Scouts for Scuba

[Fred Flinstone]

My 12 yo son is a Star scout and a PADI Junior Master Diver. He really enjoys scuba and scouting. This summer he had been looking forward to getting his scuba merit badge, bringing together the two things he emjoys most. Ultimately he did get it, bit not the way he thought. All of our scout camps cancelled their scuba merit badge classes as none of the dive shops could manage the logistics of getting empty tanks from camp to their shop and back to camp. Most of our camps are 90 minutes or more away from the nearest dive shop. He did find a merit badge counselor and finished off the requirements on his own. But it made us think about all the boys who were so disappointed due to not getting to try scuba diving at camp.

We spoke with 3 dive shops that had spoken to our local council about running scuba merit badge classes at summer camp but they all said logistics just would work. The councils are not allowed to have their own compressors and provide compressed air and none of the dive shops are willing to put up the rather large amount of money needed to acquire a portable compressor.

So we were thinking about getting scouts together in each council to raise money to buy a compressor that could be used at scout camp by whatever dive shop was offerring scuba merit badge training. For one scout to raise $6,000 is tough. But if 40 scouts got together and each scout raised $150 that would work. Would any other scouts be interested in helping? Perhaps we could get a seperate Forum set up on here for this?

 

[T23]

Hi Fred,

Since your son is already trained beyond OW all he really needed to do to complete the merit badge requirements were the other 5 requirements... something he could have done in a couple of evenings back home with a scuba merit badge counselor.

Considering the logistics you mentioned plus a few others we will have to wait and see when or if any summer camps start trying to put together a scuba merit badge offering. With scout camps from the very south to the far northern reaches they run the full gamut in terms of water temp, vis, water quality, public boat traffic, etc. all of which are concerns which have to be taken into consideration.

When the cost of OW training is added on to the cost of summer camp there may not be a lot of takers; plus this merit badge is going to consume 2-3 days and not leave a whole lot of time for other merit badge work which might also be a consideration for many scouts. Then or course there is the question of how to handle things like refunds or alternative merit badge work when the waterfront get closed down for a few days because of things that can't always be planned or foreseen like inclement weather.

The angle of getting scouts to do fund raising to purchase a compressor also has some spotty holes that need to be thought through some more. Someone still needs to "own" the compressor and carry the liability for its operation, provide testing and maintenance, and a certified operator. That person/entity can not be a BSA council so it pretty much leaves it to probably being a local dive shop. I hope you are aware that scouts are prohibited from soliciting monetary donations on behalf of their local council, their chartered organization, or any other organizations... plus there is the problematic tax aspect, even if scouts could raise money, of how to convey either the money or a compressor to a for profit business.