Diving Club

[idratherbedivin]

I'm a junior in high school and I'm thinking about starting a scuba diving club when I am a senior. Does anyone have any thoughts on the commitment this would take(budget, time, etc.)? I live near Washington D.C. so there arent that many places easily accessible to dive at. Any recommendations on how to organize it and how to go about signing up for dives and classes as a group.

 

[moneysavr]

Hey Airman,
A club is a great way to meet folks that like to do the same thing,just not sure if you dont have sites close by if it will work.
See a local LDS and ask them if they have any folks that would like to start a club, and local scuba boards in your area =local dive web sites, see also down in locations on scubaboard and post and see if you have any folks that would like to join in your area.
A club takes some work, bi laws, raise money for gifts and trips ect,, you need to vote folks in, laws and rules, go for it-good luck!
Brad

 

[mech]

Good for you.I think that's a great idea.
You might ask your dean to point you in the right direction,or ask some of the established clubs like the ski club for their standard opporating procedures.

About 5 years ago me and a couple friends started a club that has a private board,meets about 4 times a year and spends 4 days or so per year at our annual desert bash.
We don't have a president but we take turns sharing the duties such as treasurer,safety officer and special commitee groups.

The main thing is to just have safe fun

 

[stiebs]

As Brad said, a club is a great way to meet new buddies, and get more diving done. But running one does take a lot of support and commitment. I've been a committee member on a number of non-profit clubs, and by and large the attitude from members is "you're the committee - you make this club fun!". But as long as the members want to be part of it from the start, that shouldn't be a hassle.

Now, speaking from experience from the dive club at my high school (many, many moons ago!).. One of the phys-ed teachers was a keen diver, so he was running the club mainly for freediving and spearfishing, but seniors could go out on scuba. Through much fighyting over the years with the Powers That Be at the school, the club was eventually disbanded due to high risk (or more so, fear of the unkown sport by the principal - never saw someone rushed to hospital after receiving a shot-put in the back of the neck while scuba diving!), or more so liability insurance.

So if you want to start a dive club at school, you should certainly do your homework before presenting the idea to whoever needs to approve the club.

 

[stiebs]

FWIW, my experience is from an Australian school, so I don't know how that translates to how stuff works in the U.S. But regardless, good luck with it, and I hope that it'll work out without any complications!

 

[boulderjohn]

Speaking as an ex-teacher and school adminstrator, I don't think it will be a problem at all, and you should be able to get a good number of students participating. Most schools have an administrator who is in charge of clubs. Talk to a school administrator about what it takes to get one going at your school, and you will pointed in the right direction.

You will probably have to have a faculty member to sponsor it, but you should be able to find one. If you were in the last school in which I worked, you would have found 3-4 who would have helped enthusiatically.

 

[spectrum]

It's a great idea since one of the biggest reasons for diver not diving regularly is a lack of buddies.

If you encounter resistance to starting a club consider networking with buddies, preferably some with diving parents that can chaperone and paticipate in outings. Success breeds success.

Pete

 

[Mike7]

I signed up on the padi site and got a email from the padi buddy finder from a group of divers in our area and we now meet up every month and sometimes to dive.