Children & Scuba when to start?

[cpe111]

In my opinion, I think the real indicator is the childs maturity. The youngster has to be mature enough to recognise dangerous situations or situations that could turn dangerous. They need enough confidence to call the dive even going against the adults desires if necessary. In parent / child relationships this can be very difficult, the tendancy would be for the youngster to assume the adult knows what they are doing - but it depends on the child. The child also has to be able to get you out of trouble should something happen. That said, all youngsters are different and only you can make that determination.

 

[abamick]

My husband, 12 year old son, and 16 year old son are taking the OW class right now. They will do their cert dives the beginning of June. I'll let you know how it goes.

I've been certified since 1985, but quit diving because of work, marriage and kids. We went to Grand Cayman for a week about a year and a half ago and did a resort course. They were hooked!

Since it has been so long for me, I am "auditing" the class with them. It has come back pretty easy. The equipment has changed some over the years.

BTW, the 12 year old has an easier time with the skills than me!

 

[Guba]

Forgive me, folks, but I posted this as part of a reply to another thread but thought it was appropriate here. I sincerely hope it doesn't start a flame war, because that is not the spirit in which it was presented. Rather, it is of genuine concern. Here goes...

The only pangs of usease I feel are when the very young (pre-teens) are the sole partners to what I take to be one of their parents. It's not that I'm opposed to younsters getting certified. Not at all. I do experience misgivings, however, when I see a parent "groom" their child as a dive partner at a very early age. I know that children can learn to be excellent divers, but my feelings of unease rise from fears about what might happen in an emergency. Certainly, most can handle crises with training, assuming the instructors and divemasters did their jobs in making certain the student was properly trained and is ready for the challenges of safe diving. But I have to ask just how capable a 100 pound child is of rescuing their 220 pound father (in gear, no less). My fear, in essence, is that the adult is diving essentially "partnerless". Should the adult in a child/adult partnership become impaired, it could lead in the injury or death of BOTH.
Now before I get jumped on here, let me explain the real reason for me going out on this branch. I worry most about the psychological implications of dealing with an emergency. Just say the horrible does happen, and the child is unable to save their parent (whether it was because they were physically unable to or not is irrelevant...it could be something totally unrelated to the dive that causes the accident...heart attack or some such). How capable is the child in handling the stresses and psychological damage that would likely result? I can assure you from experience, recovering from this sort of experience is tough, even for an adult. I worry that the extremely young might never recover fully.
Okay, sorry to blather on about what, in truth, is an extremely rare event. In short, I love to see young divers. I wish them all the wonder and enjoyment that a long life of diving might provide.
Godspeed.
Guba (my granddaughter can't say "Grandpa Scuba")

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Guba,

I think you have raised an excellent point. While I dive with my daughter, we always dive with others as well for exactly that reason.

Of course, there is the reverse problem...if a parent was with a child and there was an accident, I'm not sure the parent would get over it either.

Both scenarious are food for thought.

Jeff

 

[abamick]

Guba and Jeff,

I agree 100%! My husband and I had this conversation just the other night.

We plan on diving as a family. And for the time being, in a group. I'm sure that I won't be taking my eyes off of all three of the others. My husband will be the same way!

Also, we don't plan on going any deeper than 40ft for awhile. (Yes, I know you can drown in 3ft.)

 

[adurso]

My daughter has been certified since age 10. For a BC check out the Wave JR by Aqualung. My daughter is now 13 and has outgrown her Wave and will be going to a BP/W

 

[Thalassamania]

I'm headed down to the Keys in two weeks with my nine-year old. He will get his first SCUBA experience during that trip. He has been free diving for a couple of years now and is quite comfortable making breathhold excursions for between sixty and ninty seconds.

I started SCUBA when I was seven (there were no certifying agencies). My Dad and I learned to dive by reading books and being water people to begin with.

And as for feelings of unease rise from fears about what might happen in an emergency ... I've been teaching diving since 1971 and I'm furthest from the danger line when diving in company with a similarly seasoned diver. Next furthest away would be diving by myself (which I don't do because I like the social aspect of diving) and the most dangerous dives I ever make are when I have to look after myself and two students (that's my usual working group, sometime four students with an AI). I think that diving with my nine-year old will be far less dangerous than that.

Would I turn my son over to someone else for instruction? Sure ... there are Instructors that I trained whom I'd trust with the task. When it comes time for my son to dive without me (likely four or five years off), I will have him work with one of them until they are convinced that he is ready take on the burden of buddy diving as an equal.

 

[Cacia]

great for adolescent girls.....great science fair opportunities! My daughter did "bio rusting" of shipwrecks and aerobic bacteria or something.....looks like she had her reg out hamming it up the first dive.

 

[kidspot]

Scubal also makes a kids BCD - the "Juvi" for $119 http://www.scubal.com/content/index.php?proid=1009&catid=206&procatid=166

btw - DSS and FredT also make a small sized backplate ... (just had to add that - lol)

Aloha, Tim

 

[freediver]

I will have the great pleasure of not only diving with my son but being the one who trains him in scuba. He may be an exception to the rule due to the family's water safety/rescue/recreational background. I would like to touch on the point of a child being able to help in a worst case scenario. My son has developed an interest in scuba and water rescue for some time now. During that time, I have never once shown him or worked with him in how to remove me from the water if I were rendered unconscious (I am 6'5", 260 lbs). I have, though, spent much time in developing his ability to think. This is an area with him that I am very comfortable in.
Psychological implications of a tragedy? Sure, but there will be emotional issues whether it is me and my son only, or if a group were involved. I can't see where more people involved would lessen the impact of a tragedy. The bottom line, however, is that we never expect a tragedy to occur but if we are wise then we prepare and train for it. Yes, even a ten year old can do this given adequate maturity.