The first thing I had to do was pick up my books and DVD. A 4.5 hour DVD and a 250+ page PADI book later (complete with questions and quizzes that needed to be done), and I was ready for the classroom. We had two classroom sessions and five exams. I got 100% on two of the first three exams and was feeling pretty good about it. And then came the dive tables. One of the women in the class had no problem at all, and got all the answers correct. The rest of us just squeaked by. Thank God for computer programs.

Off to the pool! Two days of practicing in the pool, learning how to deal with various emergencies, playing follow the leader, and demonstrating skills, and we were deemed ready for open water.
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Brrr! The water was so cold in the Sound that when I took my mask off for the mask-clearing skill, it felt like a bunch of hard, little diamonds on my face. The best part was seeing the octopi right in front of me. They aren’t afraid of divers, and are very curious creatures. The cold was the most difficult part of the dives (48 degrees in the water; 42 degrees and raining outside). One of my classmates started to hyperventilate because of the shock of the cold and her nervousness, and she had to come to the surface early. She’s going to redo the open water days in the next months’ class. The rest of us were able to brave the cold. The wetsuits keep you somewhat warm… somewhat. We ran through all the drills in the ocean. The hardest one was taking my weight belt off and putting it back on. My fingers were numb by that point and getting the clasp to hook took a lot of effort (and a little luck!).

Scuba is a great sport. Expensive, but fun. I’d like to dive again, but this time in warm water.

Parent’s note: I was extremely impressed with the instructor, Steve Fornoff. He definitely had a safety-first style of teaching; was firm, but kind; and had an intuitive manner about each student. Even though he is certified and capable of teaching eight students on his own, he brought in a dive-master for each of the pool and ocean sessions; just for safety’s sake. The whole organization is wonderful. They don’t make any money on winter certification (David brought home over $200 worth of gear and books for a $295 class), but do it to make sure people are able to pursue their Scuba dreams. If he had the time, with gas and food figured in, the Sound Dive camp would probably have been the same cost. Both are excellent choices.

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Sound Dive Center

Sound Dive has its own Venture Crew for Scouts 14-20. They offer day camps, overnights, certification classes, pool and open water dives.

Seattle Scuba Schools

Now offering Scout-specific classes for half price – $232.50 (includes use of gear).

Underwater Sports

We’ve done a LOT of searching, and this appears to be absolutely the best price for certification. Reviews on their 8 local shops vary greatly (with Federal Way the overall highest, and Seattle the lowest). Winter certification is $295. No longer the least expensive, though we highly recommend them.

If you can afford it ($402), the teen summer SCUBA camp at Sound Dive in Bremerton is something your boys will never forget. It’s eight days, and includes everything they need.

The Scuba book is now available at the Scout Shop. The requirements for the badge can be found here.