Scuba Diving Merit Badge

[razor_strop]

Just a professional development point for all of us, but a point that has little effect on the outcome of an issue being discussed is 'moot'. 'Mute' would imply that the point is silent on the topic.

[smtroop168]

Just a professional development point for all of us, but a point that has little effect on the outcome of an issue being discussed is 'moot'. 'Mute' would imply that the point is silent on the topic.

Yep..It's the Principal of the thing.

[alex gregory]

I was checking out lessons for my son at the dive center . I had a question regarding swimming ability . The salesman told me they did not have to swim a lot. their requirement was less than 100 yds. In your opinion if it is a scouting activity does the scout requirements prevail? I think it does.

Dewey

The BSA requirement prevails over Slick Sam's Anyone With a Pulse Can Dive School of Scuba.

A lot of the discussion above has been about boys who already are open water certified before they even become boy scouts (not that many kids get open water cert before completing 5th grade, and if they do they are almost certain to be excellent swimmers). The vast majority of Scouts who contemplate earning the Scuba MB will do so after joining BSA. In the more typical situation I would urge a Scout to get his Swimming MB before he tackles Scuba because it is extremely important to know that boy can at least meet the minimum competency requirements of the Swimming MB before jumping into an environment 10 to 20 feet below the surface wearing 50+ lbs. of equipment.

Scuba is a lot of fun, but it is also an activity where you can drown. Scuba is not an activity for anyone that is not already a reasonably good swimmer and comfortable underwater. Any salesman that says different is probably more interested in the sale then your child's safety. The open water skills you must learn and demonstrate are not overwhelmingly difficult, but they certainly are not easy and would be very hard for a child that is not already a good swimmer.