The 100-level basic scuba open water class is open to all UD students and involves lectures and pool sessions. The advanced 200-level class builds on the lessons learned at the 100-level. 

Then, there is a 400-level “Scientific Diving” class that gives an introduction to scientific scuba diving techniques. Completion of this class will certify the student as an American Academy of Underwater Sciences Scientific Diver and allow them to participate in UD diving research projects that take place with other universities and government agencies.

After completing the 100-level class, students have the ability to earn their dive certification through the National Association of Underwater Instructors, which will allow them to do basic, entry-level diving, anywhere in the world in shallow to intermediate depths. 

Students who want to get certified can either complete their dives in Lake Allure in Pennsylvania or travel to Florida during winter session, where Birns and a group of UD students spent January 2023 diving and working toward various certifications, including UD's first ever Nitrox certification which was part of the 200-level class. Nitrox certification involves diving with an oxygen enriched mix for added safety in shallow and intermediate depths. The fall semester students who went to Florida over Winter Session came home with three certifications and an additional two semester credits.

The introductory class — both the classroom sessions and the pool sessions — takes place in the Carpenter Sports Building on the Newark campus. About 20 people are in the class, which is broken up into smaller groups for the pool sessions. 

Students learn everything from the origins of scuba diving and how it has evolved through time to how to properly use the scuba equipment and eventually getting to scuba dive themselves. The pool sessions of the class begin in the shallow end, and, through the course of the semester, students work their way up to scuba diving in the deep end. 

Ben Horney and Meredith Lockwood are two UD undergraduate students who completed the introductory scuba class. 

Horney, a senior majoring in civil engineering, said he heard about scuba at UD from a friend.  

When he arrived at UD, Horney worked with Jack Puleo, professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at the Center for Applied Coastal Research and during that time, he remembered the scuba class and thought it would be beneficial to his future career plans.

“I realized I really liked this field, and I wanted to take scuba diving,” said Horney. “Now, after taking the class, Captain Mike [Birns] has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for me. I could see myself doing this as a job, potentially, in the future, and I’m very passionate about it.” 

As a member of the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) Collegiate Program, Horney will be part of the CEC community following graduation and he said the class helped him realize the scuba opportunities available to him in the future. 

“That is probably the most beneficial aspect of the scuba program to me,” said Horney. “I’m already getting that exposure now, and I can carry all the experiences on with me to my professional career in the Navy and hopefully beyond.” 

As a lifeguard in the summer, Lockwood said that she decided to take the class to get more experience with the water. 

“Being scuba certified is a life goal that I wanted to achieve, and the fact that I could do it for credit at school is really great,” said Lockwood, a sophomore marine science major with a marine biology concentration. 

Lockwood said she is excited to see where her scuba career can go now that she is certified and has learned so much from the class. 

“This is the beginning of a longer road of scuba diving and being able to go and get more certifications — such as dive master certifications and rescue diving certifications,” said Lockwood. “Even if I just wanted to go on vacation and go scuba diving, not everyone is allowed to just go scuba diving, but I would be able to. I think this is a great foundation for possibilities and opportunities in the future.”

Another aspect of the class that they both highlighted was how learning scuba diving with their fellow Blue Hens was a great bonding experience.  

“The sense of comradery that Captain Mike provokes is awesome,” said Horney. “There are people from all different types of disciplines, and it’s great when you get together and talk to them about their experiences and why they’re there. It’s a really light atmosphere and a welcoming environment.”

Lockwood agreed, saying that she enjoyed meeting other students who were also interested in scuba and that she enjoyed learning from Birns. 

“Captain Michael Birns is amazing,” said Lockwood. “You can tell he has a lot of experience, and he’s a great professor for this course.” 

Expanding the Program

One of the external partnerships that Birns has started to build has been with the Black Girls Dive Foundation, a non-profit organization that establishes space and opportunity to empower young women to explore STEM through marine science and conservation and scuba diving. 

Participants from that program joined the UD students during the 2023 Winter Session to dive with and learn from the UD students who were getting scuba certified. Students from the foundation also traveled to UD in December to check out the University and its facilities. 

“I’m hoping to show them how wonderful UD is and in a lot of ways, hopefully that partnership works out to bring some of those girls to the UD marine science program,” said Birns. 

Birns is also interested in expanding the scientific diving program to allow for collaboration between the scuba program at UD and the Robotic Discovery Laboratories, where UD has cutting-edge autonomous underwater vehicles. For now, he is just hoping to raise the profile of the scuba program at UD to allow for more collaborations. 

“I can’t go a week here without someone saying, ‘I didn’t know we had scuba at UD,’” said Birns. “So we’re building the program up, and I’m excited about the potential to expand scuba at UD.”