CRANBERRY TWP — Twelve-year-old Mark Wimer said he has been interested in marine biology for nearly as long as he can remember.

“I’ve had an interest in sharks ever since I was really young,” he said.

Because of this interest, Mark of Cranberry Township recently signed up to learn how to scuba dive in a class at the waterpark in North Boundary Park.

Diving in the ocean could be a useful skill for a scientist looking to do field studies, because he can observe fish and other creatures in their natural environment, he said.

“It’ll be amazing to be able to breathe in the water and be around the fish and coral and stuff,” he said.

A number of people want to learn how to scuba dive because they are interested in exploring and having adventures underwater, said Bill Downey, who has been teaching scuba diving for more than 50 years.

“Divers have a fascination with the underwater world. Most people never get to explore it,” Downey said at the recent class.

Mark is one of several students Downey is teaching in a six-session class at the waterpark this month.

Another student in the class, Rick Jackson of Cranberry, said he is getting his certification so he can dive in Florida and Texas with family.

“My kids are scuba certified and my granddaughters are too, so I want to be able to go enjoy the water with them,” he said.

Both students said they thought they were getting a handle on diving and using the equipment and were looking forward to getting certified.

“Everything was pretty easy once we got in the water. I think I’ll get used to it,” Mark said.

Instructor John Corcoran said knowing how to scuba dive has been a rewarding experience.

“Getting into scuba, it was a life changing experience for me. I’ve gotten to travel all over the world and meet all kinds of people I never would have met,” he said.

A certification for scuba, which stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, includes passing both a written test and a demonstrating of proper procedures in water.

Downey and his instructors are certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, one of the largest diving organizations in the world.

To complete the certification, which never needs to be renewed, the divers must also complete four open-water dives at another location with depths of more than 20 feet.

Divers must learn how to properly assemble and disassemble the equipment and how to deal with emergency scenarios such as how to get water out of flooded mask.

“You have to know what to do if the unexpected happens,” Downey said.

Equipment includes a mask; snorkel; oxygen tank; regulator, connecting the snorkel to the tank; depth gauge; fins; wetsuit; dive computer used on deeper dives; a buoyancy compensator, and an inflatable vest that holds the tank.

Certified divers have to complete swimming and stamina tests, including holding their breath underwater, treading water for 10 minutes and swimming eight lengths of the pool without stopping.

They also learn to monitor their oxygen levels during a dive. A typical oxygen tank provides enough air for one hour of breathing, but that varies based on the person’s size and how deep he is in the water.

For divers in an ocean or in a lake, they must learn the proper ascension rate, 30 feet per minute, to avoid getting decompression sickness.

A number of people often take the certification class before heading on a vacation to a tropical location, Downey said.

Downey also has certified emergency responders from the area who volunteer on dive or rescue teams.

His company, Downey Diving of Baden, Beaver County, organizes international trips and certifies about 100 people each year.

The class provides all the necessary gear to learn diving. Buying a full set of gear can cost several thousand dollars, though some people opt to rent gear from businesses that operate near popular diving locations.

Downey said quality diving in the waters of Butler County is limited. Divers can go in Lake Arthur, with permission from the Moraine State Park staff, but the water is muddy, making it hard to see.

The biggest regional attraction for divers is Lake Erie. It has numerous wooden shipwrecks that have been well preserved because the lake has cold water and no salt.

There are also shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. A number of those boats there were sunken by German submarines during World War II, Downey said.