Every Saturday, the pool area at the Civil Defense Training Centre (ALPHA) in Bangi is overrun with kids – energetic, cheerfully vocal and not to mention dripping wet kids who jump in and out of pool fearlessly as if they were born with the innate ability to float. They seem equally as comfortable in water as we all are on land. The only peace and quiet is when the kids are submerged in the pool, emitting no more than a faint buzz as bubbles from the regulators hit the surface. Except for their size, they look no different from adult divers trying to score the skill and license to explore the big deep blue out there.

Previously, the closest kids ever got to exploring marine reefs was through a snorkeling mask as they drifted rather clumsily with the help of an orange safety vest. Diving is strictly for adults. In Malaysia, Kids Scuba is the first diving outfit to change all that as it is catered exclusively to children as young as 8 years old. Established in 2004, it runs the Scuba Ranger program developed by Scuba Schools International (SSI).

‘The beauty of this programme is that it really builds up character for the kids with discipline while having fun. I always tell the kids this is something that even your parents might not be able to do but you have done it,’ enthuses Syed Abdul Rahman, founder and director of Kids Scuba, about the multifold benefits of exposing kids to the extreme sport of scuba diving.

Scuba diving instills the habit that you can’t just leave things laying around. There are procedures to disassemble, clean and keep the equipments after use. As diving works on a buddy system, it also teaches kids to be responsible not only towards themselves but also to others as well.

The Scuba Ranger course, which is designed for kids between eight to 12 years old, even has a civic component: the kids have to help 12 different individuals in their family or community carry out simple chores to gain credit. The Scuba Ranger course is divided into four levels – from basic to intermediate ranger, right up to advanced and master rangers. Each level takes 5 sessions to complete. Teenagers aged 12 and above can go directly to the Junior Open Water course.

These courses are basically the same as the adult’s. ‘The concept and process are the same. Depth is the only limitation,’ explains Syed. Whereas adult open water course allows diving up to 20 meters, scuba rangers are limited to five-metre depth and junior water a maximum of 12 metres.

To avoid being dry and confusingly technical, the children’s programmes are designed with cartoon and fun elements to engage their flighty attention span. ‘Our tagline is “underwater while having fun”. With all the toys that we have – that kind of environment eliminates fear from the kids,’ says Syed.

‘And when we do presentations to the kids, I normally associate diving with the characters from “Finding Nemo”. Kids have a soft spot for that Disney flick and these things excite them.’ This explains the bloated “Nemos” anchored to the bottom of the pool. Toys like underwater torpedo and Frisbees are also used to make learning more engaging.

Safety is, of course, a paramount necessity. Kids Scuba programmes are conducted with only two students to every adult instructor. Furthermore, students start off at the shallow end of the pool to get acquainted with being underwater. If they get uncomfortable, they can easily stand up as the depth is only three feet.

One important component in Kids Scuba exposes students to environmental issues, in particular the fragile coral and marine ecosystem. This teaches the kids to be responsible divers. ‘That’s what we try to do; to build up an individual that appreciates marine life and protecting it for the next generation,’ says Syed.

Even though it is still a relatively young operation, Kids Scuba has certified more than 300 scuba rangers and nearly 500 junior open water and open water students, making it the single largest scuba ranger programme in the world. One particular student has even advanced to become a rescue diver and is currently training to be a dive master. He’s only 17. Others have shown interests in exploring marine biology and science as career options.

‘Scuba diving is not just a sport or recreation. I always believe that the sport itself can branch out to two areas. If the kid loves the sport so much, he can proceed to the level of dive master, in which this dive supervisory level allows him to work anywhere in the world. Even if he only has an open water or advanced qualification, when he pursue higher education, he can easily take up marine engineering, marine science, oceanography, marine biology and even oil exploration. It’s preparing our children for something more,’ says Syed.

In the mean time, diving with Kids Scuba is not all just an aquarium experience. Kids who have at least passed the beginner’s level of the Scuba Ranger programme get to join Syed in his Kids Scuba Camps where he takes the children and their families off to an island for the real deal.

Out there in the big deep blue, students will be diving under controlled environment at a depth limited by international regulations. The scuba camp this year will be at Pulau Tioman and in conjunction with International Year of the Reef 2008, these kids have the rare chance to learn about coral replantation; they get to adopt corals in places where the reefs are affected.

This is when everything comes full circle. From the drowned ‘Nemo’ soft toys, the kids will finally be able to swim with a colony of live clown fish. This, from the looks on their faces, is happiness.

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Kids can enrol for a one-day discovery scuba before committing to the Scuba Ranger course. Contact Syed Abd Rahman at 03-5192 8002 / www.kidsscuba.com