12/07/2025
I got my scuba certification at Camp Easton last summer. First, I had to complete the swim test. The scuba swim test was different from the standard BSA swim test. You had to tread water for 10 minutes straight in really choppy water, which felt brutal, and then you had to go swim 200 yards immediately afterward. Some people failed the tes, and I even saw one person barf everywhere from exhaustion.I luckily passed, and then went for my first, brief scuba dive. We only went about 15 feet down, but then on the return, my scuba tank fell off my back! I did not notice, and I was wondering why everyone was tugging and pulling my scuba tank around. I had no idea it had fallen off me because I still had the breathing tube in. The second day, we practiced exercises. I had to remove my mask under water for 1 minute straight and put on my mask and blow out all of the water with my nose. We also practiced what to do during an emergency under water. When you're down under water deep, you can’t just shoot back up to the surface, or you could die. So we practiced going under about 15 - 20 feet and shooting up while exhaling the whole time so your lungs don't over expand. On the last day we did our final dive, I went 50 feet underwater and was looking at a 30 foot sailboat. While down there, there are tons of giant bass, some were even the size of footballs. I spent about 30 minutes under water at about 50 feet. When we were coming back up, we had to stop at 15 - 20 feet to decompress, then we got out of the water. I then got my picture taken, my hair was all wet so I bet that picture will turn out great.
