Limited scuba activity is allowed under the Guide to Safe Scouting:

“The use of scuba is not authorized for a BSA unit, except so that registered Boy Scout youth and leaders may participate in the Scuba BSA program conducted by a certified dive instructor in compliance with this policy. Scuba BSA is not a diver certification program.

Scuba training programs may be a part of troop/team activities for participants who are 14 years of age or older. Members who meet the age requirement and are properly certified may participate in group dives under the supervision of a responsible adult who is currently certified as a dive master, assistant instructor, or any higher rating from NAUI, PADI, or SSI. Student divers must be under the supervision of a currently certified NAUI, PADI, or SSI instructor.”

We had the owner of the local scuba store in to give a well received presentation to our troop. His operation is called Mass Diving and is located in Natick, MA. They have a nice intro to diving program you can get involved in for a very low cost:

http://www.massdiving.com/discoverscuba.htm

BSA now also has a Scuba Patch you can qualify for. Google BSA scuba and you’ll learn all about it. Mass Diving also puts on a scout scuba program that will gets your scouts through the requirements (search their site, it is easy to find).

This is just the start. The big cahuna is the opportunity to go the BSA’s Seabase in Florida. You don’t have to settle for the same old local scout summer camp. While it is nice to support the troop and be a leader for the young scouts, you owe it to yourself to make the most of scouting. Convince the troop to go here instead of Camp Nextdoor. If you can’t convince them, take maybe 1 year out of the 4-5 you’ll go to summer camp and go here instead (you can go on your own as a provisional camper – its actually easier to get in this way). There are a few other high adventure bases in Maine, Idaho, Minn, the Philmont camp of course, and a few more. I’ll post more on these later. Click on the image below to learn more about this great scuba/sea kayaking/sailing opportunity. If I was a kid, this is absolutely where I’d head.