Deer Isle/Stonington Middle school students get Coast Guard survival skill training

BLUE HILL, Maine (WABI) - Middle school students from Deer Isle/Stonington who have their lobster license got a break from the classroom to do some learning in the pool.

The Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries held a US Coast Guard certified drill conductor training course for those students at the Blue Hill YMCA Thursday afternoon. Students got the chance to put on survival suits, deploy inflatable life rafts, and learn a variety of self-rescue skills in the pool.

It’s one of the only programs in Maine for middle school-aged lobstermen.

”It’s not a swimming program,” said McMillan Offshore Survival Training President John McMillan. “Because a lot of kids may not be able to swim, so they may be afraid. But, we put them in life jackets, we put them in survival suits. So, hopefully we’ll see other kids attend a program such as this. It’s a worthwhile program.”

If your school has students interested in the program, check out the Eastern Maine Skippers Program at coastalfisheries.org.