Help for 13yr old son

[Shaka Doug]

Aloha Todd,

I used to live in St. Thomas and have experience with probably ten thousand or more "Intro" divers there. If you have the time, you and your son should seek out the OW class together at home. If you find that there isn't enough time for that before the cruise, try to visit my friend at Coki Beach on St. Thomas. It's a fantastic place to dive. Tons to see, shallow, clear, etc. You could try a refresher/intro dive with "Coki Pete" (he's on the web and has a place called Coki Beach Dive Club) and he would show you guys a fun and safe time. He has about twenty years experience with cruise ship divers. Maybe you could break out your dive text book for some reading material for the plane ride from Utah. Your son could look it over and you both could pre-prepare for the dives that way. Have fun and say hi to all the fishes for me!

Aloha!

 

[GrierHPharmD]

I nwouldn't snorkel with a BC, Grier. At least not my bulky one. Horse Collars are about $30, and double as good SI pillows.

Well, did I mention that it had a little Aluminum 63 attached? (Just in case we saw something interesting...)

And yes, the yellow horsecollars are what the kids use.

-G

 

[Scuba_Dad]

Grier hit a lot of excellent points that I continue to preach to parents. I have a 15, 13 and 10 year old. I realized on my first dive with my 15 year old (he was 12 at the time) that when I was buddied up with him, I was diving alone. Diving with my 13 year old (when she was 10) presented itself with some unique challenges. A 10 year old is very unpredictable. Fortunately, I was a DM at the time, and I was able to react to her faux pas without panicking. An OW parent might have panicked. Now, I'm teaching my 10 year old. He's a good little diver, but he's not the fish my daughter is. So, I need to watch him even closer.

So, when I dive with my kids, I dive with groups. Fortunately, I usually have other instructors in the water with me. It makes it a bit easier.

I do have to say, diving with my kids is a lot of fun, and teaching them is extremely rewarding. Every trip in the water is a training session.

Al