Question At what age can a kid start diving

[jonhall]

No two kids are the same.

Exactly.

We had our granddaughter, who has been in water since she was born, do "Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth" (S.A.S.Y.) last year when she was 7. The experience - snorkeling with a bc, reg, and air tank - is for age 5+. This year she can do the Bubble Makers which is for age 8+ - which will allows one to dive up to 6 ft. underwater. If she likes the experience, I'll get her a bc/reg and tank to use in our pool. Her father, my son, took the OW course along with my wife and I when he was 11 - at the time you were supposed to be 12, but he was going to be a month away from his 12th birthday when we did our check out dives in Grand Cayman. On the last checkout dive, he couldn't equalize to go down, didn't want to try again later, and he never got certified. He now thinks he may want to try again as his daughter gets older.

 

[Belzelbub]

A matter of what they'd do in an emergency.

That’s a fair point. Really, a fair point at any age.

When my oldest was doing her checkouts, I was asking myself that same question. I was watching the class do regulator retrieval drills, and wondering if she would really be able to handle that in an emergency. I noted it as something to practice in the future.

I didn’t have to wait long to get an answer. The next day, during another checkout dive, another student accidentally knocked her regulator out of her mouth. It went into free flow behind her. She was in no danger as I was right behind her. It took every ounce of my willpower to fight my instincts to help her. I wanted to see how she would handle this.

She did the arm sweep, but it was just out of reach. She then grabbed her alternate, cleared and resumed breathing. Having seen what I wanted, I assister her with getting control of her primary, and she switched back. IMO, this young diver with 2 non-pool dives under her belt handled that better than many divers regardless of age.

Now, I will say that she was probably not typical. She’d been in and around water all her life. Very comfortable in the water. That, I think is a big part of the decision.

A ten year old who recently learned to swim is very different from a 10 year old that has been swimming for 9 1/2 years.

 

[TMHeimer]

That’s a fair point. Really, a fair point at any age.

When my oldest was doing her checkouts, I was asking myself that same question. I was watching the class do regulator retrieval drills, and wondering if she would really be able to handle that in an emergency. I noted it as something to practice in the future.

I didn’t have to wait long to get an answer. The next day, during another checkout dive, another student accidentally knocked her regulator out of her mouth. It went into free flow behind her. She was in no danger as I was right behind her. It took every ounce of my willpower to fight my instincts to help her. I wanted to see how she would handle this.

She did the arm sweep, but it was just out of reach. She then grabbed her alternate, cleared and resumed breathing. Having seen what I wanted, I assister her with getting control of her primary, and she switched back. IMO, this young diver with 2 non-pool dives under her belt handled that better than many divers regardless of age.

Now, I will say that she was probably not typical. She’d been in and around water all her life. Very comfortable in the water. That, I think is a big part of the decision.

A ten year old who recently learned to swim is very different from a 10 year old that has been swimming for 9 1/2 years.

Yes, of course there are rare exceptions. The points often made about some older people being more prone to panic than the odd very young one may be true. I'm not really sure a lost reg is a major panic situation, but she did respond terrifically (especially about grabbing her own octo, something I wish I had seem mentioned more often in the OW courses I assisted on). Having said that, if I am in serious trouble, I'll take the 15 year old buddy for help over the 10 year old every time. Of course, the 35 year old could do me more harm than either given the right person. My beef with the 10-13 year olds getting certified has to do with brain development. I can't recall the details from my Education classes 50 years ago, but I know it has much to do with cognitive function vs. abstract function. That equates to 10 year old vs. 15. And I can say that I saw that in pretty much every 11/12 year old I taught over 19 years.
Now, I've been replying this way on this topic for quite a few years and admit I am not a real expert on human brain development-- I was a Band teacher. One of the most mature students I had at age 11 was my step daughter, and I would not at all have wanted to see her on scuba back then. My other thought on this is -- why take risks like that when there is a lifetime ahead of them to be diving? I am always amazed to read of parent & 12 year old child getting certified together and then right away teaming up as buddies. What if dad drowns after kid can't mentally or physically save him....

 

[Bubblesong]

I gave both kids scuba “try out” parties that our local dive shop runs at local swimming pool. (Quietist kids party i ever attended. )
My son said no more diving after that, but daughter asked to get certified at 12, and kept asking for classes and training.
So basically, I let the kids lead and did not push. It did break my heart my son did not love it, but on Caribbean trips I dive with daughter and hike with son.

 

[Belzelbub]

Having said that, if I am in serious trouble, I'll take the 15 year old buddy for help over the 10 year old every time. Of course, the 35 year old could do me more harm than either given the right person.

I agree with that completely, and our dives until they got to be 14 or 15 were very mild. I know that’s no guarantee that nothing will happen, but certainly limits some of the risks.

So basically, I let the kids lead and did not push. It did break my heart my son did not love it, but on Caribbean trips I dive with daughter and hike with son.

Yeah. That’s important. My oldest daughter set her sights on diving by 5 years old and never wavered. The younger one was not quite so enthusiastic, but still definitely wanted to pursue it.

 

[USdiver1]

Situational awareness and mental maturity are key factors in determining at what age someone is ready to learn to scuba dive [I have seen twelve-year-olds who were ready and twenty-year-olds who weren't]. Personally, I, my wife and our children all learned to dive and were certified as teenagers. If you are the child's parent, you should know their level of mental maturity and be able to judge when they can begin to learn to dive.

Physiological concerns such as the effects of pressure and gas absorption on tissue in growing bodies generally limits the depth and bottom times recommended for the young. I would not allow my children to partake in decompression dives until after they finish growing.

Remember, scuba diving has only been a sport for +/- 70 years, there are still many unknowns.

 

[TMHeimer]

I figure those of us replying here, myself obviously included, are not experts. I believe there is confusion between "mental maturity" and brain development (concrete vs. abstract). Perhaps someone who IS an expert (holding a degree, etc.) can help us out here? If there is such a member, what do you think about a "safe" age to begin diving?

 

[rx7diver]

... Physiological concerns such as the effects of pressure and gas absorption on tissue in growing bodies ...

I remember reading a couple of DAN articles about this a while ago. I wouldn't have let my children do any real diving when they were very young (say, mid-teenage years and younger). I wouldn't have chanced the physiological unknowns.

rx7diver

 

[shark_za]

My girls did CMAS Junior 1* at 12 and 14 respectivly, they had to then dive with a parent. At 14-16 they became full 1* certified and can dive without us now.
I think that is pretty reasonable, they both play waterpolo and are pretty comfortable in water.
I dont think I would like a 10 year old to plan their own dives.

 

[johndiver999]

Letting a 10-yr old plan their dive would be a wonderful exercise and enhance the child's confidence and skills!

Of course an adult would need to review the plan and presumably supervise the dive, but the child SHOULD be able to formulate a mental model of the dive, define all the important parameters, objectives and goals. If a young child could NOT do that (to a considerable degree on an independent basis), then I would probably not dive with them - but I might suggest an alternative dive site that was simpler and more within their grasp.

I personally think 13 yrs old is a more reasonable age, primarily because of physical strength, size etc., but the reality of the situation is that 8 yr old kids can manage all kinds of dangerous activities like riding skateboards, bikes, skiing and a ton of other stuff that many adults would struggle with.