THEY scoured the jungle, skimmed the sea and scurried aboard a ship around and on Pulau Tuba, 3km from Kuah jetty in Langkawi. They were not commandos, nor were they Navy Seals. They were participants of the Wilderness Adventure programme, students from all over the country.

 
Since February, some 3,241 students from Forms 2 and 4, and from university and teacher-training colleges have undergone a crash course in sea kayaking, jungle trekking and nautical navigation.

 
Wondering how these lucky guys and gals made it there? State education departments selected the students based on nominations from their schools.

 
If selected, you get to spend four days and five nights on several islands in Langkawi, without having to fork out a sen, in the company of trained outdoor adventure staff! How about that?

 
At the official launch of the programme recently, Tan Sri Halim Mohamad, director of the Halim Mazmin Group (which owns the company that runs this programme,Wilderness Centre Sdn Bhd), said the idea behind the programme is to get the students used to nature and outdoor activities.

 
"The conditions here are uncomfortable. There is no electricity, and they have to bathe using seawater," he explained.

 
He wasn't kidding about the conditions. Heavy rain had lashed the islands a few nights before. Soggy tents had been the order of the night.

 
Yet the sea of tanned, grinning faces that greeted Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad at the launch showed no trace of the "hardship" they had endured. The participants of the latest camp held over the weekend could not stop waxing lyrical about the great time they had had.

 
"If you were to throw me into the jungle now, I'd definitely survive," said a clearly ecstatic Huzaimah Abdullah, 16, of Kluang. Another happy camper, 16-year-old Villashini Sivabalan of Kuala Lumpur, said: "Hey, I couldn't cook to save my life a week ago, but now I can whip up a pretty mean chicken curry!"

 
Huzaimah and her team member Teow Tian Ping, 16, of Baling, agreed that their self-confidence had been given a boost, thanks to supportive trainers and teammates. "There was plenty of co-operation and encouragement. And that made me feel really good about myself," said Teow.

 
Villashini described how she had faced up to her fear of heights - by walking a high rope suspended 20m in the air aboard the ship. "I was terrified!" she said, "but hearing my friends cheering me on, telling me I could do it, just made me WANT to walk that rope!"

 
She was also thrilled at the chance to steer the Reef Explorer, a ship refurbished to the tune of RM1.5 million for the purpose of the programme.

 
The test of stamina - the four-hour kayaking expedition - nearly wore out these able-bodied teens. Ong Xi Yar, 16, of Kluang, told of strong winds that kept pushing them further away from their destination. "It seemed as if we hadn't moved at all, despite our valiant effort to paddle our kayaks!" Barring the wind conditions, that trip would have only taken them half the time!

 
The trainers were also credited for instilling the team spirit in their charges. The trainers hail from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Britain as well as Malaysia, and all are qualified Wilderness First Responders.

 
The programme was designed with the school curriculum in mind in line with its partnership with the Education Ministry.

 
Participants are divided into groups of 20 and placed in various locations around the island. Each group is assigned problems to solve and missions to complete while navigating their way through jungle and sea.

 
The objectives of the programme are to instil self-awareness, an ability to interact with others and to increase awareness about the environment.

 
This programme was also designed to compliment the National Service programme that will be implemented in February.