Scuba Scouts, students 11 to 18, immerse themselves in science, rescue and exploration, not just fish gazing.

We surface from our dive and realize that someone is missing. I look around trying to pinpoint who from our group of 12 students has not yet ascended.

“Selena is missing!” I yell. “Arrange yourselves in three lines and scan the bottom.”

Immediately, the kids begin to scan the depths for their missing companion. Someone spots Selena and descends to assist the silhouette lying motionless on the bottom. As Selena is brought to the surface, we rush to administer rescue breaths, prepare the backboard and oxygen tank, and notify the Coast Guard. There is an air of controlled urgency. Some students take the lead, directing and overseeing the rescue operation, as others quickly and efficiently follow their commands.

Thank goodness this is just a drill. It takes place in the deep end of the pool at the [1] University of South Florida St. Petersburg, not the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. But the importance of the exercise is not lost on the kids who bob in the water next to me after Selena has been secured.

They are part of a group called the [2] Scuba Scouts of Tampa Bay, and they have just implemented the emergency plan they were taught in five hours of lecture leading to their scuba lifesaving and accident management certification.

These students are not your ordinary beginning open-water divers. The youngest is 11; the oldest, almost 18. They are Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough students with a shared interest in exploring the ocean through scuba diving.

They have logged hundreds of hours underwater taking pictures, running video, collecting scientific data, salvaging and transplanting coral, training with the Navy SEALS, and much more. They have experienced the shallow murky waters of Tampa Bay, the cool waters of Florida’s natural springs, the variable conditions in the gulf, the eerie calm of a night dive and the crystal clear waters of the Florida Keys.

Volunteers, including certified dive instructors, USF scientific divers and Fish and Wildlife biologists, advise them. These students are not just learning to dive; they’re learning how to explore our oceans.

Last summer, 11 Scuba Scouts took part in a research cruise that spanned the length of the Florida Keys. As the scientific adviser on board, I helped coordinate the dives and research. We woke up early each morning to maximize our time in the water and dedicated each day to learning a different research method. We counted fish, surveyed coral for disease, and learned underwater digital camera and video methods.

The 100-foot liveaboard boat was perfectly outfitted for our large group, with plenty of room on deck and a large dive platform. Still, the early morning rush to don the gear for our research dives was almost always accompanied by a flurry of confusion. First, we yanked on our wet suits. Then comes the buoyancy compensation device that hooks onto a 30- to 40-pound scuba tank. The regulator is attached and the whole thing is loaded onto the back of a diver, who then puts on a mask, snorkel and fins. Scientific gear can include an underwater digital camera or video camera, 25-meter transect lines, meter sticks and square quadrats, used to measure the number and density of coral.

After being outfitted, many Scuba Scouts had virtually doubled their starting weight. The kids would shuffle to the edge of the dive platform and take a giant stride into the azure water to hang on the tag line as they waited for their instructors.

From then on, we instructors did nothing but enjoy the sights and lend an occasional hand as the kids worked hard to lay down measuring tapes, collect images and count specimens using methods that they had learned from the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s Coral Reef Monitoring Program.

The seven days of diving were taxing as we battled malfunctioning equipment and strong currents. Sleep was minimal, with three or four teenagers crammed into each minuscule cabin.

During the rare breaks from work, we sometimes reverted to practical jokes that pitted the boys against the girls. After the boys dumped ice on unsuspecting sunbathing girls, they found dead fish under their pillows when they went to bed. I would like to say that I, as an adviser, was too mature for such foolishness, but unfortunately I couldn’t resist retaliating after the shock of a midafternoon ice bath.

At night, we would review the day’s research and plan the next day’s activities. We’d talk about things like fish and coral counts and safe diving practices.

From there, the group would separate, with a diehard Napoleon Dynamite crew watching the movie for the 50th time, some readers retiring to their bunks and a few fishermen trying their hand at catching barracuda that crowded toward the boat’s spotlight.

The seven-day immersion into underwater life and science inspired some students to envision a future as marine biologists, scientists, resource managers or environmental lawyers.

The Scuba Scouts are preparing for their annual summer trip, this time to Bimini, a tiny island in the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys to survey the coral reefs.

The next month will be filled with training exercises to make sure the Scuba Scouts are prepared for the grueling week of diving that lies ahead, along with last-minute attempts to secure money and equipment to ensure that the trip progresses safely.

The next generation of great underwater explorers is training right here in the Tampa Bay area. They would love to share their experiences with you.

Jennifer Dupont is a doctoral student in the College of Marine Science at USF St. Petersburg. For more information about the Scuba Scouts program, she can be contacted at [3] jdupont@marine.usf.edu.

Source: St. Petersburg Neighborhood Times, USA