YMCA SCUBA Program (also known as Y-SCUBA) was an underwater diving training program operated by

YMCA of the USA The National Council of Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States of America (known as YMCA of the USA) is part of the worldwide youth organization YMCA. It has 2,700 separate organizations with 10,000 branches working with 21 mill ...

from 1959 to 2008. It was the first nationally organised underwater diving instruction program offered in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. A program with a similar content is now delivered by Scuba Educators International, an organisation founded by a group of former senior YMCA SCUBA instructors in 2008.

Origins

In 1954, YMCA of the US and other interested parties under the auspices of the Council for National Cooperation in Aquatics commenced a study to look at the safety aspects of underwater diving. Findings of the study were outlined with the view of creating a course of training sufficient to produce ‘capable performance in those who elect to participate in… recreational (diving) activity’. A trial course was run during the late 1954 and early 1955 by YMCA of the USA using this outline. The material used in the course was then published in ''The Science of Skin and SCUBA Diving'' (or ''The New Science of Skin and SCUBA Diving'' as some sources suggest) during 1957. YMCA of the USA then developed its own program of underwater diving instruction for delivery as part of its existing aquatics program. It certified its first snorkelling and scuba diving instructors in August 1959, thereby becoming the first nationally organized underwater diving training program offered in the US.

Winding up

In July 2008, YMCA of the USA announced that the scuba program would cease on December 31, 2008 and that it would continue to replace lost certificate cards for training conducted from 1984 to 2008. In 2008, a group of former YMCA SCUBA instructors created a new organisation called Scuba Educators International (SEI) for the purpose of continuing YMCA SCUBA diver training program under a new banner.

Recognition

In 1980, YMCA SCUBA joined CMAS, thereby gaining access to CMAS International Diver Training Certificates for its divers and instructors. YMCA SCUBA was a member of the

Recreational Scuba Training Council The World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC) was founded in 1999 and is dedicated to creating minimum recreational diving training standards for the various scuba diving certification agencies across the world. The WRSTC restricts its me ...

(RSTC) from its foundation in 1986 until 2008.

Qualifications

At the time of closure, YMCA SCUBA's qualification system was structured as follows.

Snorkel

* Snorkeling * Skin Diver

Scuba

* Dive Refreshed *

Open Water Diver Open Water Diver (OWD) is an entry-level autonomous diver certification for recreational scuba diving. Although different agencies use different names, similar entry-level courses are offered by all recreational diving agencies and consist of a co ...

* Open Water II Diver * Advanced Open Water * Silver Advanced Diver * Gold Master Diver

Leadership

* Skin Diving Instructor *

Divemaster A divemaster (DM) is a role that includes organising and leading recreational dives, particularly in a professional capacity, and is a qualification used in many parts of the world in recreational scuba diving for a diver who has supervisory respo ...

* Assistant Instructor * Silver Instructor * Gold Instructor * Platinum Instructor * Instructor Trainer

Specialities

* Aquatic Environmentalist * Boat Diver * Cavern Diver * Computer Assisted Diver * Dry Suit Diver * Equipment Service * Ice Diver * Night Diver * Nitrox Diver

Specialities continued

* Oxygen Provider * Public Safety Diver * Reef Ecology * Research Diver * Search and Recovery * SLAM (Scuba Lifesaving & Accident Management) Rescue *

Underwater Archaeology Underwater archaeology is archaeology practiced underwater. As with all other branches of archaeology, it evolved from its roots in pre-history and in the classical era to include sites from the historical and industrial eras. Its acceptance has ...

Underwater Navigation Diver navigation, termed "underwater navigation" by Scuba diving, scuba divers, is a set of techniques—including observing natural features, the use of a compass, and surface observations—that divers use to Navigation, navigate underwater. ...

* Underwater Photographer * Wreck Diver

CMAS equivalencies

The following equivalencies were those in place as of December 2004.

References

External links

http://www.ymca.net/scuba
(website as of late 2008) {{Authority control

Scuba Scuba may refer to: * Scuba diving ** Scuba set, the equipment used for scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving * Scuba, an in-memory database developed by Facebook * Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array, either of two in ...

Underwater diving training organizations 1959 establishments in the United States 2008 disestablishments in the United States