Scuba Diving opens up a whole new world under the water. You will learn the safety rules divers live by, earn a real diving certification, and discover the animals and places divers get to explore. It takes training and patience, and the view is worth it.
Why it's worth it
Most of the planet is underwater, and very few people ever see it up close. Scuba Diving gives you a real certification that lets you explore reefs, kelp forests, springs, and lakes with a buddy for the rest of your life. You'll learn to stay calm, check your gear, and look out for your partner, which are skills that matter on land too. It can also lead to work in marine science, rescue, and conservation.
Start this week
- Check where you are on the Swimming merit badge. If it isn't done yet, make a plan to finish it first.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Scuba Diving counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- With a parent, look up dive centers or programs nearby that teach youth open water courses through a recognized agency, and compare schedules and costs.
- Ask whether your council, a camp, or a local pool runs a try-scuba session, so you can feel breathing underwater before committing to a full course.
Plan ahead: Requirement 2 (Swimming merit badge) comes first, and the Open Water certification in requirement 4 takes classroom work, pool sessions, and open water dives. Finish Swimming early, then schedule your course.
Stay safe
- Dive only in training led by a certified instructor through a recognized agency, and never dive alone.
- If you feel sick, have ear pain, or feel short of breath after a dive, tell your instructor or a parent right away so you can get medical help.
Requirements · 6
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Dive first aid and CPR
Tips for this section: Learn the first aid and CPR basics with a trained instructor, and talk with your counselor about injuries specific to diving.
Example for this section: Practice explaining the first aid for problems divers really face: hypothermia after a long dive, a cut from rocks or coral, or ear pain from not equalizing. Then talk through when an injury needs emergency help and how to get it.
- Requirement 1a
Show you know first aid for illnesses and injuries a diver could face: decompression illness, nitrogen narcosis, squeezes, hyperventilation, hypothermia, dehydration, heat reactions, overexertion, fatigue, motion sickness, aquatic life injuries, and cuts and scrapes
- Requirement 1b
Name the conditions that must be present before you give CPR and explain how to recognize them. Demonstrate correct CPR on a training device your counselor approves
- Requirement 2
Earn the Swimming merit badge before you work on requirements 3 through 6
Tip: Work on the Swimming merit badge first, since strong swimming skills are the foundation for diving.
- Requirement 3
With your counselor, go over every guideline in the Scuba Diver's Code and explain how each one protects a diver
Tip: Talk through each part of the Scuba Diver's Code with your counselor and why it keeps divers safe.
For example: Go through the Scuba Diver's Code one point at a time and give a real example for each, like "Always dive with a buddy: before every dive, we check each other's air, weights, and releases."
- Requirement 4
Get certified as an Open Water Diver through a scuba agency recognized under Scouting America's scuba policy
Tip: Find a certified dive instructor or dive shop that offers youth open water courses, and plan the training with a parent.
- Requirement 5
Explain the meaning of ecosystem, then describe four different underwater ecosystems a diver could visit
Tip: Look at photos or videos of reefs, kelp forests, lakes, and other places divers explore, and note what lives there.
For example: Make a four-panel chart: a coral reef, a kelp forest, a freshwater lake, and a spring or river. For each, list two animals or plants divers might see and one way divers can protect it, like not touching the reef.
- Requirement 6
Learn about three careers in the scuba industry. Choose one and research the education, training, and experience it needs, then talk it over with your counselor and share why it might appeal to you
Tip: Ask your dive instructor or a dive shop owner how they built a career in scuba.
For example: Look into a few scuba-related careers and compare them: what training each needs, where people work, and what a typical day is like. You might ask your instructor how they started.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A public aquarium
You can study the fish and habitats you might meet on a dive, and some aquariums have divers who clean and feed the tanks.
How: Have an adult check the aquarium's website for dive shows or behind-the-scenes programs, and go with your patrol or family.
A dive center's pool session
Watching a class lets you see the skills and gear before your own course starts.
How: Have a parent call and ask if your patrol can observe a pool session or try a supervised introductory dive.
Where it can lead
- Dive instructorTeaches people to dive safely; many start by earning advanced certifications while still in school.
- Marine biologistStudies ocean life, often using scuba to count fish or check reef health.
- Commercial diverInspects and repairs bridges, docks, and pipelines underwater after training at a commercial diving school.
- Public safety or military diverPolice, fire, Coast Guard, and Navy divers handle rescue, recovery, and underwater work.
- Underwater photographerCaptures images for science, conservation, and media.
Ask yourself
- What part of being underwater are you most excited about, and what part makes you nervous?
- Which skill in your course felt hardest at first, and what helped it click?
- How do you and your dive buddy communicate when you can't talk?
- What did you see underwater that changed how you think about protecting oceans and lakes?
- Where would you like to dive someday, and what would you need to learn to get there?
Good questions to ask your dive instructor or counselor
- What mistakes do new divers make most often, and how do I avoid them?
- How do you decide when conditions aren't safe enough to dive?
- What was the most amazing thing you've seen on a dive?
- What gear should a new diver own, and what is fine to rent?
- What training would I need to keep going after Open Water?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Connect scouts with a local dive shop that offers certified youth training.
- Make sure all diving is done through a recognized certifying agency with qualified instructors.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- PADI (opens in a new tab) — A major scuba training organization with youth courses.
- Local dive shop — Offers certification classes and gear advice.
- American Red Cross (opens in a new tab) — First aid and CPR classes.
- Divers Alert Network (opens in a new tab) — A nonprofit that teaches dive safety and explains common diving injuries.
- NAUI (opens in a new tab) — A nonprofit diver training agency with information on courses and the skills you'll learn.
- NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries (opens in a new tab) — Protected underwater places in U.S. waters, with photos of what lives there.
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.