Thunderbase is an exciting new high adventure opportunity in Alpena, catering to Venturing Crews and older Boy Scouts, focusing on SCUBA training, Great Lakes maritime heritage and other aquatic activities. The concept of Thunderbase was developed by Great Turtle Diving & Sports LLC of Hubbard Lake and Divers Central of Cadillac.
The Lake Huron Area Council in partnership with several local and government entities, including NOAA, MI DNRE, Alpena Community College, the City of Alpena, the charter boat community and other interested local parties is pleased to offer Thunderbase as a new experience to Scouting youth in beautiful northern Michigan.
Alpena is uniquely suited to establishing Thunderbase because it is a premier diving destination in the Midwest, hosting the nation's only freshwater National Marine Sanctuary, plus the area offers miles of rivers, and thousands of acres of wilderness.
The Thunderbase program is centered around certifying scouts in SCUBA diving and then letting them experience the adventure and mystery of diving on the shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Other aquatics related programs and merit badges such as Archeology – focusing on underwater archeology, Sailing, Canoeing, Snorkeling, etc will be available at the same time. The area also presents opportunities to earn fifty miler patches.
Our plan for success is to develop the camp in three phases, consisting of three 7 day sessions per season.
· Phase 1 - July 9-15, 2011 with 24 slots. July 23-29, 2011 with 48 slots. August 6-12, 2011 with 48 slots.
· Phase 2 - In 2012 we will offer advanced training and associated specialties, plus double the number of camping slots available.
· Phase 3 - In 2013 we will offer additional training in Rescue Diving and begin developing professional level divers in anticipation of employing Venturers and retired Scouts as SCUBA instructional and professional staff.
The SCUBA program is designed for Scouts to progress from Open Water Diver to Instructor. Along the way divers will have the opportunity to delve into twenty-two separate specialty courses and three additional proficiency levels. All SCUBA training will be conducted by members of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the World's number one training agency. Instructional staff will be provided by Divers Central, a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center.
A typical beginning class consists of academics, skills training in a pool and four open water dives. The open water dives are where students show skill proficiency and experience diving under direct supervision. Campers will be required to purchase some personal gear that, if cared for, can last a lifetime. We have obtained exceptional package pricing on this gear through Aqualung, a leading manufacturer in the diving industry.
All Thunderbase participants will be tent camping, using their own equipment, on the grounds of Alpena Community College and all food service, restrooms, & showers will be provided by the college. The Thunderbase participant fee includes transportation to all Thunderbase activity areas whether by automobiles or by boat. Thunderbase staff will provide on-site instruction and supervision at all times during the week.
Please consider Thunderbase as your Crew’s next high adventure destination!
Thunderbase 2011 Registration:
Thunderbase High Adventure Camp Resources