Hi from Washington State

[Sarah.Merry]

Hi!

I'm pretty new to scuba. I won't even be certifying till spring '17.... But what has brought me to scuba is a very determined 9yr old. My son saw his first diver at the Seattle aquarium when he was 3yrs old and decided right then he was going to do that. Preferably, as soon, and as much as possible... Lol. So, we looked into how old a kid had to be to start getting involved, and signed him up for swim lessons. This kid had, up till then categorically refused to put his face in the water.... Once we told him he had to be able to swim under water without gear before being able to scuba, he did a 180 and worked hard to conquer that fear. Now he swims pretty well for a skinny 9yr old, and he continues to work on his swimming. What blew me away was that a 3 yrs old, he made the decision to learn to swim so he could scuba at 8, and he hasn't required any further motivation from us at all. He is very technically inclined and safety conscious.

So, now he's 9, he started the PADI Seals program last fall, and he's working on his pool and swimming skills while he waits to turn 10 next January and get his JOW. I will probably get my OW about then, but not at the same time, and we won't be buddies for quite awhile. It will be a some time before I can be a good buddy and not a parent I think.

This kid will give up ANY activity for a chance to have anything to do with scuba. Right now he is training with a dive shop in Vancouver WA, with Seven Seas Scuba and we love them. We live about 30 min from Olympia.... I signed up here with the hope that I might gain more insight from others experiences with scuba, kids and scuba, and finding cold water equipment for small people.... Joshua is 4'3" .... And the water here is COLD....
Thanks all!

 

[OldPhotog]

Hey Sarah, welcome to the board. My folks let me get certified a little bit older than your son (think I was 14). Turned 66 this year. Good for you for helping him and coming here for advice. Speaking of advice, I have none - about things you need to know, like cold weather gear for small people, etc. Good luck in your quest. You might post this in the basic or thinking about diving sub-forum.

 

[Sarah.Merry]

That's a good idea, thank you Oldphotog....for now, I'm reading a ton, and waiting while he finishes his Seal program. We will go snorkeling a bunch too this summer. He doesn't turn 10 till next January so I have thill then to find him a thicker wetsuit.

 

[fmerkel]

There's a number of issues:
1. Size - NW diving is cold so any diver has to carry a lot of weight. Frankly the sport favors large people but with motivation that issue can be overcome. Small bodies lose heat faster than large bodies. It will be a problem and an extra expense if he's growing fast but you really ought to be thinking dry suit to start. You may have to hump gear for a good while.
2. Liability - Kids are a bit of a problem. There are biological and development issues making some of them not great candidates for the sport. Those issues coupled with liability issue kind of force the parent into primary responsibility after certification. You REALLY ought to be a pretty confident and capable diver well before you take your kid out diving. If you don't you are going to have to have a VERY VERY thoughtful, forgiving, and generous instructor/divemaster/chaperone. If something goes wrong parents tend to sue everyone within a 1/4 mile radius of the accident. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it is.
3. Distraction - What he wants now, may be totally irrelevant in just a few years. Been there, done that.

 

[T-rex12]

Welcome!!! I think it is absolutely awesome that your child has the determination and thought to dive! Better yet you are making it happen!!!!

As previously stated make sure you get some very good cold weather gear for him and take baby steps! Once you are both certified start out by going just 10-20 feet deep and stay at that point to make sure he stays comfortable. Then as both of you become comfortable working together slowly get deeper.

But until you both get certified just keep him in the water! Snorkeling, swimming, you name it!!

Most importantly just have fun!!!


Safe travels and welcome again!

 

[Sarah.Merry]

We will be taking it pretty slow scuba wise. I won't be his buddy for quite awhile till my skills are up to par, and our dive shop is guiding that. I'm on the hunt for a dry suit for him.... In addition to the wetsuit.

Distaction is definitely something I would consider an probable issue with kids in general. We(the shop and my husband and I) are very vigilant of this. This kid though has been very focused about his activities his entire life. Scuba is not a new thing, and he shows no signs of boredom. So far he's had about 9hrs in the pool and he has lots more to go before getting to dive in open water.... Another 6-8 as a seal, then the OW class where he has to pass the swim test and participate responsibly with the adults. If he isn't ready to do that, then he stops and waits till he is..... So we are supportive, and watchful, and prepared to stop if warranted.

Our shop is prepared to buddy him with an instructor for dives for a few years, and keep his depth pretty shallow.... We are also going to be doing quite a bit of snorkeling.... And that I can buddy him. And there are lots of classes that are pool or classroom only, so we can be doing these and still be doing 'scuba'.

In the meantime, mostly I'm reading a ton, getting a feel for where people dive locally, and what gear is often used. What classes other shops have around here, etc.... And hunting for wetsuit/dry suits for him. The cost as he grows is part of the sport... But generally I've been able to size the wetsuit to last us 2 years. I have to buy the same number of suits too whether he grows fast or slow.... Bp/w or bcd and regs, the shop has so those can wait a bit. One thing I'm finding on the nwdiving forum is lots of shops have pool classes for skill building....

 

[T-rex12]

Well it sounds like you have definitely done your research! I would definitely try and rent gear for him as much as possible seeing that the gear is expensive and he will grow out of it. Scuba diving is a unique sport in which you can constantly learn and take classes. There aren't many other sports that you can do this in. This might help him stay focused and want to learn more!


Keep up the good work and reading, it will pay off!

 

[iamrushman]

howdy and welcome from south florida...water sports and activities is a great bonding experience for you and your son...good luck and best wish on your and his quest .

 

[Sarah.Merry]

Thanks guys for the welcome! I appreciate finding the resource of the site and experienced divers.

 

[fmerkel]

Rental is certainly possible but has some serious limitations long term for small people. I almost guarantee no rental wetsuit will fit, if they even stock something that small. I'm a small male (5' 7", 130#, my wife is similar). We found rental wetsuits almost universally horrible. The BC's are lackluster as are the regs. You don't grow out of a decent reg and a properly fitted BC can fit a pretty good range of sizes.

There is probably a small contingent of parents with the same issues. If you can find them it could be a source of gear and information.

Where you live it seems your local dive options are Tacoma or Hood Canal, Sund Rock most likely as that's where all the Portland divers congregate.