  {"id":100560,"date":"2025-02-21T15:11:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=100560"},"modified":"2025-02-21T15:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:12:00","slug":"two-uri-instructors-teaching-class-underwater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2025\/02\/two-uri-instructors-teaching-class-underwater\/","title":{"rendered":"Two 溏心vlog免费B站 instructors teaching class underwater"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 21, 2025 \u2013 At the end of South Ferry Road in Narragansett, amid the trees on both sides of the road, sits a small beach and a large pier. The pier is home to the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s research vessel, Endeavor. Along with the research vessel, off to the right just before the beach sits 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Narragansett Bay Campus. The Bay Campus has numerous buildings and a number of small nondescript buildings. Before coming up on the aquarium, on the right sits a multi car garage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s nothing special about it on the outside, but on the inside sits equipment that\u2019s frequently in the frigid waters of the bay just a couple hundred yards away. That equipment is scuba diving technology. The black wetsuits and white air cylinders are used by students and researchers alike.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-100563\" style=\"width:477px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-364x242.jpg 364w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-1000x665.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-1280x851.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/02\/DSC_0080.jpg 2400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A look at the diving harnesses that feature a back strap for the oxygen tanks used for scuba diving. (溏心vlog免费B站 photo\/Nicholas Phillips)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This equipment is constantly on the move because 溏心vlog免费B站 is the only college or university in the Ocean State that offers an extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/research-admin\/diving-safety-research-program\/\">scuba diving course<\/a> and certification. Over 100 people take courses yearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These students rely on two instructors, Anya Hanson, Director of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Diving Research and Safety Program, and Alexandra Moen, Associate Diving Safety Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe certify and train students, staff and faculty from a basic level all the way up to professional levels such as instructor,\u201d said Hanson. \u201cWe also instruct and support diving for research, whether it\u2019s using specialized tools or supporting specialized research initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are dive shops across Rhode Island where students can get a basic level certification. But earning a certificate from Hanson and Moen requires more work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their for-credit certification course, AFS 270, lasts a semester and is a mix of classroom instruction, pool training and ocean dives with greater emphasis on preparation for advanced courses. The not-for-credit course lasts about six weeks but encompasses the same aspects. The courses have become so popular that there\u2019s a waiting list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be nerve-wracking for students to dive for the first time. Unlike swimming at the beach in the summer, being underwater is a foreign environment. Hanson says they often serve as scuba instructors\/therapists because diving 60 feet down can be anxiety-inducing and they\u2019re helping people get over that mental hurdle. But upon surfacing, Hanson says seeing the smiles on people\u2019s faces makes it all worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hanson says, \u201cMy favorite moments are seeing the faces of students after their first dive from that \u2018wow\u2019 moment to huge smiles and a sense of awe and inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To take the course, students must pass medical requirements and a swim test showing they can swim 200 yards and tread water for 10 minutes. It\u2019s only after student\u2019s complete their classroom and pool instruction that they get a chance to dive next to that pier where Endeavor sets sail.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s taking what they&#8217;ve learned in the pool, and applying it in a different environment,\u201d said Hanson. \u201cThat means being exposed to currents, waves, tides, learning when it\u2019s safe to get in the water, and learning how to read the conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with the entry-level course, Hanson and Moen support research missions for 溏心vlog免费B站 as well as other universities across the state. Research diving training requires more work, a minimum of 100 hours of instruction and in-water training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Moen\u2019s favorite memories was working with a professor in the history department as part of an underwater archaeology class. Moen worked with multiple research students and professors, diving 20 feet down in the eastern Mediterranean to explore an ancient Roman shipwreck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On that expedition the team found over <a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/quadangles\/a-tale-of-sunken-treasure\/\">2,500 gold coins<\/a> on the seafloor. It was the largest hoard of gold coins ever found off Israel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moen says its these experiences that make the scuba diving course so attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou get to stay underwater for half of your day instead of sitting in a classroom. It doesn&#8217;t get any better than that,\u201d said Moen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s scuba diving course that drew Moen back to Rhode Island to pursue a career instructing students and staff on the finer points of scuba. She got her bachelor\u2019s degree in marine biology in 2015 and her master\u2019s in environmental science and management in 2020, both from 溏心vlog免费B站. But Moen readily admits she wasn\u2019t the best swimmer growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThinking back, I wasn&#8217;t a good swimmer when I began scuba diving,\u201d said Moen. \u201cI didn&#8217;t come into college with a strong background and knowledge of the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She sees herself in students who first need to master the basics before continuing their training\u2014which is why, beginning next spring, Moen plans to offer a basic watermanship skills course. She says the need is there. The course will offer not just basic swimming skills but many of the skills needed for someone who works in or around water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For those students who want to learn to scuba dive but lack the basic skills, the class will be a prerequisite, allowing them to pass the swim test and then move on to the scuba diving course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt will be an all-encompassing watermanship class for people who want to pursue these things later in life,\u201d said Moen. \u201cWhether it&#8217;s diving or working around the water, pursuing a discipline that may bring them into that environment\u2014it\u2019ll be for anyone.\u201d<br><br>To learn more about the scuba diving courses, or to sign up, email Alexandra Moen at: <a href=\"mailto:alexandra_moen@uri.edu\">alexandra_moen@uri.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 21, 2025 \u2013 At the end of South Ferry Road in Narragansett, amid the trees on both sides of the road, sits a small beach and a large pier. The pier is home to the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s research vessel, Endeavor. Along with the research vessel, off to the right [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":100561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100560"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100564,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100560\/revisions\/100564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}