Scuba BSA

[Otter]

As the BSA Camp Lanochie Scuba Instructor I like the idea of this thread nice going Pete O boy

Are they one in the same? How 'fun and interesting' would a Venture Crew of certified divers find it?

 

[GDI]

Are they one in the same? How 'fun and interesting' would a Venture Crew of certified divers find it?

Central Florida Council not the sea base in the keys. A venture crew could find it very interesting

 

[The Chairman]

Go to www.cfcbsa.org to find links to the camp. They offer cope, canoe treks and other different programs for the older kids and are a couple hours away from Disney/Universal Studios/Sea World so you can spend a day over there as well.

My first stint at Camp La-No-Che was back in 1967, and I must say it has gotten "sissyfied" a lot since then. Most people call them "improvements" and they sure make the place a lot nicer.

 

[rgerman95]

While there has been frequent demeaning of 'card collectors' on here, I hope we remember that many of these youths do need/appreciate the positive reinforcement that badge/awards provide.

I personally see NO problem with Scouts who are certified to pickup a BSA Scuba patch for their brag rag/vest/collection.

While I meant no disrespect to "badge collectors" ...well, maybe just a little...I do appreciate the need for positive reinforcement. That has long been one of the hallmarks of the Scouting program.

However, the thrust of my comment was that the scouts would find little to challange themsevles in Snorkle, BSA, if they'd already been though a certification course.

 

[The Chairman]

My Scouts earn the Snorkle BSA badge as they become certified.

They will now earn the Scuba BSA badge at the same time.

 

[Zorrr2]

Afternoon all . . . I have been a scouter for many years and a few years back I presented a program (or at least a concept of an idea) for a high adventure trip. If you are interested . . . here is a link to the story and how it was done.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=1705

I think this could be a GREAT PROGRAM for the scouts and I hope they work with PADI and give these scouter the ability to experience this activity ! The crew that I took is to this day still talking about the trip and what they saw !! The trip that I presented is doable by any scout troop as you will see . . so good luck to all !!

 

[The Chairman]

I hope they work with more than PADI... we need to include ALL agencies, not just one.

 

[AzAtty]

When I was talking with the Grand Canyon Council about scuba a couple years back, they told me BSA standards and insurance requirements called for instruction from PADI, NAUI, or another agency with equivalent training requirements. I would assume BSA wouldn't have a problem with the other major agencies. But BSA is very concerned about insurance-related issues, so they may feel comfortable only going with the biggest agencies.

My guess is that PADI saw a marketing opportunity in BSA Scuba that would require little effort to exploit, and they jumped on it. And let's face it--there are lots of PADI instructors out there to service the program.

 

[CTurtle]

Glad to hear that the scouts have finally included scuba! My son earned the BSA Snorkling badge last year & was really proud when it was awarded to him & was told he was the first one ever in his troop to earn it. I even had to buy him "special" swim trunks to sew his Snorkeling and Mile Swim badges on.
My questions are...do you have to be 14 to earn the scuba badge? (The booklet kind of confused me on this one). Is it only classroom & pool sessions or do they do open-water dives also?

 

[The Chairman]

Yes, you HAVE to be 14 to participate in a scuba related function.