.
3. Shallow and deep water marine biology.

The only planning that had to be done by the students was transportation to the pick up point, what clothing and food was needed for the trip. All other planning considerations were taken care of by the instructors, such as equipment and accommodation etc.

Groups were pre-chosen by the instructors, which were a combination of the Norwegian Friluftsliv students and the international Friluftsliv students. This would change the group dynamics as we had spent little time with our Norwegian counterparts throughout the semester.

Day 1

Upon arrival at the port of departure (Kongshavn), we loaded our bags and equipment into the designated vessel, a retired lifeboat. The crossing didn’t take long and soon we were on Randoya where we were given a quick orientation of the accommodation and facilities. The group that I was part of wouldn’t spending this night in the accommodation, but on an island a short distance away.

Just as we were about to set off for the island, the weather changed for the worse and the wind pick up which brought rain. On the row over to the island we dropped fishing nets into the sea to try and catch fish overnight for tomorrows dinner. Once on the island a location was chosen to erect the improvised shelter. As soon as it was up additional jobs were shared out amongst the group; wood for the fire, fishing for dinner that evening and improving the shelter. It was a difficult task to get the fire lit and to keep it going through the evening, as the weather conditions were so adverse. Everyone retired early that night to try and get as much sleep as we possibly could without any sleeping bags.

Day 2

In the morning we all woke early and started to dismantle, tidy the area and dismantle the shelter. On completion of this we hastily jumped into the rowing boats and rowed to retrieve the fishing nets to see what we had caught through the night. As soon as the nets and fish were in the boats we went back to the harbour and unloaded the rowing boats of the nets. We then spent the rest of the morning cleaning and preparing the nets for the following group to use. During a short break we were shown by one of the instructors how to gut and fillet the different species of fish that we had netted through the night. When we stopped for lunch, to the surprise of the majority of the group it was noticed that one person had managed to keep their feet dry, and it was said that either this is a case of really good boots or social loafing to the extreme.

The afternoons’ activity was an introduction to motor boating. This consisted of the group boarding the old lifeboat and discussing the rules of the sea and then a detailed look at maritime charts and the meaning of the various symbols on the map. It was then we cast off and started a journey around the outlying islands that surrounded Randoya. At differing points along the route the crew were swapped over to captain the boat, navigate and steer. It was intended that we would go out to another island and stop short so that we could fish, however unfortunately due to the high waves we had to amend the intended route and navigate back to the dock via sheltered water

Day 3

Our next activity would be rowing. With four to a boat we were given various exercises to practice the different strokes and be able to control the boats, this training period ended in a little race between all of the boats, both backwards and forwards. We then set off rowing and navigating through the shallows and exploring many different bays and coves. Once again, due to the large waves our route was amended and we had to turn back as trying to row in the rough waters was proving difficult even for the more competent members of the group. After navigating through a narrow channel we came upon a sheltered cove where we stopped for a needed break and rest. As soon as we were back in the boats it was a race back to the dock as it was getting close to lunchtime.

During the afternoon our activity was sea kayaking. Once we had collected all the equipment and had selected our kayaks the students were given various strokes to practice in the shallow waters of the launch area. These consisted of; forwards & backwards, sweep strokes, draw & pry strokes and braces. When everyone had grasped the basics of the strokes we set off around the sheltered area to the west of Randoya, where we were to practice these strokes in calm seawater. While we exploring the coast line one member of the group unfortunately capsized. This gave us opportunity to successfully practice the deep-water rescue drill. Once they were back in their kayak we slowly made our way back to the launch area continually practicing the many strokes that had been shown to us, readying ourselves for the tour of the coastal area on the following day.

That evening we were given a history tour of the island. During the Second World War it was of strategic importance to the Nazis the German occupation of Norway and later during the cold war the Norwegians. The majority of the military complex is beneath ground, which had living quarters, storage areas, decontamination areas and an operations room. The guide recounted a funny story of during a previous tour of the underground operations room a young girl had caused a panic at the nearby Norwegian Air Force base as she picked up a telephone and started talking into the handset as it was a direct line to their operations room. The telephone line hadn’t been decommissioned when the underground complex was closed for operations.

Day 4

Back in the kayaks we set off for a small tour of the outlying islands surrounding Randoya. The sea was still quite rough so we had to stay within 100m of each other in case there was another capsize in the group. Paddling out to an island the swell was quite high and when we were in shelter on the leeward side we had a quick break and talk about the next task, a visit to a partially submerged reef. As we approached the reef a member of the group was caught unaware by a wave and capsized, our deep-water rescue was much faster than yesterdays. Once they were safely back in their kayak we set off to the shelter of another bay to carryout more practice on deep-water rescues. When the instructor was satisfied that we had practiced enough it was time to start heading back to the launch. Fortunately nobody else capsized on the way back.

After lunch we were to have a more sedate activity, shallow water marine biology. After we had collected all the equipment from another bunker on the other side of the island we trundled off through the trees to a sheltered shallow beach where the activity would take place. This activity entailed donning a pair of waders and then exploring the shallow water looking for various species of marine life and seaweeds that had been given to us by the instructor. These then had to been taken back to the beach, at the end of the activity each species was identified and then returned to the water.

Day 5

Today there would be only one activity, deep-water marine biology. This ran along the same lines as the shallow water biology, by collecting various species of marine life and seaweed, but from deep water this time. So after squeezing ourselves into wetsuits, choosing fins, gloves, masks and snorkels we made our way down to the waters edge. From here we were given an hour to collect as much as we could so we slowly slid into the water and started to explore the depths. After struggling to dive a couple of us returned to shore to add more weights to our dive belts to enable us to dive deeper. Once away again the collecting began and everything was put into dive bags, form seaweed to jellyfish and crabs was collected by the group. One member even managed to hit a nice sized fish with a spear gun. Back on shore and in the shelter of the bunker we shared our finds with everyone and tried to identify what each was called, quite often failing and having to ask the instructor the correct name.

After we had changed it was back to the accommodation to pack and clean ready for the handover. When the senior instructor was happy with the standard we loaded the decommissioned life boat up with equipment and people and made our way back to Kingshavn and ultimately Kristiansand.

Throughout the whole week everyone learnt something new, however it is believed that some of the key learning points from the group are as follows:

1. Stay within a safe distance of the whole group when sea kayaking as this will allow quick rescues if anyone capsizes.
2. The importance of the many symbols on marine charts and how they are key to safe navigation on water.
3. Fish preparation.

Everyone enjoyed themselves over the week along with the varied activities and it can be said that each of us had positive learning experiences on the island.