Scuba Diving

Today Gavin finished up his Scuba Diving merit badge. This has been by far the most time consuming and expensive merit badge he has done - but also the most fun!
He has spent hours and hours in the American Fork Fitness Center pool in full scuba gear. He has spent hours in the classroom. And he has spent two Saturdays at The Crater in Heber doing open water dives. Good thing he really enjoys it.
Last year Gavin was struggling with swimming. He didn't like it and was convinced he couldn't do it. He not only needed to earn his swimming merit badge, but he needed to pass his swimming test for Scout Camp. He just didn't want to do it (at all!). When I saw the scuba diving merit badge advertised at the AF Fitness Center (where Kate goes to gym class), I wondered if that might be the motivation. In order to take this class you have to have your swimming merit badge. I promised Gavin that if he earned his swimming merit badge, he could take the scuba merit badge class. That did the trick!
We enrolled Gavin in private swimming lessons at the Legacy Center and it took a few months for him to earn his swimming merit badge. His swimming coach was a merit badge counselor and was quite a stickler for passing off every thing exactly, so Gavin really did earn it. I was so proud of him! I know it was a really hard thing for him to do.
He now has his swimming merit badge and his scuba diving merit badge. Quite an accomplishment for a kid who refused to go into the deep end of the pool only a year ago! He is super comfortable in the water. Now Greg has a diving buddy. He kept trying to convince me to become scuba certified, but that scares the spit out of me. Greg and Gavin are now both PADI certified, meaning they can dive anywhere in the world.
Good job, Gavin!

(Gavin at The Crater in Heber - sorry for the bad lighting.)