diving at age 10 ?

[The Iceni]

A very interesting read from Larry Taylor which has caused me to think a bit more about what happened to me.

Accidents do happen and are often totally unexpected.

He quotes Dr Jim Caruso, DAN Fatalities consultant,

"I have covered too many father-child double fatalities to buy into decreasing the age of scuba training."

If I was diving with a ten-year-old child of mine when I had my accident I fear we would have both died. If my child had survived but I had not because he could not rescue me (whether it be size and strength or a lack of an appropriate response) it would have destroyed his life in any case.

"I could not save my dad. I stayed with him as long as I could and really tried to get him to the surface. I killed him!".

To me it would seem that even buddying a competant adult diver is perhaps far too much of a responsibility to put on a child.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Dr Paul Thomas,

I am, as most here know, not a doctor, or a mental health care pro of any kind. I am a dive instructor and dive shop owner though. With some of the things I see in the water I sometimes think it is irresponsible of me to hand out any more certifications to anyone. Business has been very slow lately and we need students badly. We don't have a set policy on the age of students beyond what's dictated in the training standards. I reserve the right to decide whether or not to accept a student on a case by case basis. Yet I haven't yet accepted anyone under 12 and I think my yongest student student has been more like 14. In many cases turning down a child student doesn't just mean turning away that student alone but rather the entire family.

Training standards for some agencies allow a child of ten to dive under the supervision of a dive pro OR a PARANT (even one who is a new diver). It's the blind leading the blind as far as I can tell. the industry didn't ask for my opinion and neither do the gardians of these child divers but that doesn't mean you will find my name on any of their cards.

 

[The Iceni]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
I reserve the right to decide whether or not to accept a student on a case by case basis. Yet I haven't yet accepted anyone under 12 and I think my yongest student student has been more like 14. In many cases turning down a child student doesn't just mean turning away that student alone but rather the entire family.

Dear Scubaboarders,

High professional standards have a cost. In my opinion it is entirely wrong that the professionals themselves should bear this cost.

Sadly, this is the world in which we live.

(Please note I do not know Mike F. I am not a diving instructor but I am a professional. I have turned away whole families in similar circumstances and had to carry the financial consequences. )

The highest of standards do not come cheaply.:doctor:

reubencahn once bubbled...
Attached is an article I was directed to after my 10 year old had already begun his certification course.

Kids & diving

It certainly gave me pause.

Hi reubencahn,

My apologies for pinching your link in my last post. Welcome aboard. Hope to hear from you often and all goes well.

Regards

 

[Genesis]

But this does not necessarily mean that such standards fit all.

After all, that's why they are called "standards"!

With that said, I applaud anyone who sets standards based on their own view of the world and sticks with their guns, even and especially when it costs them business.

That does not necessarily mean that I will agree with someone's analysis, however

 

[Doppler]

Arrr! When I wuz a young 'un, the cap'an threw all us cab'n boys in th'water e'eryday at sunup and made us wash 'e barnicles off the Ol' Salty Dog -- an' never a pr'ttier brig e'er set a shread o' canvas, no. An' we 'and only one tank o'oily air a'tween us... all 17 o'us shar'ng the same reg'ulator. Them was a' days... made men o' us... well, some o' us. The rest be rest'ng now in Dav'y Jones locker, they be. Arrr! Shiver me timbers. Learning th'youngsters t'dive at 10 years, eh? Serve 'em right, Arrrr!


W'at be ye grinn'ng at?! Arrrrrrr!

 

[luft]

My 12 year old dive buddy on the wreck of the Alice G. in Tobermory, Hunter Roote!

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