SCUBA CERTIFICATION

1. Become certified as an Open Water Diver by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) or the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). If PADI or NAUI instruction and certification are not available, certification may be accepted from other agencies that comply with the Recreational Scuba Training Council (RSTC) guidelines, provided that such acceptance has been expressly approved by your local BSA council in consultation with the BSA national Health and Safety Service.
2. Make a presentation to your crew, another crew, or a Cub or Boy Scout group on what it takes to become certified and some other subject related to scuba diving.
3. Assist with a Discover Scuba program. (Note: An Open Water Diver may assist with logistics under the guidance of the instructor conducting the program, but is not qualified to and is not expected to perform as a professional-level assistant such as a divemaster or assistant instructor.)

Overview of an Open Water Diver Course

(The following information is provided by PADI)

To get started, contact a local dive center, resort, or diving instructor. The course normally meets five or six times. Depending upon the time available and your schedule, you may complete the program as quickly as over a couple of weekends, or as long as several weeks. There are three basic parts to the course.

Basic knowledge development.
By reading and watching a video, or using a CD-ROM, you learn the basic rules and principles required for diving. You will complete a brief knowledge review to discuss with your instructor prior to each pool diving session, followed by a short quiz. This process is typically divided into five sessions, with a longer, more comprehensive quiz following the fifth one.

Pool diving.
You'll dive in a pool to practice scuba diving skills such as swimming while breathing under water, clearing water from a flooded mask, and sharing air with another diver. There are five pool diving sessions, each of which typically immediately follows a knowledge development review. In some areas, pool diving may be in shallow lake or ocean water with conditions comparable to a pool.

Open water diving.
After you complete the knowledge development and pool diving sessions, you'll make four or more dives in open water with your instructor. During these dives, you will practice the skills you learned while pool diving, and you'll learn to interact with the local diving environment.

Scuba Price Ranges
Scuba certification courses range from $150 to $300 depending on location and access to pool and open-water dive sites. Scuba equipment basics of mask, fins, and snorkel range from $100 to $300. Most training facilities provide scuba rental equipment for training at reasonable prices.

Scholarships
PADI offers a multilevel scholarship program to introduce Venturers to the underwater frontier. Scuba diving is an exciting avocation or vocation that can be enjoyed in just about every part of the country. For scholarship details, contact the Venturing Division, S210, P.O. Box 152079, Irving TX 75015-2079.