The art of adaptability leads to success
Graduate and local artist embodies the ethos of NMIT’s Believe It, Become It campaign.
Love of history steers student to maritime study
Garth McIntyre has achieved many things during his lifetime. His life experiences led him to study NMIT’s Maritime Operations SRL programme as he prepares to embark on the next stage of his life journey.
A self-professed salty dog of over 40 years, Garth’s McIntyre’s lifetime ambition has been to build and skipper a vessel that could survey, research and ultimately discover New Zealand’s lost shipwrecks.
“I am particularly interested in our maritime heritage as there are around 2,500 shipwrecks around our New Zealand coastline,” says Garth.
While Garth’s ship arrived in Australia to be refitted for surveying and research purposes, he began studying the Maritime Operations – Skipper Restricted Limits (SRL)(external link) programme delivered by NMIT.
“I've always had the sea time but never done the tickets so to speak and that’s what really drove me to do the SRL course,” says Garth.
Completing the SRL programme has also opened up a range of commercial possibilities for Garth and his vessel.
“It's a two-fold thing. One on a personal level and the other one is to pick up commercial work through time that is specific to the vessel, given the type of electronics it's got on board and the capability of it.”
Garth says he had no problem engaging with the online study before progressing to the on-Campus face-to-face learning.
“I found it pretty straightforward really. The online learning makes you focused and obviously you could go to the tutors online if you ran into any problems.”
The Maritime Operations – Skipper Restricted Limits Level 4 programme is designed to broaden boating knowledge through a series of topics including building confidence with electronic navigation equipment (chart plotters, radar), collision regulation skills, elementary first aid and fire safety skills onboard a vessel.
The Maritime Operations – Skipper Restricted Limits(external link) programme, Level 4 can be completed in 4 to 6 months and includes 18 weeks of online study followed by a five-week block course delivered in Nelson before students sit the MNZ final examination.
A minimum of 200 hours MNZ required sea time before the end of the programme.
Like many graduates of this programme, Garth intends to study for the Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) licence: Skipper Restricted Limits (SRL) to enable him to skipper larger vessels.
“I'm looking forward at some stage to doing my offshore ticket down in Nelson and I'm sure I'll get just as much enjoyment and knowledge out of that as the SRL course.”
