Outdoor & Physical Education
Prepare to Engage
The outdoor leadership and physical components of your Island School program will challenge you to push through difficulty as you gain strength and increased confidence. Running, swimming, kayaking, and diving alongside other students, you’ll learn to persevere and move outside your comfort zone, as you encourage one another and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.
Morning Exercise
Five mornings a week, students and faculty gather together to exercise for at least one hour, engaging in a variety of workouts such as swimming, running, and calisthenics, often combined into the Island School favorite, the run-swim. Students track their fitness progress as they prepare for an intense physical challenge that takes place at the end of their program.
Monday
Run-Swims
This exercise consists of exploring the unique coastline surrounding Cape Eleuthera. A series of man-made peninsulas make a great course for cross-training by running along the coast and swimming across each of the peninsula’s small bays. Students who lead the pack get the extra benefit of calisthenics while they wait for their peers each leg of the way.
Tuesday
Run & Swim Tracks
Students choose to either train for a half-marathon or 4-mile “Super Swim.” The length and intensity of these exercises increase throughout the semester until peaking at the main event. A typical endurance workout would include running 5 miles with a series of sprints or swimming 1 mile with a series of form workshops. Tracks are led by the same faculty members who teach academic courses and live on campus among students.
Wednesday
Sleep-in
An optional sunrise snorkel is also available a few times during the semester, depending on weather and participation.
Thursday
Run & Swim Tracks
Friday
Water Polo or Yoga
These exercises are a wonderful way for students to exercise their team sports abilities or alternatively to reflect on their physical health in a meditative way.
Saturday
Run & Swim Tracks
Sunday
Sleep-in
Students are encouraged to maintain a healthy level of rest in preparation for the week to come.
Sea Kayaking
With access to a fleet of sea kayaks, students take to the water to learn basic paddling and wet exit skills. Then, twice each semester, they embark on days-long kayaking and camping expeditions around the island of Eleuthera.
Learn more about our exciting sea kayak expeditions.
Scuba
The SCUBA program provides students with an opportunity to explore the beautiful underwater environment that surrounds Eleuthera, and enhance their academic experience by observing firsthand the species and ecology they are learning about.
After demonstrating proficiency in a number of underwater skills, students explore and document the underwater ecosystems. By the end of the semester, all students acquire PADI’s Open Water Diver certification and log approximately five dives, including a night dive and a 100-foot deep dive to “The Wall” of the Exuma Sound.
