Boy Scout Archives: Water Sports Merit Badge

Water Sports Merit BadgeWater sports are a fun and exhilarating way to enjoy being outdoors while developing strength, coordination, and fitness. By developing experience with water sports and practicing good judgment, Scouts will gain skills that will serve them well for a lifetime and have extreme fun while they do.

Water Sports Merit Badge Requirements

  1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while participating in water sports, including hypothermia, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, dehydration, sunburn, minor cuts and bruises, and blisters.
  2. Do the following:
    1. Identify the conditions that must exist before performing CPR on a person. Explain how such conditions are recognized.
    2. Demonstrate proper technique for performing CPR using a training device approved by your counselor.
  3. Before doing the following requirements, successfully complete the BSA swimmer test.
  4. Do the following:
    1. Discuss the BSA Safety Afloat policy. Tell how it applies to water sports.
    2. Name the different types of personal flotation devices (PFDs), and explain when each type should be used. Show how to choose and properly fit a PFD.
    3. Know the Water Sports Safety Code. Promise that you will live up to it and follow it in all water work for this badge. Know the safety precautions that must be used by the boat operator in pulling water-skiers and wakeboarders.
  5. Show the following skier signals to the safety observer in the boat: skier safe, faster, slower, turns, back to dock, cut motor, skier in water.
  6. Showing reasonable control while using two skis, one ski, or a wakeboard, do EACH of the following:
    1. Show how to enter the water from a boat and make a deepwater start without help.
    2. Show you can cross both wakes four times and return to the center of the wake each time, without falling.
    3. Show you can fall properly to avoid an obstacle. Also show that you can drop handle and coast to a stop without losing your balance.
  7. While on shore, show that you know how to properly adjust the bindings of your ski(s) or wakeboard to fit yourself. Then, in deep water, show you can adjust bindings to fit. Recover and put on your ski(s) or wakeboard that has come off during a fall.

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