Blue Water High

Blue Water High

As the kids settle into the Solar Blue house, it's decision time. The boys choose which bunk they want and the girls decide who gets their own room. But bigger choices are looming. Bec explains the ins and outs of the competition along with the household rules, then tells them that they will be responsible for choosing their surf coach. We meet Dave, the fun-loving, story-telling, jokester coach, and Garry, the more serious of the two. All the kids except Charley, choose Dave as their coach. So Charley must either come around to agree with the others, or convince everyone else to change their minds. After researching some hard facts and presenting his case as passionately and as persuasively as possible, Charley leaves the others to make the choice. This they do and in the end, Charley's arguments win the day. But Charley too makes his own form of concession - that being at Solar Blue requires him to be part of a group as well as an individual.

Loren's insecurities become evident when she begins to compare herself to her teammates. If it's not Bridget's wardrobe, or Cassie's carefree nature, it's Guy's 'loopiness', Adam's sense of calm or Charley's belief in himself that all undermine her confidence. But what makes Loren feel most insecure is that the others are such great surfers. It doesn't help when Garry singles her out to tell her that her surfing posture is wrong and that her butt sticks out too far. Loren convinces herself that with her 'stupid butt', she'll never be good enough to make the pro-circuit and decides to leave the academy. Bec tries to persuade Loren to reconsider and at least enter the upcoming weekend competition. A reluctant Loren does so but all her suspicions are confirmed when she attempts to get a big wave and she wipes out spectacularly and scores last place overall. This confirms her decision to go back home. It's not until she finds out that the judges gave her the highest scores on earlier waves that she realises she is actually good enough to be at Solar Blue.

Garry's coaching techniques come under fire because of the extreme training regime he's putting the kids through. Adam seems to be the most affected and as the exercises get harder, his tolerance deserts him. He finally snaps when Bec and Garry prepare an orienteering bush-walk with a time limit. The group is divided into pairs and not only does everyone have to participate, but if they fail then their partner fails too. To make matters worse, they're walking for points - and on a scorching hot day and carrying packs weighing 15 kilos!. Angrily, Adam sets off with Cassie in a race against the clock. It's a long and grinding hike through rough country. At the last moment Cassie and Adam strike serious trouble but eventually they and everyone else stagger across the line. Back at the house, Adam loses his temper with Garry and Bec - criticizing them severely for imposing such a crazy training routine on the kids. It's then that he finds out the real reasons behind the program and the fact that it wasn't as stupid as he thought.

Bridget's determination to do well starts to worry Bec and Garry. Extra laps in the pool are one thing, but when school starts, her will to achieve becomes a problem. When a team assignment is issued, Bridget jumps straight in, organising the other girls in her group and putting forward a plan of action. Her well intentioned enthusiasm is interpreted by the others as egocentric 'bossiness' and they decide not to contribute to the assignment. At the same time, Bridget isn't the only one who is having problems adjusting to Blue Water High. Guy, Charley and Adam encounter Mick and Jimmy, the class toughs. Mick and Jimmy aren't too happy sharing their locker area and, in an attempt to maintain an exclusive hold over their territory, vandalise the Solar Blue boys' lockers - an act that provokes a quick witted response from the victims. Bridget's problems, on the other hand, are not so easily resolved. She over-hears another girl complaining about her in very unflattering terms. While it's very hurtful to hear this, Bridget also recognizes that the comments about her contain a grain of truth and she comes to the realisation that life isn't ALWAYS about winning.

Happy-Go-Lucky' Guy gets an introduction to the stresses of the real world when a celebratory party with the Solar Blue gang at their local cafe produces unforeseen consequences. Feeling very happy with their new life, Guy and Bridget's relationship starts to blossom. They organise a movie date and decide to buy Guy a new shirt for the occasion. At the shops, however, Guy's luck changes. A tip-off from an anonymous caller incriminates Guy as a shoplifter. When his bag is checked by security, store merchandise is found and he is taken to the police station. This shocks the Solar Blue team and - with all the evidence incriminating him - they don't know whether to believe Guy's story or not. Then a surprise piece of evidence in the form of a photograph leads them to identify a suspect. All they have to do now is track the person down - a task that proves frustratingly fruitless at first until Bec comes forward with an additional piece of information. Eventually the culprit is located and Guy's name is not only cleared. But the whole experience has shaken his easy going confidence and he's left a little wiser about the ways of the wolrld.

Cassie's never had a boyfriend so it's a surprise when she suddenly finds herself drawn towards Adam. Noting that Adam receives bird magazines in the mail, she feigns enthusiasm for his past-time in an attempt to insinuate herself into his affections. And with some eager prompting from Loren, she then takes things a step further and organises a special bird watching expedition. Adam doesn't appear all that enthusiastic about the idea but agrees to go because he doesn't want to hurt Cassie's feelings. On the day, Cassie is so desperate to impress Adam that in her pursuit of a particularly rare species of bird, she slips and falls off a rock ledge into the lake - injuring herself in the process. While all the other kids are off at the beach having a great time being towed out by jet ski to surf some big waves, Adam has to carry Cassie through the forest until he can find a road and flag down a passing motorist. Next day at the hospital, Cassie recognises that by trying to impress Adam she lost sight of who she really is. As luck would have it though, Adam admits to being guilty of the same thing. Having 'fessed up to the silliness of their pretensions, the ground is now clear for a real relationship to get underway.

With school, housework, training and surfing thriving for Charley, life is perfect. To add to Charley's high, it's competition time again and the Blue Water team blow away their opponents. Not only is Charley performing particularly well, he has a flurry of female fans, shouting out his name and cheering him on - Maisie, Dianna and Cherrie. Good fortune can't last forever though, and Charley's high comes crashing down. Much to the amusement of the rest of the Blue Water team (except for Loren), Maisie bounds up to Charley, yells her adoration and gives him the most enthusiastic of kisses. From this point on, Charley's life suddenly starts to slide downhill. Training becomes hard and getting out of bed even harder. Schoolwork is a blur and his energy levels are non-existent. Bec finally takes him to the doctor only to discover that he has glandular fever. Charley is devastated. Not only does he have to stop training; he has to go back home so he can have constant care and rest. It's a blow for the whole Solar Blue team but none more so than Loren. As Charley leaves, a common thought is at the front of everyone's mind - will he ever come back?

Loren's family has always been very closely knit so when her dad makes an unexpected visit to Solar Blue, she's naturally delighted to see him. But the situation quickly deteriorates when it becomes clear that her father is extremely unhappy with the inadequate and inappropriate training he feels Loren is getting. After watching Loren surf, Brian is furious that Garry has changed her style and accuses both Bec and Garry of ruining her chances of succeeding on the pro-circuit. He demands that Loren return home so he can get her a more experienced coach who can give her personalized attention. Suddenly Loren is in the awful dilemma of having to choose between Solar Blue and her family. Feeling under intense pressure, Loren considers the options and comes to her decision. But deciding on something and then communicating it to the people involved are two different challenges. One thing's for sure though, after she does announce her decision, the relationships between all concerned will never be quite the same again.

As the Solar Blue team heads to a new surf spot, Adam's secret fear of sharks wells up within him. Since he started the year he's managed to keep a lid on his anxiety but suddenly and unexpectedly it's risen to the surface again. And the more he thinks about it, the worse his fear becomes. Adding salt to the wound, Adam can't help but observe how well his housemates are able to openly declare and cope with their fears while he has difficulty even admitting his to himself. Even more troubling though is the realisation that - unless he can overcome this fear - Adam knows that he has no future as a surfer. While Adam struggles with his internal demons, Cassie shrewdly guesses his problem and confronts him about it. Reluctant at first, Adam finally admits the truth and so Cassie sets out to help him. Adam is a difficult 'patient' but Cassie is a determined friend who won't take 'no' for an answer. To Adam's deep embarrassment, Cassie's soon enlisted the assistance of Bec and Garry and together they embark on a course of action that is simple, direct and hopefully effective. It will require Adam to go on a scuba dive in a local acquarium and swim amongst several sharks. The prospect horrifies him but so too does the idea of leaving Solar Blue and giving up his ambitions to become a pro- surfer. In order to meet the challenge Adam will have to dig down deep into his inner resources. Luckily for him though, he has a great friend in Cassie to help him find the way.

Charley is depressed and broods over his 'bad luck'. Before catching glandular fever he had everything to look forward to. Now - one, simple, little kiss later - he's unable to train and unable to remain at Solar Blue. Disheartened, he figures that even if he is able to return in a month or so he'll never catch up with the fitness levels of the others. So he decides to resign from the academy for good. Loren is devastated by Charley's news and urges him to reconsider. But it's to no avail - Charley has made up his mind and that's it. As luck would have it though, Fly drops into Solar Blue on her way to Perth. Loren seizes the opportunity and asks her to visit Charley to see if she can convince him to return. Fly can't promise she'll succeed but she does agree to talk to him. Soon after, Charley and Fly meet and he quite bluntly tells her that nothing she can say will convince him to return to Solar Blue. To Charley's great surprise, Fly announces that she has no intention of saying anything. On the contrary, she's going to take him for a picnic. Charley reluctantly allows himself to be dragged along - only to discover [like many others have before him] that it's very easy to underestimate the diminutive Fly. As it happens, the picnic presents him with an experience that will turn his life around completely.

Ever since Bridget was a kid, her dreams and fantasies have always included a 'Prince Charming'. When comparing herself to the other kids in the house however, she begins to wonder if Guy is that special person. From what she can see, Loren and Charley are definitely together, and Adam and Cassie too, but it doesn't quite feel right with Guy. Her uncertainty escalates when her classmate, Patrick, asks her to the movies on the same night as the as the Solar Blue team are going bowling. Her confusion is further heightened when she becomes jealous of Guy talking to another girl. Losing her focus completely, she badly wipes out in the surf and decides that she has to confront him about her confused feelings. Opting to see other people, both Bridget and Guy begin to like the idea of being single and Bridget does go to the movies with Patrick. She realises that to make her dreams come true, she needs pursue them on her own, without a 'Prince Charming'.

It's the halfway point at Solar Blue and all the kids are on track for qualifying for the end of year surf-off. Angus arrives with the prototype of a new surfboard. Solar Blue needs to make a commercial contribution to the parent company, Matsusito, and he wants the kids to promote the new board. They're told that they must use it in the next comp, but their first practice session is a disaster. Not only is the board too light, it's seriously unstable and they all have trouble just staying upright. But with the CEO of Matsusito coming to watch the competition, Angus is adamant that they must persist with the new boards - and win! With the future of the Academy at stake, the kids feel that they have no choice but to try and make the best of it. After a disastrous first round, Cassie decides that promoting a product that is no good just isn't worth it. She convinces the rest of the kids to use their own boards; if this is their last surf for Solar Blue, then they may as well look good. With a renewed sense of conviction, the team blow the competition out of the water. And a compromise is reached : Matsusito will allow the Academy to remain open as long as the kids take part in a fashion shoot to promote the company's leisurewear. Suddenly, everyone's a winner.

Guy loves training, loves the whole routine of sameness & certainty. But with all of the group under-performing in all of the drills, a change is needed. Guy can't understand how modifying the basic training programme will make them any fitter and is strongly against breaking their routine. When the girls suggest dance classes as an alternative, Guy is horrified. Being forced to make a change is one thing, but dancing is a whole new problem. Lacking rhythm and with two left feet, Guy struggles to follow the steps. Throwing in the towel and ostracising his housemates in the process, he refuses to attend any more classes. Bec & Garry read him the riot act and Guy is forced to try again. After taking some private classes with the dance teacher, he realises the training can actually help his surfing. Not only does he readjust his balance, he makes up with his housemates. The surf comp reveals the improvement in all of them. Re-focused and re-motivated, the kids all surf better than they have for months. It seems that changing the routine can make a difference - and they're all the better for it.

Loren and Charley's relationship hits new heights when a picnic at the beach sees their friendship blossom into romance. The problem is however that they become so infatuated with each other that they begin to neglect their housemates. Although the other kids aren't upset about Charley and Loren's relationship, they soon become used to them not being around. Loren senses a change in their attitude and wonders why they're not being included in group activities. And then when Adam calls a house meeting to discuss concerns about Bec and Garry's growing absences, Charley and Loren appear to be excluded. To top it off, when Loren finds Cassie asleep in her bed - she takes it as a sure sign that Cassie and Bridget's friendship has grown closer at the expense of their relationships with her. Suddenly, Loren's new, perfect life is found wanting. Aware that they have drifted away from their friends, Loren and Charley apologise to their housemates for cutting themselves off. Asking if they can rejoin the group, they're welcomed back with open arms. Having isolated herself from the people she cares for the most, Loren realises that having a boyfriend is great but you need to hold onto your friends as well.

According to Charley, everyone has their weird side, even though they might seem "normal" on the outside. As the kids enjoy a day of surfing, Bernie, an elderly man, watches them from the beach. Back at the house, Charley reads about an old woman, Rosemary Wilson, who's gone missing. According to the pamphlet, she was one of the first women surfers in the area and won the inaugural Blue Water Beach Women's comp back in 1955. During their various training sessions, Charley notices that Bernie is taking an unnatural interest in their activities. Realising this is not 'normal', he confronts the man, only to be asked to spread the ashes of his dearest friend - the recently deceased, 'Rosie' - in the ocean. Perturbed and assuming that 'Rosie' is the missing elderly woman, Charley and Bec take the ashes to the police, but are told that the old lady has actually been found. So whose ashes are the ones Charley has been given? A mystery has arisen that needs to be solved. Inevitably, the solution to this mystery reinforces Charley's view that everyone really is a little weird - but ironically, that's also what makes people 'normal.'

Bridget's delighted by the unexpected arrival of her older brother, James. He's on a mercy mission : their younger brother Ben has broken his ankle, and he needs Bridget to replace him in a skateboarding event being held just near Blue Water Beach. After an exhilarating test run, Bridget's competitive spirit is fired up. Eager to help her brothers win the race, Bridget tries to convince Bec and Garry that skateboarding is perfectly safe and that there's little risk of injury. James can see this strategy isn't working and secretly tells Bec & Garry that he's hatched a fake plot to get his whole family together for their mother's birthday. Meanwhile, Charley and Guy come home to find two of James' spare skateboards against the wall of the house. Assuming they've been left there for some 'dry land' practice, they take them out for a spin, with disastrous results. Out of control, they career down the street and crash into a garage sale, creating havoc. With no real damage done, Charley & Guy are suitably chastened. James springs his surprise reunion, and Bridget embraces the importance of family.

When Adam and Cassie embark on a relaxing day-trip to the nature-park, they spot Charley with a mystery girl. Back at Solar Blue, he's evasive about his movements, and for the next week or so, he continually makes up excuses about what he's doing and where he's been. Cassie, immediately jumping to conclusions, assumes Charley is cheating on Loren. Her suspicions are confirmed when Adam and Guy spot him with the same mystery girl at a café. Cassie can't bear to see Loren hurt, and finally snaps when Charley turns up late again to training. She accuses him of lying to them all and cheating on Loren. Shocked and upset, Charley storms off. After meeting Loren on the beach, explanations are in order. Back at the house, Charley confesses what has really been happening. Ellie, the mystery girl, is actually his sister. She's run away from school and Charley's been trying to help her. The kids are embarrassed at the lack of trust and respect they have shown Charley. They realize that even when all the evidence suggests otherwise - a friend is a friend - and that's pretty much all that matters.

Everyone's on a high when the Solar Blue team decides to surf a new break at Swordfish Bay. With perfect waves, Cassie forgets all the rules. She's sucked in by a rip and lands on a rock ledge. Wiping out spectacularly, she injures her foot and is rescued by Adam. Garry is furious at the kids' lack of surf safety and Cassie feels like a complete idiot. To make matters worse, her foot won't be healed in time for the next competition, so she'll miss out on valuable points. Watching her team-mates training hard and getting ahead, Cassie's confidence goes into free fall as she realises her whole year at Solar Blue is in jeopardy. Adam can't bear to watch her self-destruct and makes her enter an ocean swim race. Reluctant at first, Cassie soon discovers that the swimming training makes her feel great. Finally, it's competition day and she ends up placing in the first ten - good enough to score the points needed to keep up with her team-mates.

Guy completely loses his focus when he meets Natalie, the girl of his dreams. Having done his best to avoid any distractions during the year, Guy's best intentions are suddenly overturned when he is instantly smitten with her. Within days he's learning French and feigning a deep interest in wetland conservation in order to do whatever it takes to impress Natalie. But these distractions soon take his attention away from his obligations to Solar Blue and he fails to put in the required training for an approaching comp. As a result, Guy's poor performance leads Solar Blue to place second and causes a sponsorship deal with their parent company to be cancelled. Knowing he has let everyone down, Guy feels embarrassed and humiliated. But his luck turns;- the local newspaper features a photo of Guy, dressed in his Solar Blue t-shirt and taken while he was helping Natalie in her conservation campaign. The parent company is delighted with the positive publicity and comes through with the sponsorship after all. Back on a high, Guy builds up the courage to ask Natalie to the school dance only to find that she already has a boyfriend. The news devastates Guy at first but then he realises he has no alternative but to accept his fate. He determines to put love to one side and go back to focus on his surfing - which after all, is what he really came to Solar Blue to do anyway.

With summer approaching, the Solar Blue kids find out what it's really like to share the waves. When Cassie gets hit on the arm by a young local's wayward surfboard, it seems a surf war is about to break out. Adam tries to reason with the offending surfers but his overtures are quickly rejected and he suddenly finds himself the victim of some blatant racism. Things get even worse the next day at school when he finds an unflattering drawing with an offensive caption stuck on his locker. Down at the beach, the mayhem on the waves is compounded by another group of locals - this time it's the older Malibu riders and one surfs straight over Adam's board, breaking it in two. It seems the Solar Blue team is being attacked from all sides and Bec has to step in to try and bring some sense to the situation before it really gets out of control. Meanwhile at school, racist abuse continues to be directed at Adam. Realising he needs to take action, Adam surreptitiously gathers some incriminating evidence and confronts the perpetrators. He gives them an ultimatum : they can either formally apologize and go surf another beach or the evidence will be presented to the principal and the police. The boys have no choice but to reluctantly accept Adam's terms. Good manners and decency are restored at school and on the beach - Adam's summer is looking up after all.

When Garry organises an adventure training camp for the kids, Cassie sees a whole new side to Adam. As they pile out of the Kombi, they're introduced to Dan, their instructor for the weekend. Tanned, fit and according to the girls, a 'whole lot cuter' than expected, his idea of training is to shake people out of their comfort zones. Adam however, immediately dislikes to him. Feeling that Dan is showing unnecessarily close attention to Cassie he becomes jealous and disagreeable. He's especially infuriated when it seems that Dan assumes the mantle of 'hero' after rescuing Cassie when one of their training exercises goes wrong. Adam finally snaps when Cassie goes missing in the bush while out on a horse ride when Dan was supposed to be looking after her. A full scale search has to be organized and everyone's concerned for Cassie's safety. As it turns out, Cassie is finally found by Charley - a little shaken, but no worse for wear. Happy that Cassie has come to no harm, Adam still can't forgive Dan for his irresponsibility. But to his surprise, Cassie defends Dan and criticizes Adam for his small mindedness. Adam is shocked and forced to scrutinize his own behaviour. It's a testing challenge for him but the outcome will determine whether his and Cassie's relationship has a future.

When Charley states that his whole year at Solar Blue will be a waste unless he wins, Loren is crestfallen. She feels that getting into Solar Blue is a major success in itself. Even more than that, she believes that the relationship she's formed with Charley is also an important achievement and it hurts her to see that Charley doesn't seem to attach the same significance to it as she does. The revelation causes Loren to re-evaluate her priorities. She recognizes that to 'own' herself again, she's got to focus on winning the finals - and that means looking again at her relationship with Charley. Meanwhile Bridget is encountering the issue of success on different terms. She's been invited to accompany top surfer, Grant Fabier, to some promotional events. Everyone urges her to accept this golden opportunity. It's not just a leg up the ladder to success, it's a chance to achieve overnight fame - and who doesn't want that? However, Bridget quickly discovers that fame is not all that it's cut out to be. Indeed, if fame means having to hide who you really are and pretend to be someone you're not then is it really worth it? After an eventful week, both Loren and Bridget have a much deeper understanding of just what fame and success entail - and it's not what either of them had expected.

Guy decides that in order to stand a chance of winning the finals he needs to become much more competitive in his outlook and approach. As a result he turns everything he does into a form of competition. Whether it's bed-making, sandwich-making or getting to school first - nothing is too trivial to be excluded from Guy's competitive embrace. Charley and Adam soon catch on and instinctively rise to the challenge that Guy's thrown down. The effect means that daily life becomes a non-stop race - and the girls are singularly unimpressed. Things come to a head when the boys are asked to sell cookies for charity. It's the perfect opportunity for them to compete and they jump at the chance to outdo each other. But the results are a disaster and the local main street degenerates into a melee of competing boys and arguing customers that quickly leads to trouble. Deciding that things have gone too far, Garry puts his foot down. He signs them all up for a teams event at a weekend surf event where the boys will have to work together instead of in competition. But whether the boys can respond positively and curb their competitive instincts is another matter entirely.

When Cassie feels that Garry is singling out Loren for special attention she suspects an ulterior motive. Unnoticed by the other housemates, the extra pointers and private sessions with Garry start to grate with Cassie. She feels that favoritism is playing a big part in the week leading up to competition day. Her suspicions are confirmed when she overhears Loren talking to Bec and Garry in the office and it seems unmistakeable that Loren has been pre-determined to win. Cassie is shocked. At Loren's birthday dinner she explodes, accusing Bec, Garry and Loren of cheating. The other housemates are startled by her outburst and Cassie concludes that if the competition is already decided, then she might as well leave the Academy before the final surf-off. Eventually the truth of the situation emerges but not without some negative effects - the major one being whether Cassie's friendship with Loren has been irretrievably damaged by the experience.

It's finals day, and after a whole year of training at Solar Blue, the kids are pumped. It's now time to show everyone what they're made of. But when Angus makes a surprise visit to the Academy, his news throws the whole event into turmoil. Solar Blue is to be closed with immediate effect and there's no money for a wild card or a year's worth of sponsorship. Bec, Garry and the kids are devastated. Everything that they have been working towards has been taken away and there is nothing they can do. Simmo returns as a surprise judge and refuses to accept the news. After convincing a local surf company to supply the team with both the wild cards and the sponsorship money needed for a year on the circuit, the event is saved and the surf off begins. The competition is tight. Simmo congratulates the kids, telling them that it's the best Solar Blue finals he has ever seen. Now, there's only one remaining issue to finalise - which girl and which boy will win the wild cards?