4 year old Diver?

[maged_mmh]

:shocked2: Do you have kids?

I'm all for teaching kids to swim as young as possible, and before that Drownproofing the tots, but for my grandkids I strongly encourage PFD for the 5 yo when not under intense supervision and snorkel vest for her older brother - even for the adults when wading in our murky lakes as they do at times.

I recently posted a rant about a news story in Whine & Cheese: Boy, 8, 2 Adult Relatives Drown In SC Pool

yes I do, my 6yo snorkels this way - in shorty wetsuit - now I know it is not a drown-proofing, but he is never in the water alone.. he is also quite comfortable being swimming face down and turning his head sideways for air.. the reason I opted for the wetsuit is that he sometimes gets either bored or lazy - not sure - about treading water too deep to stand on.

 

[Splash-X]

Teaching children to swim is invaluable, regardless of their desire to snorkel or scuba dive.


Each agency has its own rules and regulations. Through SSI, the Scuba Rangers program gets kids ages 8 - 12 in to the water in a pool and lets them toy around with the gear, swimming through hoops, getting things from the bottom of the pool, etc. It is a program geared for kids taught by people who are trained to teach the children. It is a course outline much like your open water class, but designed to be fun, educational and safe for children.

At 10 a child can sit in on an adult open water class and go through the motions but can not get a C-card. At the age of 12 a child can get a C-card.

I believe PAID offers Jr. Scuba or Bubble Makers (not sure which one) for the younger kids too.

I would recommend that the children take a class from a LDS in favor of putting your own children in the pool. The programs offered by your LDS are by people who are trained to teach the children the aspects of beginner scuba.

 

[kuma1720]

My 6 year old is an avid snorkeler thanks to the many different trips I have taken with him. He worships diving (chip off the old block). Hopefully I can post this picture of him in action..............

As always start them young and let them enjoy the water. It helps we have excellent weather and good temps in Florida. Check out the OK sign. Gotta love him!!

 

[adurso]

*snip*


At 10 a child can sit in on an adult open water class and go through the motions but can not get a C-card. At the age of 12 a child can get a C-card.

*snip*.

Kids can become certified as Jr open water divers at 10...they do not "go through the motions"......

 

[simmonsjr]

Padi offers Bubblemakers and Seal Team for youth starting at age 8. At age 10 through age 14 they can become a junior open water diver, junior advanced open water diver, and junior rescue diver (age 12-14). They are not allowed to descend beyond 40' and must dive with a certified adult.

 

[Rhone Man]

Padi offers Bubblemakers and Seal Team for youth starting at age 8. At age 10 through age 14 they can become a junior open water diver, junior advanced open water diver, and junior rescue diver (age 12-14). They are not allowed to descend beyond 40' and must dive with a certified adult.

My 8 yr old did the PADI Seal Team and absolutely loved it. He can't wait until he is 10 so he can (maybe) get certified. However, my younger brother is a PADI instructor, and he is still horrified by the idea of an 8 year old diving, even in a swimming pool under instructor supervision.

 

[DandyDon]

yes I do, my 6yo snorkels this way - in shorty wetsuit - now I know it is not a drown-proofing, but he is never in the water alone.. he is also quite comfortable being swimming face down and turning his head sideways for air.. the reason I opted for the wetsuit is that he sometimes gets either bored or lazy - not sure - about treading water too deep to stand on.

Ok 6, a little different than 4 or 5 - but I tend to think in terms of my own grandkid and the lakes they camp on and wade it. Now that she's in swim class, I think a snorkel vest is in order - a safety to inflate if ever needed.

 

[Splash-X]

Kids can become certified as Jr open water divers at 10...they do not "go through the motions"......

You are correct, that was my mistake. Things change too often in regards to the younger age group and I have a hard time keeping up with it.

 

[psychocabbage]

My 10 yr old yesterday at Palancar Bricks in Cozumel

My 15 and 11 yr olds at Palancar Bricks yesterday...

We are a family of divers and I have 0 doubts about my kids and their abilities. After having been on many dive with adults, I have seen too many people that should not of been certified. My kids, having been around SCUBA from a young age seem to be extremely well adjusted. So much so that several dive masters have been very complimentary towards them.

Our 15 yr old takes some awesome pictures and will be getting our current UW camera setup handed to her. The wife will be upgrading to a much nicer setup and I will get me a housing for my video camera..

I think some people shackle their kids with irrational fears (such as falling off a bicycle or out of a tree).. I dont stiffle my kids with such things and allow them to climb to the top of the tree or fall off a bike. Accidents will happen. Thats part of life. I have fallen ice skating several times and gotten fairly injured in the process. Does it keep me from doing it? No.. Does it slow me down? No.. Does it teach me that I should not fall and to work on my form to keep me from falling? Yes.

Practice makes perfect.. some things you have to practice more than others. But you should always have that opportunity to practice.

Our kids call their own dives. We get on the boat with all the gear.. If they dont want to dive, they wont. If they do, they suit up and hit the water. We dont pressure them and let them control it all. If they are 10 min in and decide they want to bail, we will escort them to the surface, get them on the boat and resume the dive.

We believe very strongly that you need to DIVE YOUR OWN DIVE regardless of what others around you are doing.

 

[AndrewST]

Hmm...

I wasn't aware that posting a simple thread about my son showing great interest in Diving at an older age would start a war. But since it has...I will toss in my two cents.

I come from a family that learns to swim at a VERY young age. In fact my son at 4 years old is about the oldest anyone of my immediate family learned to swim. That is my fault as I work a ton of hours and haven't spent that much time with him in the Pool.

We as children also learn basic survival skills, and hunting skills early. We typically are shooting at the age of 10. I remember being 8, 9 , and 10 with Blow Guns, Tomahawks, Throwing Stars, and Small Crossbows to name a few. All used under absolute adult supervision, zero injury ever! Some people can scream "Your parents are nuts!" all they want, but I have wonderful parents that allowed us to experience many things as children, and we were never injured. We learned safety, and respect for those items.

Now had my parents simply said "Here ya go!", like some parents would do, it would have been ugly and people would have been hurt.

So when my child is 10, and if he shows the ABILITY and UNDERSTANDING to dive, he will. Obviously starting with snorkeling, and free diving, going forward from there. Why should I hold him back? As for the comment about insurance, trust me..my family is more then covered if I were to be hurt, or anyone else in my family.

All in all I come from a family that is huge into the outdoors, and has always allowed the children to explore their own abilities, in a safe and structured environment. I guess another way of looking at it is that driving down the road with your children in the car is a lot more dangerous then letting them try new things in a controlled structured environment. You aren't in a controlled environment when driving...

People need to relax a little.