BASIC SCUBA TRAINING                                     

OPEN WATER DIVES WILL BE 15-16 OCTOBER IN MASON CITY.

We will meet at Marshalltown High School west parking area prior to 0700 and take vans to Ames.

For those cadets who live closer to Ames than Marshalltown, please contact me for separate reporting instructions.

Report in US NAVY SWEATS with swim attire underneath the sweats. Have along (1) set of decent casual civilian clothing for later. Pack very lightly as we will have crowded vehicles. Per NSCC policy, as this is a training, leave your cell phones and personal electronics at home. Pack your dive log, which came with your dive book in the package. Study if you need to take the test.

At Ames, we will draw wet suits, weight belts, and other needed open water dive gear. We will then van to Mason City, stopping along the way to use the head and purchase snacks, if desired.

Once we arrive in Mason City, we will unload and stage gear and begin the first two open water dives. At the conclusion of the open water dives, we will travel as a group to the hotel. We will check in to the hotel and make arrangements for travel to the evening meal site.

 There will be some free time in the evening unless you need to take the written exam again. Study for the written exam and be prepared to take that some time Saturday at the hotel after the dives.

 While on the trip, certain very common sense rules are in place:

         o   No pay movies at the hotel.

o   Telephone use is limited to room to room for official USNSCC business only.

o   You must stay on hotel property at all times once we arrive at the hotel.

o   No males in female rooms and females in male rooms.

o   Absolutely no one not affiliated with the USNSCC or this training is allowed in any cadet room at any time.

o   Treat hotel property and your roommates’ property with respect.

o   We use sir/ma’am with all adults throughout the training, whether at the lake, the hotel, or the restaurant.

o   Honor the announced room curfew time.

o   No one out of rooms after lights out. Get your soda/ice/snacks prior to that time.

o   No excessively loud voices or boisterous behavior.

o   If not obligated elsewhere, you can use the hotel pool with at least one buddy.

o   Your room will be inspected prior to departure Sunday morning for appropriate neatness.

o   Follow all lawful orders of the training staff.

On Sunday we will complete the open water dive sequence. We will then need to travel back to Ames as a group to turn in gear and complete necessary paperwork. We will then likely grab a to-go light meal or snack and return to Marshalltown. I anticipate being back in Marshalltown around d 1915-1930, but with the size of the group, it is hard to be exact with this time. If the time will substantially deviate from this, I will have cadets call parents with my cell phone.  

Those cadets who have some difficulty clearing their ears may find that a regime of Sudafed or other like product may help them with this process. You may wish to take this product on Friday. Cadets should consult their parents before taking any OTC medication.  

If the issue of cadets missing a contained water class comes up, I will deal with this at the time. We will work with the instructor staff to get that rectified.

One final note:  those cadets who complete this course of study will receive training credit. CADETS MUST COMPLETE ALL SKILLS TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE STAFF IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE PADI CERTIFICATION. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE.  We have about 4 or 5 cadets who have not, to date, demonstrated the pre-requisite skills to meet certification requirements.  Those cadets must perform to the standard or they will not be certified. They will get training credit, but they won’t be certified. Only certified cadets will be permitted to wear the SCUBA appurtenance on their ribbon bar. I will send out some separate emails for cadets with specific issues.

The most common problem with cadets not getting certified is being able to clear the mask. I encourage those cadets to go to a pool or use their bathtub or a deep sink at home and practice mask clearing.