Husker Divers and Scuba BSA

On Sunday, March 1st two of our staff led a Scuba BSA session. Scuba BSA is a non-certification program, and participants do not earn a merit badge. However, they do earn a Scuba BSA patch (pictured at left) they can wear on their swimming trunks to show the world what they've accomplished. They also learn valuable skills and get a thorough introduction to scuba diving, which will benefit them should they ever decide to go on to pursue certification.

Six Boy Scouts and their adult troop leader from Troop 812 in Omaha drove to Lincoln and met us at the Northeast YMCA. Before entering the water, the guys learned about the buddy system, DCS and other potential diving dangers, and the basics of scuba equipment. Once in the water, they learned some of the hand signals divers use underwater before ducking under the surface to take their first breaths on scuba.

In-water skills included basic mask clearing, two methods of clearing the regulator, and regulator retrieval from behind the shoulder. Participants also had to breathe from an alternate air source for 30 seconds. There are 12 requirements for the Scuba BSA program, which can be found here.

Once the scuba skills were learned, the group headed for the deep end, where they got to spend a few minutes swimming around, practicing buoyancy control and just having fun breathing underwater. All the participants had a great time, according to troop leader Jeff Saffles. "The boys talked all the way home about how fun it was," Mr. Saffles e-mailed us.

Beth and Amy, the Husker Divers staff who conducted the session, had a great time, too, and can't wait for the next Scuba BSA program. If you know of a Boy Scout troop who would like to schedule a Scuba BSA program with Husker Divers, please contact the store at 402-420-6338 or at huskerdivers@prodigy.net.