I need some advice. My 10 year old son Austin was certified last fall. We currently live in Tucson and will be traveling on scuba trips this spring and summer. He has had four dives under a junior cert. He's a great swimmer and very comfortable in the water. Our first trip this year is to the FL Keys. I've been diving for 10+ years however, not in the Keys. I plan on staying in the upper Keys. I need to stay around 40ft. Any advise on dive sites, hotels and diver outfits? Also, I'm not finding many companies that have quality junior equipment. Thanks for your time.
Dad and Son
- Thread starter Shoop
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Not the advice your asking for, but you might want to do a little reseach on children that young diving.
LI Diver
Contributor
I agree with Walter I've been diving with my son since he was 12 and we are very,very conservative. I would consider this a bare minimum although I am no professional.Safety first . And ck out The conch forum for real good local advice in the Key's.
Dive safe, Ed
Dive safe, Ed
dkktsunami
Contributor
Shoop:
If you can stretch your distance a few miles to the middle keys (mm 61) I would recommend Hawk's Cay Resort on Duck Key. This place is not inexpensive, but there is a high quality dive service on the property - Tilden's. Most of the diving is less than
25' and this is a family resort, so they have a lot of experience with children. For most kids 10yrs. is too young, but there are exceptions. Have fun.
usnadiver03
Guest
Geez...nothing like getting advice on how to raise your own kid. I think it is great that you and your son can spend quality time together on something you both enjoy! I believe the majority of the people who condemn younger kids due to safety do it because they do not want to deal with them on dive boats...just my 2cents. Happy diving!
cummings66
Contributor
Having worked with youth of that age, I can say that they're saying what they are because many kids of that age are not mature enough to handle diving. Sure they can perform the skills fine, but they lack the maturity to handle emergencies.
That said, I would not say anything negative about him and his kid diving together because I have seen a few 10 year olds I'd take over a 40 year old any day. Some of them just seem to have the maturity to be able to handle any situation tha comes up, which normally you find in older people.
The issue should be one of maturity and not age, I've seen adults who just can't handle it and kids that can, and the reverse. Naturally, the older you are the more likely you are to be able to handle things...
For me, due to the growth factor of the body I'd keep it shallow and have fun.
That said, I would not say anything negative about him and his kid diving together because I have seen a few 10 year olds I'd take over a 40 year old any day. Some of them just seem to have the maturity to be able to handle any situation tha comes up, which normally you find in older people.
The issue should be one of maturity and not age, I've seen adults who just can't handle it and kids that can, and the reverse. Naturally, the older you are the more likely you are to be able to handle things...
For me, due to the growth factor of the body I'd keep it shallow and have fun.
LI Diver
Contributor
Man you guys are rough! I did not infer anything about child rearing and I agree everyone matures at a different rate. But lately new info has been coming out on the long term effects of diving and I'm not sure but would think for a person who is still developing physically this would be a concern. Again I'm no doctor but I love my kid's as I'm sure we all do.
Shoop:
First a couple of questions m8.......... If your son was certified last fall and hes now 10 how old was he then? What certifying agency is he registered with? If I was you I'd limit the depths, regardless of your own requirements to 12mtr (36ft).
As already mentioned there are new reports on children diving on SCUBA if you want to inform yourself go check out the DAN website http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/......... whatever.............have fun.
miscbadvr
Guest
I have to agree with dkkt.... Tilden's is an excellent operator and the diving in that area is mostly in the 23-30' range. So if your interested in the middle keys ck them out. There is also the Thunderbolt Wreck in 115' if dad is looking for something deeper for himself.
ShoalDiverSA
Contributor
This is turning into a hijack, but I thought it may be instructive to post a link to this thread.
I hope you and your son have a great time on your trip! I got things the other way round and got my DAD hooked on diving. Now he's dived way more than me, has certified as a DM and has dived (two trips) in the Red Sea. In fact, he is probably diving with Whale Sharks and Manta Rays in Guinjata Bay as I type this from my desk. Bah, humbug!
Cheers,
Andrew
I hope you and your son have a great time on your trip! I got things the other way round and got my DAD hooked on diving. Now he's dived way more than me, has certified as a DM and has dived (two trips) in the Red Sea. In fact, he is probably diving with Whale Sharks and Manta Rays in Guinjata Bay as I type this from my desk. Bah, humbug!
Cheers,
Andrew
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