The Adventure
When I planned this adventure I knew I wanted to do something that was both relaxing and a little bit different. I go paddleboarding pretty often so I knew I wanted to step a little outside of my comfort zone, so I decided to add a sandwich into the mix! The idea of paddleboarding across Thetis Lake to make a sandwich on a tiny island in the middle of the lake I thought sounded like the perfect adventure and maybe slightly ridiculous, which is exactly why I wanted to do it.
The day of the adventure turned out to be perfect. The sun was shining, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and it was going to be a hot one. I was thrilled because I knew I had picked the perfect day. My best friend Quinn and I started loading up the car, making sure we had everything we needed. We packed our inflatable paddleboard, paddles, a bag with a cutting board, knife, and all the ingredients for our sandwich. Since we planned to spend some time on the island swimming and tanning, we also packed towels and sunscreen.
The drive from my place in Gordon Head to Thetis Lake took about half an hour. Once we arrived, we unloaded everything and pumped up the paddleboard. Thankfully, I had done a practice run the week before. That practice run ended up being extremely helpful because by the time adventure day arrived, I felt completely prepared.
We strapped the bag to the front of the paddleboard, Quinn sat in the front, I sat behind her, and we were off. The paddle to the island took about fifteen minutes. We took turns paddling and switched whenever one of us got tired. Having another person on board actually made filming easier because one of us could paddle while the other could video.
The further we paddled from shore, the quieter everything became. All we could hear was the sound of the paddles moving through the water and the occasional splash from nearby swimmers.
When we finally arrived at the island, Quinn jumped off first then I handed her the bag. A kind of funny moment was, when Quinn was putting the bag down I had chucked both of our shoes onto the island without really thinking and accidentally hit Quinn on the bottom with one! Then we secured the paddleboard to a nearby branch and immediately began setting up what we jokingly called our “sandwich and tanning station.” From where we were sitting, we had a perfect view of people cliff jumping across the lake. It was surprisingly entertaining to watch and added to the atmosphere of the afternoon.
After applying sunscreen and relaxing in the sun for a while, we started getting hungry and decided it was finally time to make our sandwich. We chose to make a burrata sandwich after seeing how good it looked in an Instagram reel a couple days prior. Using our cutting board, we sliced fresh tomatoes and burrata cheese before layering everything together with prosciutto, pesto, arugula, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. After paddling across a lake and spending the afternoon in the sun, it tasted incredible. In fact, it was probably one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. We were so hungry that we finished the entire thing!
Once lunch was over, we spent more time relaxing, tanning, and enjoying the peacefulness of the island. It was so calm that I nearly fell asleep. Eventually, the heat became a little too much, so we decided to cool off with a swim.
While we were swimming, I kept watching the cliff jumpers across the lake. It looked like so much fun that I decided I wanted to try it myself. The cliff was too far to swim to comfortably, so Quinn and I climbed back onto the paddleboard and paddled over. I went first while Quinn filmed, and then we switched roles so I could film her jump. It wasn’t part of the original plan, but it ended up becoming one of my favorite parts of the day.
After our cliff jumping adventure, we packed up our things and started paddling back across the lake. The return trip only took about ten minutes because the wind was in our favor. Once we reached shore, we deflated the paddleboard, loaded everything back into the car, and headed home.
Looking back, this adventure was about much more than making a sandwich. It was about spending time outdoors, trying something different, and creating memories with my best friend. What started as a funny idea turned into a really enjoyable summer afternoon! Between the paddleboarding, the island picnic, the swimming, and the cliff jumping, it ended up being a 10/10 experience and something I would absolutely do again.
Adventure Reflection
When planning this project, I was adamant on choosing an adventure that I would genuinely enjoy rather than doing something just for the assignment. Paddleboarding across Thetis Lake with my best friend to make a sandwich on a small island sounded both relaxing and adventurous, while also giving me lots of opportunities to collect different types of media. I wanted the experience to feel authentic which is one of the reasons for how I came up with this particular adventure.
Before the trip, I carefully planned what equipment I would need, including a paddleboard, paddles, a bag, my phone for recording video and audio, and all of the ingredients for the sandwich. I also checked the weather forecast and made sure I chose a warm sunny day with minimal wind to make the experience more enjoyable. I wasn’t too worried about mapping out where we would go once we got to Thetis lake since I have been there once before and knew where to go/paddle to.
One of the most important parts of my planning process was completing a trial run at my cabin on Galiano Island the week before. During this practice adventure, I made sure carrying two people and all of our equipment on a paddleboard would actually be manageable. This trial run helped me feel much more confident and prepared for the actual adventure.
Because I was enjoying myself so much during the adventure, I honestly forgot I had even planned it for this course. I ended up being a little too in the moment and didn’t get as many paddleboarding videos as I had hoped. Holding my phone while on the paddleboard also made me quite nervous, so the video wasn’t as long or as high quality as I originally imagined when rewatching it.
I found it kind of funny because before the adventure I was worried I wouldn’t be in the moment enough, and spend too much time filming and not enough time actually enjoying the experience. When the exact opposite happened! Quinn and I were too busy yapping and chatting, and having a good time for me to remember to keep filming. Even though I didn’t capture as much footage as I had planned, the fact that I became so immersed in the adventure demonstrates exactly what I had hoped the experience would be. As a bonus, Quinn and I also got some fire Instagram pics that we both ended up posting!
When creating the story, I made sure I followed the structure I outlined in my draft. The beginning focuses on preparing for the trip and paddling out to the island. The middle captures our time on the island making sandwiches, relaxing, swimming, and cliff jumping. The ending follows our journey back across the lake and reflects on the experience afterwards.
For this project, I used four different forms of media: video, photography, audio recordings, and written narration. My goal was to help viewers feel as though they were experiencing the adventure alongside us. The videos captured the cliff jump, movement of the paddleboard and different moments throughout the day, while the photos showed snippets of our day such as showing the sandwich and relaxing on the island. I also included natural audio recordings of the paddles moving through the water and the sounds of the lake to help create a calm atmosphere. All these different formats of media put together allowed me to tell the story in a way that text alone could not.
Mayer’s Principals
Throughout my multimedia story I made sure I incorporated several of Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia Learning.
First, I used the Coherence Principle by keeping the story focused on the adventure itself. Rather than adding unnecessary effects, unrelated clips, or distracting background music, I chose media that directly supported the story and helped viewers stay focused on the experience.
Second, Contiguity Principle by placing photos, videos, and audio clips directly beside the sections of the story they relate to. This helps viewers connect the media with the written narrative and makes the story easier to follow.
Third, I applied the Segmenting Principle by organizing the story into clear stages: preparing for the trip, paddling across the lake, arriving at the island, making the sandwich, relaxing, cliff jumping, and finally paddling back to shore. Breaking the story into smaller sections makes it easier for viewers to follow.
Fourth, I incorporated the Modality Principle by combining visuals with natural audio recordings and narration rather than relying heavily on large amounts of text. The sounds of the paddles moving through the water and the surrounding environment help viewers experience the adventure as they were almost a part of it too!
Finally, I used the Personalization Principle by telling the story in a conversational and personal way. Instead of presenting the experience formally, I shared my own thoughts and reflections throughout the adventure. This helps create a stronger connection between the audience and the story.
How I Incorporated Feedback
One piece of feedback I received on my draft was to make sure I clearly highlighted how my multimedia story aligned with Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia Learning. In response, I paid much closer attention to how I organized my media and presented the story. Rather than simply combining videos, photos, and audio recordings, I intentionally used principles such as coherence, segmenting, modality, and personalization to improve the viewer’s experience. I intentionally selected and arranged them to support learning and storytelling.
I also had Quinn give me some feedback since she was a big part of this assignment too! After sharing my draft with her, she said she loved it and a suggestion to make sure I aligned the photos and videos with the text and gave me some suggestions of where I could put each video, photo and audio recording. Based on her feedback, I organized the story in the order she suggested so it would be easier to follow. I also expanded my reflections on the hike and explained more clearly how I used Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia Learning in the final project.
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