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FEATURES
TESTING THE WATERS
BY AMANDA PUCKETT PHOTOS BY BRICE NIHISER
For deep-sea explorers itching to get their feet wet, Ohio University provides students with the chance to become certified scuba divers while plunging into their own underwater adventures.
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sea of bubbles and a gulp of stored compressed air may trigger anxiety for the average college student. With tense uncertainty below the surface, however, there is also a beautiful new world that awaits Ohio University students interested in exploring the underwater experience. “Everybody has an element– air, earth, fire, water. If you’re a water person, [scuba diving’s] great for you,” says Michelle Doe, a senior studying journalism and visual communication. “It’s so freeing and amazing the first time.” Michelle took REC 1220, or SCUBA, last fall. The condensed course is offered fall and spring semesters within campus recreation’s outdoor pursuits. The class, which consists of a lecture portion and a lab session, allows students to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for safe and comfortable scuba diving. In addition to the college credit, interested students can earn their open water diving certification through the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) on a weekend trip to Williston, Fla. After warming up to the activity, Michelle attended the scuba diving trip, completed her certification and gained a lifelong hobby. “I remember being underwater that long, and you kind of forget what’s going on,” Michelle recalls. “It’s like an out-of-body experience and you almost see a whole new world.” Although scuba diving may strike the interest of college students across the country, OU’s scuba diving program offers a comparatively low cost for the whole package of the program, which includes acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to carry the skill for life. A scuba certification never expires. Each student enrolled in SCUBA must pay the $288 instructor fee for the semester, which covers instruction time, textbook and logbook costs, among other course necessities. Future divers are also responsible for an out-of-pocket
cost of personal diving gear, which includes a mask, fins and a snorkel. On average, the items range from $150 to $200 for the semester and should last for years. The Outdoor Pursuits Scuba Shop on the second floor of Bird Arena sells the equipment and divers can try it on before making a commitment. Another cost, although optional, is forking over $225 for the four-day trip to Williston, Fla., in which students can get certified in open-water scuba diving. Interim Executive Director of Campus Recreation Steve Sammons, or “Scuba Steve,” is also the head of SCUBA at OU. He teaches scuba diving and sailing classes through the recreation department and has been involved with them since he was a student employee in 1983. Sammons says that OU students consistently walk away from the program with strong comfort and responsibility in their capabilities. “We really drill down and teach,” Sammons says. “If you went to get certified in Florida, it might only take a weekend, but you can’t learn enough about it to be comfortable in the water. Here, there are several weeks to teach and learn.” Before the scuba course dives into the material, students must pass a mandatory pool test to ensure they’re at ease in the water. The test consists of treading water with and without hands (five and three minutes, respectively), a sevenminute survival float, a 23-yard underwater swim without a push-off and a 300-yard surface swim in any position. The course may seem to be all fun and games, but Sammons has high expectations of his students. “Be informed and ready to go,” Sammons says. “This isn’t an easy, three-credit-hour A. You’ve got to earn your A in here.” Before 1998, SCUBA at OU was offered through an outside vendor. After the department was left without an instructor, Sammons looked at how the program could be sustainable over time. Since then, the program’s two instructors have doubled, and Sammons is preparing to certify three more potential instructors. The core of the program hasn’t tremendously changed, even with the switch to semesters. However, on the quarter system, SCUBA was offered fall, winter and spring, so instructors had the chance to teach and certify more students. Each class has a maximum capacity of 44 students, so only 88 can be certified per year under semesters, as opposed to 132.