Safety Risk for Children on dive boats

[Aviyes]

I think it all boils down to who is going to be watching the kid? A parent, while the other dives...don't see a problem. Expecting the staff to babysit while parent(s) dive...no chance. Parent and kid going snorkeling while others dive...maybe.

 

[TMHeimer]

This is a broad question with many varied responses. There is a question of the differences a dive boat presents as opposed to say a fishing charter, or simply a pleasure boat. Some bring up the question of supervised by the parent vs. not. Some mention boat size and number of people aboard. Some talk about age of the child. Perhaps these questions should be asked regarding children on any type of boat.
Somewhat related is the question of how young we should certify kids to dive, but that has been discussed before.

 

[Wookie]

I just don’t agree (trauma nurse, dive master)
My daughters Marine Biology teacher died freediving accident with her (Punahou School Hawaii) and all the kids grew from the experience as tragic as it was. The USCG actually held them out there off Molakai for two full days without cell service and it was a quite an ordeal. You should not try and prevent kids from experiencing life and this is a lot of what is going wrong with society and commercial scuba diving imo.

Fit guy, just a freak accident and the kids got past it together. People do die in the ocean just like they ski into trees. The most competent divers and captains grow up on boats and around the water. When these tragedies happen, the adults explain all that to the kids and then they go into life better prepared.

Now Wookie went and made all the Europeans think we are a selfish shitthole country

I think we long ago established that you would not have been happy on my boat. I think your obsession with rehashing old topics is unhealthy.

 

[Mrs. B]

I think we long ago established that you would not have been happy on my boat. I think your obsession with rehashing old topics is unhealthy.

Yes sir captain. I was wrong to think I had something to contribute on this topic and I did not realize this was about your boat, my bad.

You should raise this topic at the next women's March

I am trying to think of another country I have dived in where they talk about children this way. It is almost deplorable and it is a serious sustainability issue with scuba industry in general. Much of the community is too authoritarian for many. People talk about kids like they don't belong on the planet these days.
Fortunately my kids and I were stewarded in a different environment where divers have an attitude about teaching love for the ocean, which is more critical now than ever.

It is possible this is one reason divers like leaving Florida and heading down to Caribbean and Mexico, it is much more family friendly. My eight years down in the V.I. we had children on dive boats almost every charter. It is a whole different crowd and mindset maybe. Catalina is all about kids too, my kids would snorkel on my surface interval.

I guess this means I cant bring my dog?

 

[Wookie]

No, but I have my cat, so it's all good. I'm happy you were able to find someone to watch your kids while you were out having a dive. The only time I allowed children on the boat ( because the client showed up with them for a 10 day trip with no notice) the kids were extremely well behaved and truly a joy to have on the boat. Then they were left behind upon return to port while the parent went out to drink. We normally lock the boat in port, and no one has access, and I think even the incredible Mrs B may think it is a bad thing to leave children unattended on a boat.

The lesson was if you let kids on the boat, clueless parents will allow them to be unsupervised. Thankfully, operators like Aggressor Fleet welcome the little shavers. You'd probably be happier there anyway.

 

[pasley]

Assumption: We are taking about children under the age of 10.
Question: Who is going to watch the kids while the parents/guardian is diving? That should never be the boat crew/DM responsibility. I have been SCUBA diving since 2001 in California, Washington, Grand Cayman, Rotan, Belize, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia and Philippines (a tad over 900 dives) and have yet to see a child (under age say 10) on a dive boat.

Having well behaved responsible kids age 7 and older on the boat who are going to snorkel with an adult while the others are diving may be acceptable and a great way to introduce them to the wonders of the ocean, But waiting until age 10 would IMHO be better.

Even with someone on board to watch the kids under age 10, What could go wrong?
1. Expensive equipment gets damaged (my 7 year old grandson still looks directly at an object on the floor and steps on it anyway. Go figure?).
2. Kids bump someone and they loose their balance in full dive gear and get hurt.
3. Kids make contact with dive tank and their body resulting in crying hurt kid.
4. Equipment falls from time to time on a dive boat. That could injure anyone. But think of a child age 6 under a Tank, BCD and weights that just tumbled off the seat/rack.
5. A distraction for divers that could cause them to miss something gearing up or buddy check.
6. Diving is about relaxing, loud screams even of joy, would not be welcomed by many adults.
Just my thoughts. The dive boat INSURANCE carrier may have some thoughts on this.

Mrs. B - When I lived in Germany for 3 years, Children were neither seen or heard in restaurants or pretty much anyplace until the were in long pants (say age 8 or older). Dogs, yes, and well behaved they were laying under the masters table, but kids no. (Berlin Germany 1980-1983).

 

[tomcatbubba]

I was a dive boat operator. We had a no children policy, because children require child sized lifejackets, which we were not required to carry, children require watching, which is not why the crew is there (they are or should be watching divers), and when the poopoo is hitting the fan, little kids are easily launched into the bulkheads, staunchions, or over the side as adrenaline rushes and crew hustles.

Children have no place on a dive boat, but if you are chartering the whole boat, you won't inconvenience those of us who happen to not like children. Yes, there are actually people who work offshore so that they don't have to be around poorly trained small humans. Bring lifejackets to fit the kids. Real SOLAS or USCG Type 1 lifejackets. Those crappy west marine types likely won't cut it. Remember, your dive boat answers to a higher authority than the customer. They have to wear type 1's. In some states, all the time if younger than 8. Second, bring a nanny. The crew are not babysitters. Well, all divers need babysitting, but that's for another discussion. The crew don't need anyone to watch aside from the divers. The nanny needs to watch the kids. Bring something to keep the kids occupied. I'm thinking narcotics, but games and toys may work.

I think I would work offshore so I didn't have to be around poorly trained adults.

Seriously though, I have 4 younger kids. In no way would I think bringing them on a dive boat would be a good idea, nor fun for them. Now a boat going out to snorkel only, sure, but putting them on a dive boat is just asking for trouble. It will piss of the people there paying good money to dive; and puts the kids in a place they could get hurt. I've seen tank racks slide around on a six pack down in Costa Rica in rough seas, a few divers almost lost some toes, if not for good reflexes. A kid would have been seriously injured.

 

[tomcatbubba]

"You should raise this topic at the next women's March "

@Wookie, if I buy you a pink va jay jay hat, will you please promise to march? And let me take a picture?

 

[tomcatbubba]

Yes sir captain. I was wrong to think I had something to contribute on this topic and I did not realize this was about your boat, my bad.

You should raise this topic at the next women's March

I am trying to think of another country I have dived in where they talk about children this way. It is almost deplorable and it is a serious sustainability issue with scuba industry in general. Much of the community is too authoritarian for many. People talk about kids like they don't belong on the planet these days.
Fortunately my kids and I were stewarded in a different environment where divers have an attitude about teaching love for the ocean, which is more critical now than ever.

It is possible this is one reason divers like leaving Florida and heading down to Caribbean and Mexico, it is much more family friendly. My eight years down in the V.I. we had children on dive boats almost every charter. It is a whole different crowd and mindset maybe. Catalina is all about kids too, my kids would snorkel on my surface interval.

I guess this means I cant bring my dog?

Seriously though, even jokingly referring to someone being misogynistic for feeling kids don't belong on dive boats is a stretch.... I have kids. No way would I want them on a dive boat......

 

[Mrs. B]

Seriously though, even jokingly referring to someone being misogynistic for feeling kids don't belong on dive boats is a stretch.... I have kids. No way would I want them on a dive boat......

About like he jokingly referred to drugging them. (it goes both ways)
Children are a women's issue and I am suggesting that there is a whole nother mindset out there and all the divers with kids that they hope will become divers go elsewhere to dive. Maybe that is the real answer to all this, to find a dive culture you click with. I just have not experienced a culture more full of itself regarding excluding minors from being on boats. A lot of divers are older now that the US demographic is aging, and a lot of people opted not to have children so I get that they are annoyed by them. Certainly, if you own the boat, it is your call. The biggest safety risk I ever saw on dive boats was out of shape middle aged divers and nobody excludes them.