At Michigan Tech., there are over 225 student led organizations that are available for anyone to try and join. With so much going on, it’s hard to see all the organizations the students at this school have to offer.
Last week, on the first chilly day of the fall season, I got to sit down and interview Jakob Williams, president of the Aquanauts Scuba Diving Club, and ask him a few questions about his organization.
Justin: How long have the Aquanauts been around at Michigan Tech?
Jakob: Aquanauts, as far as we can tell, was started in 1977, that’s as far back as our documentation goes. We don’t have anything beyond that to go from, so it’s been here at least 39 years, which is exciting… Next year will be 40 years, which makes it one of the oldest clubs at Michigan Tech.
Justin: How did this club get started?
Jakob: We don’t know how it got started, unfortunately, but we imagine similar to what we do now, just some students that wanted to go out and have the University pay for them to go scuba diving, which is not a bad deal.
Justin: How long have you been a member?
Jakob: I’ve been a member for two years. I got certified with a few friends of mine after we found out we could get a full P.E. credit for it and ended up absolutely loving it… I got certified two years ago, got on eBoard a year ago and just started this next year as the president, after being the treasurer for a year.
Justin: How can students who have never scuba dived before get involved with the program?
Jakob: Really, one of the best ways for people to get involved is just to come to a meeting. We have dive times every week, Tuesdays from 10-11 [p.m.] at the SDC… and we have meetings prior to that, so even if you’re not a scuba diver, you can go to the pool, you can do free diving with us, and just get sort of familiarized with the equipment.
Justin: How much does getting SCUBA certified cost a student?
Jakob: If you actually want to get scuba [certified], we run two class sessions every year, one during the summer and one during the fall for certifications. Those [classes] are $475, which sounds expensive, but you get an entire PE credit for it… so broken down, even by in state tuition, it’s still like a fraction of the cost of what it costs to [get credits at] Michigan Tech.
Justin: What about the Aquanauts would you recommended to people?
Jakob: You get to go and see things you’ve never seen before. It’s pretty easy to drive around the Keweenaw and see all the abandoned stuff to go exploring, but there’s really only one way to see all the stuff that’s underwater and that’s to get certified.
Those interested in joining will have to sign up as soon as you can, because slots fill up extremely quickly. If you’re someone with a sense of adventure, someone looking to get scuba certified, or even just looking for some fun P.E. credits, then the Aquanauts is the club for you.
