Classroom Ocean Sessions — In-School Visits

Bring the moana into the classroom — no togs required.

We come to your kura and deliver hands-on sessions in breathwork, marine ecology and water safety theory. It's the easiest way to start the journey: rangatahi learn how their bodies respond to the breath, how the moana and its food webs work, and how to keep themselves and their mates safe around water — all before anyone gets wet.

Who it's for

Any year level, from new entrants to seniors. We pitch every session to the age and stage of your ākonga, and we can run multiple sessions across classes in a single visit.

What ākonga learn

• Breathwork basics — calming the nervous system, focus and self-regulation
• Marine ecology — the food web full circle: plankton, kina, tāmure, rays, sharks and the marine mammals of Te Tai Tokerau
• Water safety theory — reading conditions, buddy thinking, when to say no
• The foundations of the Te Wheke Hauora Moana framework

The session shape

Each session runs around an hour in your own classroom or hall. We open with a kōrero and breath practice, move through interactive ocean science — who eats whom, and what happens when one strand of the web is pulled — and close with practical water safety scenarios ākonga can carry into real life. Book a one-off visit or a series across the term. We travel Northland-wide — Kaitaia to Whangārei, Hokianga to the Bay of Islands.

Price

$400 + GST per class visit (a full class of up to 30 ākonga — around $16 each). Multi-class days by arrangement. Invoiced to the school — registering interest costs nothing and holds your term dates.

Safety & ratios

All our kaimahi are Children's Act safety checked, and oxygen and first aid come with us on every activity. When your ākonga progress to the water: pool sessions run at 1:8 instructor-to-student, open water at 1:4 in-water plus a dedicated lookout, with a 1:2 adult-to-student benchmark for Year 8 and below, buddy system and mandatory wetsuits throughout. Our Safety Management System is externally audited and available on request. The full EOTC School Pack — provider agreement, RAMS and instructor qualifications — is sent on registration.

What your kura provides

A liaison teacher contactable 24 hours, behaviour and pastoral care of ākonga, health and behaviour profiles ahead of the visit, parent helpers to ratio, and any transport needed.

Funding

Schools fund these sessions through EOTC budgets, Gateway, STAR, Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa, Water Safety NZ, and creative or environmental grants. Happy to help you make the case.

Next step

Register interest below (no charge) or kōrero with Sacha — info@freedive.co.nz / WhatsApp.