Bring the moana to your kura.

One session or a full term — classroom, pool and moana. We design with you, not for you.

How it works

  1. Register interest (no charge) on any programme below, or kōrero with Sacha first.
  2. We send the full EOTC School Pack — external provider agreement, activity RAMS, instructor qualifications, insurance and AdventureMark evidence. Everything your board needs, in one pack.
  3. We design the programme together and sign the agreement.
  4. Consents and health profiles collected — our forms, two weeks before delivery.
  5. We deliver — and you get a debrief and written report after every trip.

Choose your programme

Prices are per ākonga + GST, invoiced to the school. Registering interest costs nothing and holds your term dates.

Classroom Ocean Sessions — In-School Visits
$400 + GST per class visit · any year level · breathwork, marine ecology & water safety in your classroomTry Freediving — School Pool Day
$48 per ākonga + GST (min 25) · Year 5+ · breath-hold basics, water confidence and safety culture in one pool dayOcean Discovery Day — Snorkel & Freedive
$80 per ākonga + GST (min 25) · Year 7+ · classroom brief then a sheltered-bay snorkel and freedive · marine reserve optionEOTC Week — Moana Immersion
$105 per ākonga + GST (min 25) · Year 7+ · classroom, pool and ocean field trip, plus follow-up session and restoration projectTerm Programme — Te Wheke Moana (our flagship)
$140 per ākonga + GST, or $130 for two+ classes · the full Te Wheke programme: classroom, pool, two ocean field trips, restoration · NCEA pathway optionsNoho Wānanga — Two-Day Overnight Course
$500 pp + GST (1–4 students) · $450 (5–9) · $400 (10+) · two days on an overnight wānanga, your choice of our subjects · year-long Trades Academy options too

Where we go

We're based in Paihia and deliver Northland-wide. Classroom visits travel from Kaitaia to Whangārei; pool days run in Kerikeri, Kawakawa, Kaitaia and Whangārei; and ocean programmes explore the sheltered bays of the Bay of Islands, the clear freshwater of Kai Iwi Lakes, and — for senior groups — the Cavalli Islands and the Poor Knights Islands marine reserve.

Safety, sorted

We're an AdventureMark-certified adventure activities operator with an externally audited Safety Management System, available on request. Ratios: pool 1:8 instructor-to-student · open water 1:4 in-water plus a dedicated lookout · Year 8 and below 1:2 adult-to-student. All kaimahi are Children's Act safety checked, oxygen and first aid come on every activity, and programmes are led by Aotearoa's first female SSI Freediving Instructor Trainer.

Download the evidence pack: [SACHA: ADD LINK — EOTC School Pack PDF] · [SACHA: ADD LINK — sample consent form] · [SACHA: ADD LINK — sample RAMS]

Funding your programme

  • School EOTC budgets — the most common route for single days.
  • Gateway — workplace learning credits for senior students.
  • STAR — secondary tertiary alignment funding for short courses.
  • Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa — activity funding for tamariki and rangatahi.
  • Water Safety NZ — funding aimed squarely at what we teach.
  • Creative and environmental grants — strong fits for marine education, restoration and kaitiakitanga.

Our pricing is built for funding applications — every programme has a clear per-ākonga cost that drops straight into a funder budget line. We'll help you build the case.

Te Wheke Hauora Moana

Our programmes are built on Te Wheke Hauora Moana — a framework where each tentacle of the wheke holds a dimension of hauora, explored through the moana: from breath and buddy skills to the food web full circle, ray ecology and the marine mammals of Te Tai Tokerau. Read about it on the Te Wheke page, or see it in full flight in the Term Programme — Te Wheke Moana.

FAQ

Do students need to be swimmers?
For pool and ocean programmes, basic water confidence helps, but we meet ākonga where they are — classroom sessions need no water skills at all. Tell us about your group and we'll design accordingly.

What does the school provide?
A liaison teacher contactable 24 hours, behaviour and pastoral care, health and behaviour profiles, parent helpers to ratio, and transport. We bring everything else.

What happens if the weather turns?
We make a GO/NO-GO call 48 hours out and again on the morning. If the moana says no, we reschedule free — no penalty to the school.

Are your staff vetted?
Yes — every kaimahi is Children's Act safety checked, and instructor qualifications are included in your School Pack.

How far ahead should we book?
A term ahead is ideal — dates release each term and popular weeks go fast. Registering interest holds your dates while the paperwork happens.

Register interest on any programme above — no charge.

Or kōrero with Sacha: info@freedive.co.nz · WhatsApp us