What other time than college is the best to try new things? Well, maybe as a kid, but beside that, none! I took this idea to the max this semester, enrolling in a majority of non-science classes (a first for me) and a boatload of PE classes, one of them being Beginning SCUBA, offered through CMC. Another one was Beginning Backpacking, for which we go on our final exam–a three-day backpacking trip in Big Sur–next weekend, so stay tuned for pictures and posts galore concerning that trip!
But yeah, SCUBA. An acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, taking SCUBA through CMC is quite the opportunity. At a steeply reduced price (gotta love that college discount), you can become a SCUBA-certified diver within the semester! The class is only once a week, you get to hang out in a pool for most of the classes, and by the end of it, you are a card-carrying member of the SSI (SCUBA Schools International)! CMC contracts out a store in Montclair called SSA (SCUBA Schools America) to instruct students, and the staff at the store is great. They are very receptive to the fact that we are students, and students can be pretty busy people, and they are also just overall nice and helpful people.
Another perk of the class is you get to go on a two-day boat trip at the end of the course to do your required five certification dives, which is very cool as well. Although the price barriers can be a little steep for some people (you are required to buy most of your gear from the store, which is also super discounted but still expensive, and the two-day boat trip costs a bit as well), I would definitely recommend the class for those who love the water and all things marine. Personally, I see myself going into a career concerning marine research, so this SCUBA certification is hopefully just the first step for me. For anyone else, if you don’t mind missing Table Manners on Tuesday nights (which I know may not be the majority) and have even a slight interest in learning how to SCUBA dive, there’s no better time to try it than college, as they say!