Question At what age can a kid start diving

[MB NZ]

Well, boyscouts in reality often face truly dangerous conditions.
When my son was doing a boy scout camp at age of 10, they started in 6 guys in his group.
During one week, 5 of them finished at the hospital: one had broken ribs, one broken teeth, two with severe intestinal diseases and one went literally out of his mind.
My son was the only "survivor" of his sextile group, but went home with a number of minor bruises and with a partial intestinal blockage which required a couple of clismas to be resolved...

Boy scouts or special forces training?

Seriously though, while I wouldn't want kids put in undue danger, we can't wrap them up in cotton wool forever. A little bit of adventure is a good thing!

 

[Angelo Farina]

Boy scouts or special forces training?

Seriously though, while I wouldn't want kids put in undue danger, we can't wrap them up in cotton wool forever. A little bit of adventure is a good thing!

It was labelled as a "survival camp", and it was it, actually!

 

[TMHeimer]

Well, boyscouts in reality often face truly dangerous conditions.
When my son was doing a boy scout camp at age of 10, they started in 6 guys in his group.
During one week, 5 of them finished at the hospital: one had broken ribs, one broken teeth, two with severe intestinal diseases and one went literally out of his mind.
My son was the only "survivor" of his sextile group, but went home with a number of minor bruises and with a partial intestinal blockage which required a couple of clismas to be resolved...

I see what you're saying. What were they doing that caused all this? There can easily be life-threatening situations with many activities. Being underwater adds a different dimension when something goes awry. There may be seconds that determine a fatality.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I see what you're saying. What were they doing that caused all this? There can easily be life-threatening situations with many activities. Being underwater adds a different dimension when something goes awry. There may be seconds that determine a fatality.

They were mostly just playing.
The one with broken ribs did fall from a small tree.
The one with broken teeth did miss a step while running upstair because they were called for dinner.
The intestinal infections were due to drinking milk just milked, without boiling.
And one who went into depression was shocked by the bad luck of his friends, to the point to be sure he was the next one. And he was...
My son was with boy scouts just for 2.5 years, then he gave up.
He was a very prudent boy, to the point of getting a surname of "prudenziolo". He did not like being continuously challenged with risky activities...
However he did gain a good experience with treating abrasions and cuts, how to evacuate in unconfortable places, how to carry a friend with an ankle distortion, how to drink dirty water through an osmotic membrane filter, etc.
Regarding diving, I was much more confident diving with him when he was 10-12 years than with some other diver which I had to dive with, when working as a divemaster.

 

[TMHeimer]

They were mostly just playing.
The one with broken ribs did fall from a small tree.
The one with broken teeth did miss a step while running upstair because they were called for dinner.
The intestinal infections were due to drinking milk just milked, without boiling.
And one who went into depression was shocked by the bad luck of his friends, to the point to be sure he was the next one. And he was...
My son was with boy scouts just for 2.5 years, then he gave up.
He was a very prudent boy, to the point of getting a surname of "prudenziolo". He did not like being continuously challenged with risky activities...
However he did gain a good experience with treating abrasions and cuts, how to evacuate in unconfortable places, how to carry a friend with an ankle distortion, how to drink dirty water through an osmotic membrane filter, etc.
Regarding diving, I was much more confident diving with him when he was 10-12 years than with some other diver which I had to dive with, when working as a divemaster.

That is amazing. 5 in the hospital within one week... What are the chances?

 

[Angelo Farina]

That is amazing. 5 in the hospital within one week... What are the chances?

Very low, luckily, The whole group was made of 5 sextiles (30 boys and girls), and only my son's sextile had such high case fatality ratio. However, almost every other sextile had at least one serious health or safety problem.
One over 6 is quite normal in these "adventure camps", 5 over 6 is definitely a statistical anomaly.

 

[Micko1974]

Depends on the agency. Most diving agencies allow certification from the age of 10 but have experience programmes from the ages of 6 or 8.

 

[undefined]

We waited until our son was 11 to get him OW certified, but I probably would have done so at 10 had it not been for other things (a litter of German Shepherd puppies) getting in the way.

Since certifying, we have gone diving together every week so that he can practice his skills and develop some muscle memory and good habits. He has 27 logged dives now, and will likely end the year with over 50. He'll be doing some additional courses this year, including Peak Performance Buoyancy and U/W photography (having something to do helps one realize how important their buoyancy really is). I plan for him to complete AOW and possibly EFR/Rescue next year after his 12th birthday.

The difference with him as compared to the many adult OW and AOW divers that I see is this is a journey, not a destination. We discuss each dive, he acknowledges when he does something he shouldn't or in a suboptimal manner, and he is constantly improving his diving skills. He didn't get certified so that he could go on honeymoon or on a specific vacation. Certification itself is not the goal, becoming a competent diver is his goal.

I suppose he also benefits from having two parents that are both Master Scuba Divers and are willing and able to take him diving regularly (locally) and schedule dive trips where he can practice what he has learned and expand his skills through progressively more challenging dives.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

When I was teaching and earlier assisting, I had 10 yr olds that I would trust as a buddy more than some adults. I've also seen 14 and 15 yr olds, usually boys just feeling their oats, that I refused to even consider training. No maturity, reckless, and ego driven attitudes that made you want to see them in juvenile detention.
There is more than age and physical size.
Maturity and the ability to follow instructions and seriously understand how easy they could get hurt or die is more important.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @undefined

Where have you dived with your son other than local?

Both my kids got certified at 12, before the age was 10. We have now been diving with our son for 26 years and with out daughter for 21 years. I hope you enjoy diving as a family as much as we do.