Scuba BSA

[GDI]

Scuba is part of the high adventure program therefore yes you need to be 14 years of age

 

[DEEPLOU]

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?

Where have you been??

Just came across this thread. Although no longer a scout leader, I was one for about 9 years.
In 93 the older boys wanted to do high adventure, and they wanted to do Sea Base. Unfortunately due to miscommunication, we didn't get our reservation in until 9/94.
We did the Scuba Adventure program where certified scouts could dive all week.
I forget some of my history, but I believe SeaBase has been around since the 70's. I am not sure when they started their SCUBA program, but it was not something new when we were signed up.
I ended up leading 4 crews in 4 successive years to SeaBase.
Then as my son made Eagle, and 18 and off to college, and I became more deeply (poor pun) involved in diving, I ended my tour of scout leadership.

 

[spyder]

New to Boy Scouts and I'm a little confused. PADI changed the the age requirement to 10 awhile back and for his 10th birthday I enrolled him in their Junior Open Water program. He's now 12 and has 26 dives in his log, all in Cozumel. According to the brochure, he has to be 14 to do any SCUBA as a Scout? He just crossed over to Boy Scouts from Cub Scouts in February and is hot on the trail to get merit badges. What is the Snorkeling/Scuba badge? I checked meritbadge.com and don't see either listed.

Thanks!

 

[The Chairman]

They are not merit badges per se. They are skill awards like the Mile Swim BSA, and your son has a TON of time to earn them. He can earn Skorkeling BSA right now, but the Guide to Safe Scouting only allows Scouts 14 and above to participate in ANY BSA high adventure program, and that includes Scuba. It has nothing to do with PADI or any other agency.

 

[Otter]

Our Troop gently discourarges Merit Badges until the Scout reaches First Class with the exception of Summer Camp where we encourage the Scout to focus on the skills/activities required for rank advancement while 'allowing for' the Scout to work on the fun merit badges that he may not be able to achieve anywhere else -- or just to have more fun.

Usually this means that by the time the Scout is First Class, the only merit badges he needs for Star will be the Eagle Required ones -- and often they will already having Swimming MB (which we do encourage / facilitate prior to going to Summer Camp)

Anyone know of a 'ScoutBoard'?

 

[The Chairman]

Good idea Otter... I just bought that domain and will build one... anyone want to help?

 

[Otter]

Sure.

 

[KYDan]

>I just bought that domain and will build one... anyone want to help?

What kind of help are you looking for?

KYDan

 

[randyjoy]

To become O/W certified, a Scout must be 14 (as per Guide to Safe Scouting).

To earn the Scuba BSA award (which does NOT include certification), he does not have to be 14. From the SCUBA BSA brochure: "While the scuba BSA program is open to qualified participants of Boy Scout age, additional scuba training as a BSA activity is limited to those 14 or older."

From the Information For Counselors Section: ...Scuba BSA has a prerequisite swimming requirement, is only available to youth and adults registered in the Boy Scouting or Venturing programs (minimum age around 10 1⁄2), and does not include the option of an open-water dive.

Scouts must complete a standard Swimmer's Test before any other requirements.

 

[CTurtle]

New to Boy Scouts and I'm a little confused. PADI changed the the age requirement to 10 awhile back and for his 10th birthday I enrolled him in their Junior Open Water program. He's now 12 and has 26 dives in his log, all in Cozumel. According to the brochure, he has to be 14 to do any SCUBA as a Scout? He just crossed over to Boy Scouts from Cub Scouts in February and is hot on the trail to get merit badges. What is the Snorkeling/Scuba badge? I checked meritbadge.com and don't see either listed.

Thanks!

If you go to meritbadge.com and then click on Awards, the Snorkeling, BSA is there, but not Scuba. Didn't know it existed until this thread.