National Outdoor Aquatics Requirement 4 (25 hours)

[BNRScout 0]

I've searched and read related topics but did not see this question addressed. Please feel free to point me in the right direction if I missed something.

I have a scout working on the National Outdoor Aquatics award. They have completed several merit badges that fulfill the requirement for #4 (including: canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, small boat sailing, whitewater, and fishing). As part of that, they have completed well in excess of 50 hours of related activity (requirement 5).

Our question is related to the second part of #4 - Complete 25 hours of on-the-water time applying the skills from the merit badge.

• It appears that the 25 hours starts counting after the merit badge is earned, correct? 
• In the case of multiple merit badges, I assume that the 25 hours doesn't have to relate to just one merit badge? (i.e., it states complete "at least one" of the merit badges)
• In the case of multiple merit badges, is that time after each merit badge is completed that is counted? (i.e. first merit badge of the list earned in 7/2021 but fishing earned in 7/2022, any fishing done after 7/21 but before 7/22 would not count)

Trying to help the scout figure out the best way to track which merit badges were earned when and what related activity counts. The 50 hours is easy because it includes everything.

Thank you for any clarification you can provide.

Edited July 20, 2022 by BNRScout

[RememberSchiff 3662]

@BNRScout welcome to scouter.com

[Arkie 8]

I don't read it as sequential time, i.e. only after the merit badge(s) is/are earned.  I understand it to be any time on-the-water since joining.  

[MGinLA 12]

I remember being part of a long discussion of this topic on another board a few years ago, not sure it it can be found.  Can't recall if there was any official guidance on the subject.

Generally I think the requirements of the National Outdoor Awards should be (and are meant to be) read as broadly as possible.  However in this case the key to Aquatics requirement #4 is the singular "the merit badge" in the last sentence. ("...applying the skills you learned in the merit badge").  Requirement 5 is the catch-all that includes everything, while requirement 4 requires some level of concentration in one skill.

I agree with the others above that the time spent earning the merit badge in question is included in the 25 hours of on-the-water time.  But only ONE merit badge, and it's related activity, can apply to req. 4, while all the other merit badges must be applied to req. 5.

So, for example, a group of my scouts earned Kayaking Merit Badge (5 hours), then spent 18 hours of on-the-water time over a 3-day kayaking expedition in Alaska (about 6 hours a day), and then if they could document just 2 more hours of kayaking time (easily accounted for in summer camp free time), that completed requirement 4.  Or it could be Canoeing Merit Badge and then they spent 20+ hours on the water on a multi-day river trip.

As an aside, though it's never come up for me personally, and there may be some controversy on this point, but for fishing activity to count for requirement 4, I would NOT count fishing from shore as "on-the-water time."  You'd either have to be in a boat, or perhaps standing knee deep in the water fly fishing.

If anyone has seen any official guidance on this, I'd love to see it.  Otherwise, hope this helps.