Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1990)
Scuba diving opens doors to underwater world exas offers diving sites o enthusiasts on budgets : * y-, > ■ ?',&!{■>>'<Z : i -' Z-'uH c. y SEAN FRERKING Of The Battalion Staff I Scuba diving is a great way to get your feet wet and spend spring break. I Tom Meinecke, a lecturer in the physical education depart ment and instructor of the scuba class offered at Texas A&M, said scuba divers can discover a new, exciting world hidden under water. I However, before students fan dive into the sport, they must complete a two-week aining course. Meinecke said several agen cies around the area provide I he Flower Garden is absolutlely the best dive in Texas.” — Tom Meinecke, A&M scuba instructor spectus, chains or ; madeasU ne (rust cAt otter ar* gmar* of aining that will enable stu- lents to obtain their divers’ cenification cards. I After 28 hours of class and five open-water dives under the supervision of the class in structor, any adequate swim mer can get certified, Mei necke said. | The scuba class usually con sists of 14 hours of in-class ibcture coupled with 14 hours in the pool. It costs anywhere ! from $100 in the United States to $350 in the Caribbean. 1 In class lecture, beginning divers learn how to care for ! their equipment and what to do in case of an emergency. Time spent in the pool tests swim ming ability and emphasizes techniques important in scuba diving, Meinecke said. I Those enrolled in the course complete their training with the supervised dives and then are issued a certification card which is good for life, Mei necke said. Once students receive their certification, they can begin their odyssey into the sea, Meinecke said. They can pur chase diving gear, fill their scuba tanks and charter diving boats for off-shore excursions. “However, most divers use their certification cards to rent their gear unless they dive a lot,” Meinecke said. Adventure is the major rea son for most dives, he said, and Texas can provide finan cially limited divers with some interesting places to go. The A&M Scuba Club often travels to the Blue Lagoon in Huntsville. Old ships have been sunk in the abandoned stone quarry for divers to in vestigate. Meinecke said the water is incredibly clear at the lagoon. Another area frequented by the scuba club is Lake Travis near Austin. Meinecke said the lake is great for scuba div ing. He also said Canyon Lake is a good spot for scuba enthu siasts. For the adventuresome di ver, the best spot in Texas is the Flower Garden, a coral reef 118 miles south of Gal veston and on the continental shelf. “The Flower Garden is ab solutlely the best dive in Tex as,” Meinecke said. Some people even around non-active oil Meinecke said. dive around those rigs,” he said. an incredible spectacle rigs, For those with a bigger bud- beauty, Meinecke said, get, Belize, Cozumel, off the coast of the Yucatan penisula “Almost anywhere in The spear fishing is good and the Caymen Islands, offer Caribbean is amazing,” of the he Photo Illustration by Fredrick D.Joe said. Meinecke said scuba diving gives people a different per spective of their world and is a great experience to try. Specialist warns: water, alcohol bad combination Students work for vacation Substitute teach during spring break for cash By STACY E. ALLEN Of The Battalion Staff While many students are heading for the sunny beaches of South Padre or the slopes of Colorado for spring break, other students are opting for something more constructive — making money. One way students can make money over spring break is by substitute teaching. Ken Ballard, a senior jour nalism major at Texas A&M, substituted last spring break in the Deer Park Independent School District and recom mends it to students who will be home for the week. “It’s fun and I made money instead of spending it,” Bal lard said. Pay can range anywhere from $35 per day in the Kill een Independent School Dis trict to $50 per . day in Deer Park and the Bryan Indepen dent School District. Most school districts require that a student have 60 college credit hours to be considered for a position as a substitute teacher, but there are excep tions to this. Paula Chambers, a person nel clerk with BISD, said stu dents who want to substitute teach must have completed 60 college credit hours and be available to teach at least two days a week. To apply, fill out an appli cation and schedule an inter view with the administration of special services. If the interview is approved by the director of personnel, the applicant’s name is put on a list of substitute teachers to be called. Chambers said the process takes anywhere from two days to one week to com plete. This process may seem sim ple, but requirements do get a little stiffer in some districts. racers ■est ■itin By KATHERINE COFFEY Of The Battalion Staff 863 i Drinking and swimming elicits the ■ame advice as drinking and driving: don’t do both at once, an American Red Cross water safety specialist said. I Martha Nix, one of 10 appointed Specialists in Texas, said it’s not rea listic to tell people not to drink be cause students are going to anyway, but taking precautions while swim ming could save someone’s life. I In an American Red Cross Basic Water Safety Book, the Red Cross said there are four major causes of drowning in the U.S.: alcohol and drug use while participating in water recreation, accidents involving small boats, overestimation of ability and Stamina while swimming, and diving into unknown or shallow water, f Nix, who is also manager of the Texas A&M Swimming Pool, said when spring breakers get in the sun, drink alcohol and then swim in cold water that they aren’t used to, it be comes very dangerous. Reaction time is slowed, and they overestimate their abilities, she said. When a crisis occurs, someone might not know what to do and could panic, and this is when it could become fatal, she said. STAY SAFE Graphic by Norzaini Mufti Nix, a lecturer in the health and physical education department, said if people are going to drink then they need to designate a person who will not drink to watch over people who are swimming and drinking, she said. According to the National Safety Council, she said, about 6,000 Ameri cans drown every year. Many of the drowning victims are reported to have been good swimmers, she said. “If someone was going weightlift ing or jogging, they wouldn’t drink before they began,” Nix said. “When it comes to swimming, people don’t realize the physical exertions it de mands and therefore don’t take it as seriously as they should.” Boating and water skiing are other water sports that people don’t think are dangerous, she said. Boats are as dangerous as cars and should be used with the same precau tions, she added. “People see boats as just fun, but if you are hit, your chances of being thrown into the water are great, and you could be knocked unconscious when thrown,” she said. Nix said that there are precautions to take before going on spring break: • If you drink alcohol or use drugs, do not go into the water. • Don’t drink and drive, whether it is a car, boat or wind-surfing board. • Pay attention to how long you have been in the water. • Don’t swim far from the shore or boat. • Wear a life jacket or at least a ski belt while boating and skiing. • Know specifically about the wa ter you are near: how deep the water is and where the currents or tows are that may be under the surface. • If you can’t see the bottom of the water, don’t dive. • Never swim or boat alone. • Swim in an area where supervi sion, such as a lifeguard, is available. “People need to respect water and the reasons why water accidents hap pen, because it could happen to you this spring break,” Nix said. In the College Station dis trict, students need not apply because a four-year college degree is required. Dorothy Adkinson, person nel clerk for Deer Park ISD, said in addition to 60 college credit hours. Deer Park re quires an applicant to pass a 12-minute, 50-question test of general academic knowledge before they can be considered for a job. If the prospective substitute passes the test, an interview process takes place. Although substitute teach ing may not seem like the most glamourous way to spend spring break, Ballard said, it does have its advantages. “It’s a good experience be cause it gives you the chance to decide if you ever want to go into teaching while you’re still in college,” Ballard said. “There aren’t many college students home over spring break, so you usually get called every day and make good money.”