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Seasider Activities hosts night swim and aquatic adventure films for students to relieve stress

Students use inflatable tubes to watch a movie in the pool on May 31.

A huge screen was set up on the edge of the pool as students swam or sat on the bleachers while Seasider Activities played the movies “Surf’s Up” and “Aquaman on the night of May 31.

Noting how it was a clever idea for a social activity, Natalia Dutton, a freshman from Missouri majoring in music, said, “We can swim and hang out with our friends while watching movies. The theme [of the movies] is water. I think even more people came because of the theme.”

“It’s my dream [to watch a movie in the pool], and I did it today,” said Shan Arumugam, a sophomore from India studying hospitality and tourism management. Arumugam explained he had only seen a screen set up by a pool in movies he has watched. To him, it was fun to see it come true.

Seasider Activities have held dive-in movies in recent semesters. The movies shown this time were “Surf’s Up,” a cartoon movie about surfers, and “Aquaman,” a story of a demigod who lives in the fictional city of Atlantis.

Seasider Activities staff member Haylie Chase, a senior from Utah majoring in social work, said the goal of the event was to relieve students from stress they received from their studies. “After crazy midterms and having spring semester fly by, it’s just to get people together to swim and party.”

Chase said the workers involved in the activity did not see it as work. “It’s an enjoyable process that we come early, set everything up and then, see everyone so happy and get so fulfilled because of it.”

Nick Gleave, a junior from Arizona majoring in business management, said, “Where else am I going to be able to watch a movie in a pool? It doesn’t really happen. It’s a cool opportunity.”

Life preserves were provided for students so they could float instead of swim in the pool during the movies. The bleachers behind the pool were also an option for attendees. Without moving much in the pool, students said it was too cold to stay in the water.

“I didn’t [swim much] because I wanted to watch the movie,” said Diana Hawkins, a freshman from Colorado majoring in biology.

However, there were others who enjoyed staying in the water for the whole time despite the cold. Carter Hall, a freshman from Utah majoring in business management, said, “I’ve been in the water for so long but it’s very worth it. It felt so good. I’m a water body. I consider myself quite an amphibian.”

Writer: Tomson Cheang