Helen Ravenel for the Moultrie News

Jacob Canevazzi, Chris Baltimore, and Mikey Mueller try out the scuba gear last week.

Helen Ravenel for the Moultrie News

Cameron Kirkwood comes up for a breath of air.

Helen Ravenel for the Moultrie News

Taylor Scott is shown in action.

Helen Ravenel for the Moultrie News

Kailee Sword, Caroline Safford, Emma Jeffries and Gillian Armstrong are shown with teacher Robin Sheek.

Helen Ravenel for the Moultrie News

Tom and Sally Robinson, store owners of Charleston Scuba demonstrate how to safely use the scuba equipment.

But it wasn’t your typical trip.

Three groups of Laing sixth graders took a field trip to the MLK pool downtown to scuba dive.

Laing got a partial magnet status and is now the Laing Middle School of Science and Technology.

The school is offering new classes.

Within that realm of new classes, marine science is available for the students this year. Students are offered the opportunity to  study underwater technology.

“They have been concentrating on creatures underwater, so this leads into submersible robotics,” explained sixth grade teacher Robin Sheek.

The vehicles that go underwater can go front and back, front and left.

“In big marine science it was a submersible that discovered the Titanic,”said Sheek, who has been diving since 1991.

“This could be the future generation of marine science,” she added.

With the instruction of Charleston Scuba owners Tom and Sally Robinson, the students used scuba equipment in the confines of the pool to experience the underwater technology marine scientists use to study life under the ocean.

(Helen Ravenel can be reached at helen@moultrienews.com. )