“SCUBA Diving is Serious.”

Like a tree in Brooklyn, a love for diving can flourish in the least likely places. Less-than-stellar local waters could not deter a coterie of Harvard students from spreading the gospel of SCUBA on the banks of the Charles. Two Cabot House sophomores won official ecognition for a new SCUBA club last month, bringing the number of SCUBA-related activities at Harvard to a whopping two. Enthusiasts can also get their SCUBA on with weekly classes offered at the Malkin Athletic Center (MAC).

“I was amazed when I found out Harvard didn’t have a SCUBA club,” says Chad T. Volpe ’07, now president of the club.

At the time of his Adams dining hall interview, Volpe wore neither flippers nor a wetsuit, but his club is applying for grants to purchase gear. Funds for these expenses don’t exist yet, but Volpe is soliciting grants from the Undergraduate Council, the Harvard-Radcliffe Institute and University President Lawrence H. Summers to subsidize expensive equipment purchases and, ideally, tropical getaways.

Twelve members strong, Volpe and club vice president G. Tyler O’Brien ’07 hope to build a solid core of students interested in SCUBA, snorkeling and marine biology.

“It’s definitely practical, and SCUBA diving is serious,” Volpe says. “It’s not going to be a party club, so we don’t want people who are like, ‘I was in the ocean once. I want to drink beer.’”

For those interested in freelance diving, Blodgett and Malkin pools both forbid the use of SCUBA equipment unless medically necessary. For a fee, however, the aquatics office provides instruction on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m.