Advice on teaching my 13 y.o son to dive

[robandliza]

I posted this in the Basic Scuba Discussions forum too but as I'm talking Florida I thought I'd post here too

Hi

I'm looking for some advice on getting my son qualified

First some background on me. I'm AOW PADI certified with nitrox thrown in too. I am based in the UK but have no interest in diving in the cold so I do all my diving in Florida wheer we have a house(Kissimmee) and visit there every summer, but I "only" get the last 3 weeks of August due to work committments

My 13 year old son and his friend, who is coming with me when I fly out, have expressed an interest in learning to dive which I am obviously happy about but am a little undecided on how to go about it

I have 3 local scuba clubs which I can take them to, 2 of which are PADI whilst the 3rd is BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club). The timings of the 2 PADI clubs are not ideal in being a little too late in midweek during school time which pretty much counts them out but I'm worried that the BSAC qualification might not be recognised in the US. Anyone have an opinion on that please

My original thinking was do class and enclosed water dives in UK then do the open water dives via referral in the summer but I am very taken by the teaching of the BSAC club in that they include rescue diver and nitrox in the same course but again, will it be recognised when we look to dive in the summer

The other option is to do the whole thing in Florida
We normally visit West Palm Beach for 3-4 nights and I will usually do a couple of days diving with Kevin at Underwater Explorers in Boynton. I would trust him with my and my son's life but I think the dives will be too deep for him in Boynton

Any thoughts are welcome ,especially on the recognition of BSAC certification

Thanks

Rob

 

[CajunDiva]

I like your idea of doing the course work there and performing the open water check out dives in Florida. He could complete the required knowledge test and obtain a "universal referral" to finish here. A great option would be Key Largo. There are a number of shallow dive sites there...it's a wonderful place for new divers to get a feel for the sport

There are a number of reputable dive operations located in Key Largo. Our preferred op is Rainbow Reef Dive Center. They run a professional, safe operation and I would recommend them highly. One of our best dive buddies brought his 11 year old son last summer to be certified at RRDC. We couldn't have been more pleased with the quality of his instruction. We'll be returning in June for round 2! They also offer discounted dive & stay packages with several of the local hotels...worth checking out.

Best of luck - I know you must be thrilled at the prospect of diving with your son

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Absolutely will a BSAC cert be recognized! Any shop or operation that did not is one you would not want to trust your kids with anyway. I certainly would not.

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[Edward3c]

Hi Rob,

I've not had a problem with my BSAC Diver qualification being accepted in the US, especially Florida. As a back-up, but never used I have a CMAS card available from BSAC HQ, PADI is a member of CMAS.

Most dive operators only start getting picky when additional training is wanted, but to just go diving not an issue.

Remember when your son qualifies as an Ocean Diver/Sports Diver to get the Nitrox Card from HQ as Nitrox is part of their certification, not an extra,

Ocean Diver depth limit 20m.
Sports Diver depth limit 35m after depth progression dives. In addition qualified to undertake dives with decompression stops.

The rescue element of both Ocean Diver and Sports Diver is integral to the training, not an addition. It doesn't quite cover all the bits in PADI's Rescue Diver course (so I understand). A Sports Diver is trained to assist/rescue a casualty from 10m, provide surface buoyancy, tow whilst giving Rescue Breaths, and land the casualty.

There are other financial benefits to BSAC like savings on your weekly shopping, see BSAC Plus which can cover the membership fee many times over; and save on travel costs, and dive insurance.

Kind regards

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Just an FYI, in the US, PADI is not a member of or affiliated with CMAS. SEI is the recognized training agency in the US for CMAS certification. SEI is the only agency that can issue CMAS cards in the US.

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[scubastingray]

Ocean Diver depth limit 20m.
Sports Diver depth limit 35m after depth progression dives. In addition qualified to undertake dives with decompression stops.

The rescue element of both Ocean Diver and Sports Diver is integral to the training, not an addition. It doesn't quite cover all the bits in PADI's Rescue Diver course (so I understand). A Sports Diver is trained to assist/rescue a casualty from 10m, provide surface buoyancy, tow whilst giving Rescue Breaths, and land the casualty.

Well now I feel like i ripped off going with PADI. that sounds like a pretty awesome set of courses. Every time I've gone past 60ft I watch out for the PADI police.

 

[Edward3c]

Well now I feel like i ripped off going with PADI. that sounds like a pretty awesome set of courses. Every time I've gone past 60ft I watch out for the PADI police.

BSAC Dive Leader = with depth progression 50m, included O2, Rescue Management, plus Dive Management.
BSAC Advanced Diver = 50m, Expedition Management, grade for Branch Diving Officer
First Class Diver = 50m, Diving gods.

BSAC Sports Diver with Sports Mixed Gas (50m), Explorer Mixed Gas (60m) and Advanced Mixed Gas (80m)

Then we have a complete set of Rebreather courses both SCR and CCR including Trimix.

But then we are a Club not a profit making machine.

 

[robandliza]

Thanks guys

 

[danvolker]

I posted this in the Basic Scuba Discussions forum too but as I'm talking Florida I thought I'd post here too

Hi

I'm looking for some advice on getting my son qualified

First some background on me. I'm AOW PADI certified with nitrox thrown in too. I am based in the UK but have no interest in diving in the cold so I do all my diving in Florida wheer we have a house(Kissimmee) and visit there every summer, but I "only" get the last 3 weeks of August due to work committments

My 13 year old son and his friend, who is coming with me when I fly out, have expressed an interest in learning to dive which I am obviously happy about but am a little undecided on how to go about it

I have 3 local scuba clubs which I can take them to, 2 of which are PADI whilst the 3rd is BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club). The timings of the 2 PADI clubs are not ideal in being a little too late in midweek during school time which pretty much counts them out but I'm worried that the BSAC qualification might not be recognised in the US. Anyone have an opinion on that please

My original thinking was do class and enclosed water dives in UK then do the open water dives via referral in the summer but I am very taken by the teaching of the BSAC club in that they include rescue diver and nitrox in the same course but again, will it be recognised when we look to dive in the summer

The other option is to do the whole thing in Florida
We normally visit West Palm Beach for 3-4 nights and I will usually do a couple of days diving with Kevin at Underwater Explorers in Boynton. I would trust him with my and my son's life but I think the dives will be too deep for him in Boynton

Any thoughts are welcome ,especially on the recognition of BSAC certification

Thanks

Rob

I would think the Boynton Beach option with Kevin would be excellent....the majority of the Boynton Reefs have large crown area that is between 37 and 42 feet deep for the very large crown, and the inshore facing ledge drops abruptly to 55. The crown and inshore ledges here, are also very popular with Freedivers ( people just using mask, snorkel and fins that KNOW how to use these

Also....one the crown at a depth of 40 feet, the diver ( your son) would most likely want to swim along at a depth of more like 35 feet deep..or even 30 feet deep----ten feet on top of the bottom allows a long view of a huge area....and satisfies very shallow depth concerns.

 

[heydn62]

I second what Cajun Diva says about Key Largo.Have you considered taking a trip down to the keys? In my opinion, it's the best place in the country to certify children. Shallow reef and easy diving. Lot's of good dive-ops. Rainbow Reef in Key Largo certified my daughter; they're great with kids.

I've also been out with Kevin in Boynton Beach and had some good dives. I'm sure you'd be happy with him as well if you want to stay closer.