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Taking The Plunge

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 21, 2008

BRANDON - While some kids are stuck at home in front of a television set this summer, Cal Nelson, 11, and his 14-year-old brother, Mitch, are exploring a whole new world - under water.

The brothers, who live in Valrico, recently spent a week learning the finer points of scuba diving, such as what to do if their tanks run out of air or their equipment gets entangled in discarded fishing line.

They are experiencing a part of Florida only a small fraction of the populace ever does - an up-close-and-personal look at life below the water's surface.

For four years, Ed Ciesla has been teaching scuba diving to children 10 to 14 at his home swimming pool and shop, Woods & Water on Moon Avenue, where he sells scuba and Scouting gear.

Although the teens and tweens learn the same skills adults learn taking scuba certification classes, there are two big differences. In Ciesla's class, students get a lot more practice time. And he barbecues lunch for them daily.

"Kids are quick to push themselves out to the limit," Ciesla said before a recent pool session. They tend to catch on quickly, with fewer inhibitions, he said, because "kids don't have the same level of fear adults know."

"I really wanted to do it because it would be really cool," Cal Nelson said. "My parents went to the Cayman Islands and left us at home because we weren't certified."

That's not likely to happen again, if the boys have anything to say about it.

His older brother said he enjoyed the first of two open-water dives at Lake Denton in Avon Park. "We went to about 30 feet and swam around an old rowboat, then practiced all the stuff we've learned. We saw a lot of fish, but I'm not 100 percent what they were."

Lee Edwards, 11, of Brandon said his dad is brushing up on his scuba skills after a few years away from the sport so they can share a few diving adventures.

"I just thought it would be cool for me and him to do this together," he said of his dad, also named Lee. "The part I like the most is getting into the pool and doing the hands-on stuff."

Ryan Fandetti, 12, of Lithia, also plans to join his parents for some diving this summer. "I already know how to work the equipment, how to get air from my buddy and how to make emergency ascents," he said before wrapping up the weeklong course.

Before one recent class, students helped each other hoist on heavy air tanks, checking to make sure the tanks were turned on before taking a plunge backward off the side of Ciesla's pool deck - a seated back roll.

Before long, Ciesla quizzed them on how to handle emergency situations - a broken mask or fin strap or an entanglement that could trap a diver under water.

When they complete the course, students take a test with 50 multiple-choice questions. A passing grade earns them a junior dive certification from Scuba Schools International, which converts to an adult certification once the diver turns 15.

"They never have to get recertified, but they can take refresher courses if they stay out of diving very long," said Ciesla's wife, Terri, Woods & Water co-owner. She heads the math department at Brandon High School when she isn't helping out at the shop in summer.

Instead of taking students to the Gulf of Mexico for open-water dives, where they'd have to endure long trips out on the water and possible seasickness, Ed Ciesla takes his groups each Wednesday and Friday during the weeklong camp to Lake Denton, where they can descend from the shoreline, and the water is typically clear.

The rest of the week, they spend half-days in the classroom and half-days in the pool. After the formal part of their pool training, students are free to practice their skills the rest of the afternoon.

SCUBA CAMP

•Woods & Water has two more scuba camps scheduled for this summer. The next one begins Monday, and the final camp is set for July 21 through 25.

•Woods & Water is at 105 S. Moon Ave.

•Cost is $425 per student per week.

•For details, call (813) 684-0122.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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