TheScoutmasters Guide

Scuba Diving Merit Badgeto the

In 2010, the Boy Scouts of America in tandem with PADI, launched the Scuba Diving merit badge. Since then, the popularity of scuba diving is growing exponentially among the scouts. Much like scouting, the overall philosophy of scuba encourages the quest for adventure. It is a life changing experience that enables young men and women to embrace challenges in a whole new way.

Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center is ready to help Scouts experience the adventure of learning to breathe under water. This pamphlet will help provide you with a detailed roadmap on how to work with us to easily incorporate dive training into your activities this year.

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Welcome to the world of Scuba Diving! The purpose of this pamphlet is to provide you, the Scoutmaster, with a detailed roadmap on how to easily arrange to obtain the Scuba Diving Merit Badge

with Adventure Scuba, as well as many other resources and opportunities.

Thousands of scouts have delved into the adventure during the jamboree, local camporees, and high adventure trips. Additionally, with the approval of the Scuba Diving merit badge there are now

countless opportunities for Boy Scouts to explore the thrill of scuba. Prior to getting started !it would be helpful for Boy Scout unit leaders to understand some general guidelines for working with Adventure

Scuba & Snorkeling Center.

WHY PADI? The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the world’s largest recreational diver training, certification and membership organization. PADI Members (dive centers, resorts, educational facilities, instructors, assistant instructors and divemasters) issue approximately 1,000,000 certifications worldwide each year, making underwater exploration and adventure accessible to the public, while maintaining the highest industry standards for dive training and safety.

With more than 134,000 PADI Professionals and approximately 5,800 PADI Dive Centers and Resorts operating in more than 180 countries and territories worldwide, PADI training materials and services let you experience scuba diving from nearly anywhere.

PADI Divers carry the most respected and sought after scuba credentials in the world. No matter where you choose to dive, your PADI scuba certification card will be recognized and accepted. In fact, on most scuba diving adventures you’ll be surrounded by other PADI Divers who made the same certification choice you did – to train with the world’s largest and most respected scuba diving training organization.

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WORKING WITH ADVENTURE SCUBA & SNORKELING CENTER

Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center is your source for bringing scuba activities to your troop or crew.

ASSC can help you with the following:

✦ Making a scuba presentation at the next Round Table meeting !

✦ Attending local unit meetings to discuss Scuba programs !

✦ Putting together programs for units or individual scouts to get certified as PADI Open Water Divers or advanced dive ratings. !In addition, PADI Dive Centers can give presentations and teach programs in: !

✦ First Aid, CPR and AED usage with the Emergency First Response® curriculum* !

✦ Coordinate and arrange environmental programs such as beach clean-ups and training on how to protect the aquatic world using Project AWARE*

!The progression and variety of scuba and snorkeling courses offered by PADI are bound to keep scouts engaged for many years to come. PADI offers over 27 Specialty Ratings !including Wreck Diving, Underwater Naturalist, and Digital Underwater Photography just to name a few. These courses encourage scouts to continue their education in a fun and exciting way. The Scuba Diving merit badge offers a unique opportunity since it is only the beginning of their scuba adventure.

SCUBA DIVING MERIT BADGE

Achievement of the Scuba Diving merit badge will result in a PADI Open Water Diver Certification. This is ! a lifetime certification that is only the first step into an endless world !of new experiences, adventures,! and fun.

After completing the certification, scouts will have the! ability to go scuba diving in a! variety of different environments !and continue their education to further enhance their skill sets.

The Scuba Diving merit badge program consists of four parts;

1. The BSA requirements (use of BSA Scuba Diving merit badge booklet)

2. Scuba Knowledge Development (use of PADI training material)

3. Confined Water Dives !

4. Open Water Dives

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THE BSA REQUIREMENTS

To!obtain!the!Scuba!Diving!Merit!Badge,!each!scout!must!complete!

the!requirements!outlined!in!the!Scuba!Diving!Merit!Badge!booklet.!

Please!refer!to!this!booklet!for!exact!requirements!and!prerequisites.!

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Currently,!each!scout!must!obtain!the!Swimming!Merit!Badge!as!a!

prerequisite!to!the!Scuba!Diving!Merit!Badge.!!Adventure!Scuba!&!

Snorkeling!can!assist!with!this!merit!badge!prior!to!Scuba!Class.!

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Adventure!Scuba!&!Snorkeling!Center!has!several!approved!Boy!

Scout!Merit!Badge!Counselors!on!staff!to!assist!not!only!the!troop!or!

crew,!but!individual!scouts/crew!members!as!well.!!A!troop!merit!

badge!counselor!need!not!be!present!during!the!course.!

SCUBA KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT

PADI!Knowledge!Development!is!conducted!using!the!online!PADI!eLearning!System.!!Each!scout!will!

need!to!complete!approximately!8K10!hours!of!work!online!before!the!start!of!their!Confined!Water!

course.!!!

Knowledge!Development!

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! Establishes a foundation of principles, procedures and general information divers need. !

! Consists of five sections, each of which is normally completed through the PADI eLearning system. !

! Student divers answer exercise questions within the reading and complete !a Knowledge Review for each section. Student divers demonstrate mastery by completing the appropriate PADI Quiz and Final Exam online, then print out their e-record and bring to the Confined Water portion of the training.

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CONFINED WATER

The!Confined!Water!portion!of!the!class!is!the!

pool!training!dives.!!This!is!conducted!at!

Adventure!Scuba!&!Snorkeling!Center’s!onKsite,!

18Kfoot,!indoor,!heated!pool!over!a!two!day!

period.!!The!pool!training!serves!two!purposes:!

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• Develops basic dive skills in a relatively low stress environment

• Reinforces and supplements knowledge

development by having student divers practice and apply what they learned during the knowledge development.

OPEN WATER

Open water dives give the student the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned in the pool and classroom by applying both in open water. By practicing skills mastered in confined water, student divers continue to learn and build confidence as they demonstrate their skills in open water.

Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center conducts the open water portion of the class at two different locations throughout the year, depending on season and water temperature.

Clearsprings Scuba Park in Terrell, Texas – This is a private rock quarry that has been converted into a scuba park, complete with training platforms, boats, airplanes and even a 60’ steel shark. This is where ASSC trains all students when the water is warm enough to dive locally.

During the winter season, ASSC trains at Balmorhea State Park in west Texas. This is a natural, warm, spring fed lake with a constant water temperature of 74° F, and over 100’ visibility. This excellent dive site is maintained by Texas Parks and Wildlife and is excellent for camping as well.

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GETTING STARTED

When contacting Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center, there are a few common questions that we will answer to assist you in determining the type of program that will best suit your troop or crew.

1) How is the knowledge development portion of the course completed?! The most common way for completing the knowledge development portion of the scuba course is the :

PADI eLearning® program. Scouts will read the material, and watch interactive videos online in the comfort of their own home and at their own pace. All quizzes and tests are completed online, and the scout brings their eRecord to class to show completion of the eLearning program. This typically takes 8-10 hours of time. Scoutmasters can require that scouts bring eRecords to monthly meetings prior to the confined water to assist in holding scouts responsible for completing the work in a timely manor. For Instance, the Scoutmaster could require that a scout complete Modules 1-2 by a certain date, and the 3-5 by the next month.

2) What is the schedule for the course?

Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center typically conducts the Confined Water and Open Water portions on two weekends. The first will consist of the Confined water. Typically, students will meet at the Dive Center on Saturday around Noon and dive until 4-5 that afternoon. They will then return on Sunday morning around 9am – 2pm. Your instructor will let you know your exact schedule when the class is set up.

The Open Water will be conducted on a different weekend, and will be two full days of diving, typically starting at 8:30am and ending at 4pm each day. If you want to make this a camping weekend, we recommend setting up camp on Friday night to be ready for class early Saturday morning.

If you have over 6 people, we will create a custom class schedule that meets the needs of your group. Call us at (972)423-3483 to inquire about private groups.

3) What information do I need to have available when I contact the dive center?! When scheduling a group we will ask you a variety of questions including number of students and age of each participant. This is important because PADI standards require specific instructor to student ratios so we need to insure we have adequate staffing on hand. Please have a few weekends in mind for scuba training.

4) How much will the course cost? Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center offers special pricing for troops and venture crews. Typically, the cost of a PADI Open Water Certification is $345, but we offer the course to you and your family for $250 per person. We also extend this price to other scout leaders, and family members that are associated with the scouts.

5) What type of gear will I need?

Each student diver is required to have personal !gear including mask, snorkel, fins, and boots. We will provide all other equipment as part of the course including wetsuits. Your personal gear can be purchased on site at the dive center, where we give you 10% off.

It’s important to work with us when purchasing scuba diving gear (including mask, snorkel and fins) to ensure everything fits properly and is dive quality. We will explain and fit each individual scout to ensure a perfect fit for their gear.

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6) Where are the confined and open water dives conducted ?! The confined water dives are conducted at our on-site swimming pool located in Plano, Texas. Our pool is designed for scuba training! We have an indoor, heated pool that starts at 3 feet and drops to 18 feet.

The four open water dives are conducted over two days at a local rock quarry called Clearsprings Scuba Park, located in Terrell, Texas. During the winter months, we travel to Balmorhea State Park in Toyahvale, TX where the water temp is a constant 74 degrees.

7) What certification will we receive upon completion of the class?

Scouts will receive a PADI Open Water certification. The PADI Open Water Certification is accepted all over the world and is a lifetime certification with no expiration date.

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8) Are there any medical restrictions for learning to dive?

All student divers complete a brief medical statement that asks about certain conditions that could be problematic while diving. If any of these apply to you, your physician must assess the condition as it relates to diving and sign a medical form that confirms student divers are fit to dive. The medical statement can be found on the home page of our website.

9) When can we start?

NOW! You can get started immediately with your knowledge development online using the PADI eLearning system.

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ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Open Water Diver course is just the first step to tapping into an abundance of educational opportunities, programs and adventures for scouts and venture crews. There

are many additional programs offered by Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center that compliment other scouting programs. The PADI and BSA partnership has now opened the

door to making all of these accessible to troops.

First Aid - Through Emergency First Response, Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center offers an accredited First Aid, CPR and AED program covering Adult, Child and Infant emergency procedures. First aid is !a requirement for many levels of rank advancement in Boy Scouts and Venturing, and also a requirement for the PADI Rescue diver course.

Swimming – With our indoor, heated pool on !site we can assist packs, troops, and crews with swimming instruction year round as you pursue rank advancement We have several qualified merit badge counselors on staff that can assist you in obtaining the swimming merit badge.

Oceanography – Adventure Scuba offers a variety of programs that we can teach, such as the PADI Project AWARE Specialty, Underwater Naturalist Specialty and Project AWARE Fish Identification program.

Salesmanship and Fundraising – Our popcorn is way cooler! Let us help you raise money for your troop this year. Scouts sell tickets to a Discover Scuba experience, and earn money (up to $40 a ticket) We do the rest! Contact us or ask for our Fundraising for Groups brochure for more information.

Scouting and Conservation – Join Adventure Scuba and a global movement of scuba divers around the world working to protect our ocean planet. Your troop can partner with us for ongoing projects and events to volunteer for in our local community. Scouts can help make a difference while logging valuable service hours.

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CONTACT ADVENTURE SCUBA & SNORKELING CENTER TODAY

2301 N. Central Expressway #140 Plano, TX 75075 (972) 423-3483

www.AdventureScubaOnline.com info@AdventureScubaOnline.com

We look forward to hearing from you, and working with you to discuss the needs of your troop, crew, or individual scouts. If you have any further questions, or are ready to get started, please call:

Richard Dean at Adventure Scuba & Snorkeling Center – (972) 423-3483

or you can email him at richard@AdventureScubaOnline.com