Recreational scuba discontinued as NSU focuses on academics

By Bryce Johnson •

Originally from Wisconsin, Josie Larson, second-year junior environmental science major, chose to come to NSU primarily because of the Academic Diving Program, which was founded in 2012.

“My mom and I toured the diving facility area, talked with some of the diving professionals that work here, and my mind was completely changed by the scuba program,” Larson said.

ADP and the Office of Recreation and Wellness partnered on the NSU Recreational Scuba Club. Over the winter break, students learned the club would be discontinued effective immediately.

“I think the way they went about discontinuing it was a little confusing,” Kate Heffner, ADP dive master, said. “It would’ve made a little bit more sense if they came to us and were like, ‘We want to review your program,’ and then go from there.”

Gerard Wheeler, assistant dean of Student Engagement, said the academic side of scuba would get more focus, and the change would give more opportunities to students who are serious about scuba and diving.

“They eliminated the recreational piece and put more of the focus on the academic program,” Wheeler said. “So that way, it got more resources and funding.”

The recreational scuba club had about 50 members. They would go on dives almost every weekend as a small group.

Larson’s favorite memory in the program was going on her first night dive and seeing a goliath grouper fish.

“It was such an amazing experience going down. I think we went down 70 feet, and I saw so much different wildlife. The instructors I was with, they’re great. I felt so comfortable and safe with them,” Larson said.

Ethan Miller, sophomore marine biology major, said the recreational scuba club was one of the main things that drew him into NSU.

“While Nova is great for marine bio, and while I can still scuba dive without the club, I think the club was a big drawing point for me, and I may have gone somewhere else without it,” Miller said.

Wheeler said the recreational scuba club was primarily run by staff. If students want to start a new club, they would have to run it under the Office of Campus Life and Student Engagement.

“It’s the same way we would do the rest of our clubs or organizations, but it would be more student-focused. The students would be the people running it,” Wheeler said.

Charlotte Gifford, sophomore marine biology major, said students interested in diving through NSU will now have to take academic courses, which they might not all be able to do.

“The Academic Diving Program is something that NSU has that is truly unique. There aren’t very many other colleges in the country that have an academic diving program like this,” Gifford said.

Lindsay Scherer, sophomore marine biology major, agrees. She said the recreational scuba programs were beneficial for students who were interested but not marine biology majors.

“I have three other certifications that I’ve gotten outside of NSU, and the one that I’ve gotten here was by far the best experience I’ve had, just because of how professional they are,” Scherer said. “They really care about each individual person and they’re really thorough.”

Wheeler said students would most likely see enhancements to the academic side of scuba in fall 2025.

“They are looking and exploring opening up more sections for it and providing more resources,” Wheeler said. “They’re trying to be able to give more students the opportunity to do scientific diving.”

Although recreational scuba is discontinued, Heffner is interested in seeing how the academics will evolve in the future.

“I’m pretty excited for what they have in store for the academic side. I think it’s going to really expand and be a really cool thing, but I hope the club comes back,” she said.

Wheeler encourages students to give the new changes time.

“Everybody hates change, let’s be real,” Wheeler said. “Give it time to settle. I think the biggest focus is trying to provide people more resources.”