Plunge beneath the waves for Christ Church We Gatherin’ celebration

Nearly 100 excited pupils from four Christ Church primary schools were treated to a rare underwater adventure when they boarded the Atlantis Submarine on Thursday for a glimpse of the island’s vibrant undersea life.

The excursion formed part of the parish’s We Gatherin’ activities and aimed to spark a deeper appreciation for ocean conservation among the young participants.

The tours gave students a once-in-a-lifetime view of the island’s marine life. Pupils from Milton Lynch and Christ Church Girls’ set out on the first tour, followed by St Lawrence Primary and St Bartholomew Primary. Altogether, 96 children took part in the experience.

Speaking before the tour, parish committee member Coreen Kennedy-Taitt said the initiative was designed to inspire environmental awareness among the young participants.

“We would like them to know about looking after the environment, caring about the environment, learning about the fish, learning about how to protect the sea — not to throw plastic bags in the water,” she said. “If they see anything that should not be in the water, they should take it out. We really would like them to look after the environment.”

General Manager of Atlantis Submarines, Roseanne Myers, shared similar sentiments, noting that the project was part of a wider effort to give back to every parish across the island: “We took a fantastic opportunity offered by We Gatherin’ to do a major give-back for every single parish, where we invited the parish committees to choose children to experience the Atlantis tour.”

Myers said the focus was on bringing environmental education to life.

“If there’s one thing I want them to remember, it’s that they have an impact on the environment. All the beauty and the hundreds of fish they see underwater can be destroyed by what we throw into the ocean,” she told the pupils before the dive.

She was impressed by how much the children already knew about marine protection.

“They knew that plastic bags look like jellyfish, that straws can get stuck in the noses of turtles,” Myers said. “Nobody likes the idea of something happening to a beautiful turtle, and we’ve actually seen a resurgence of turtles around the submarine.”

As the children returned, laughter and chatter filled the dock — proof that learning about the environment can also be a thrilling adventure. The pupils left with memories of a deep-sea journey while learning how to protect the island’s marine treasures.

(LE)