O.C. Coastkeeper announces new SCUBA scholarships for aspiring ocean scientists

A Costa Mesa-based conservation group launched a scholarship program this week aimed at breaking down barriers for aspiring SCUBA divers interested in using that training to help safeguard their community’s beaches and aquatic habitats.

Orange County Coastkeeper’s new SCUBA scholarship program offers up to $1,000 to as many as eight divers at a variety of experience levels. Applicants must be residents of either Orange County or Long Beach, over the age of 18, have reliable transportation and must be able to complete their certification programs by December.

The money can be used to cover the cost of training and gear, which typically costs upwards of $500, Coastkeeper spokesman Matt Sylvester told the Daily Pilot Wednesday. It can also pay for expensive items like masks and wetsuits.

“It might not cover everything, but it’s a start,” Sylvester said.

“When you look around at who gets access to this, it’s typically more affluent people who have the ability to travel to exotic places or afford all this equipment, afford all this training,” he added. “This is supposed to, we hope, level the playing field a bit and invite people, especially from marginalized communities, to have a leg up and get into these conversations and fields.”

He noted that an advanced diving certification is sometimes required just to volunteer to do fieldwork with Coastkeeper, so Kaysha Kenney, an experienced diver and the nonprofit’s director of marine restoration, suggested creating the scholarship program after recognizing SCUBA certification as a barrier to aspiring marine conservationists.

Sylvester said that marine science is an “impacted field” full of talented and curious people, and the nonprofit expects a high volume of scholarship applicants. Ideal candidates will be those who are passionate about protecting marine ecosystems and pursuing a related career.

“A core of our mission is people protecting the waters they know,” Sylvester said. “So we want to get people out there, connected with their watershed, with their coast, and this is just another way of doing that.”

The scholarship was made possible by funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Those interested can find more information and submit their applications at coastkeeper.org/scuba-scholarship.