Help me pick a regulator set for my 11 year old son, please

[DiveProKoko]

I'm sure the OP has made a decision by this point (Aug post). But in the off chance you haven't, you might consider the Aqualung Mikron. It's very small and light weight, which would be great for an 11 year old. Fits his dive profile (warm water, travel, etc.) and will easily last him through his teen years. It's also avail for about $299 right now from a lot of places. I have one for travel and warm water diving and it's a great little reg. And with a new reg, you get the service warranty, etc.

 

[BoltSnap]

Sold! - Scubapro MK25EVO with S620Ti BRAND NEW

For sale: Scubapro MK25 EVO DIN first stage with S620 Titanium 2nd stage In original box. Brand new. Never used. Includes new Highland Delrin DIN cap. $750.00 OBO plus shipping. (This sells for $1,175.00).

scubaboard.com

OMG, that's almost a give away considering the retail price and the quality of the regulator. You also get free service kit and free shipping, WOW.

 

[Vinc 878]

Good afternoon, I would do it more simple, young guy have probably a small mouth, I will recommend you to check the smallest regulator, I think Mares do a small one, very streamlined, for a small mouths with a moderate weight Mares SXS 62X, or Aqualung micron...

 

[p_kos]

I have used, love, and recommend the Atomic Z2 regs for single tank. I think they are about the best value on the market among top quality, name brand, mainstream regulators for single tank use.

I use 7' hoses on my back mount doubles regs, my side mount regs, and my CCR bail out reg.

I do not use nor recommend a "long hose" on a single tank reg set. There is just no particularly good reason to have it and it just (slightly) complicates diving in single tank.

I have watched too many tech students struggle just trying to remember the correct way to make the loop that goes around their neck. Too many long hoses that have "escaped" from being tucked behind a waist belt or looped under something on the belt and are just floating up around the diver.

Thus, I would suggest a 22 - 24" hose for his primary and a 36 - 40" hose for his secondary. But that's just me.

Long hose streamlines the OW config nicely and primary donate has advantages. It’s use is easily taught to OW divers as per Dan’s Dive Shop which consistently pumps out OW students with tech-level trim, buoyancy and OOG primary donation skills. But we digress, .

 

[Troglodyti 4.0]

Avoid tantrums

Tantrums are often caused by a lack of control. It’s a natural human desire to want to feel in control. As adults, we often fail to recognize that children also need to feel in control. Tantrums do not happen for silly reasons like cutting a sandwich in squares rather than triangles, but because of an underlying feeling of a lack of power. It is important to allow your little one to feel in control whenever possible in order to avoid tantrums. I always tell parents the best way to avoid tantrums and be in control of your child is to make the child feel powerful. You have power when your child feels powerful.

Build confidence

Decision-making is an important aspect of building confidence. When your little one makes a decision and it goes well, they are going to feel proud and this is going to help build confidence and continue to build positive decision-making skills through adolescence and adulthood.

Cultivate a sense of value

In my opinion, one of the most important (and often overlooked) aspects of parenting is making your child feel valued. Children are often more creative and perceptive than adults. A child’s choice has as much value as an adult’s, and we want to make sure that our children know that we recognize that and acknowledge the value that they add to the family. Recognizing their small choices is an easy way to empower our children and acknowledge their worth.

Teach responsibility

Life is defined by the choices we make, and it’s important that we equip our children by teaching decision-making skills starting at a young age by building small choices into the daily routine, you are teaching your child to be an active part of the decision-making process and allowing them to learn to manage both decisions and their outcomes (whether those outcomes are desired or not).

Foster creativity

When we make every decision for our children, we don’t allow them the opportunity to use their creativity and develop abstract thinking. Let’s face it, as adults we are often rigid and not nearly as creative as our kids. We want to foster their creative thinking rather than shutting it down by being authoritative.

Develop problem-solving skills

Not all decisions your child makes will have a positive outcome, and when a decision comes with an undesired response, your child will learn to problem solve through the decision and make a better decision next time. If your little one decides to wear their favorite dress shoes to the muddy park and they get ruined, they will remember that the next time and make a different decision. Remember mamas, as parents, it’s our job to develop our little humans into empathetic, strong and responsible adults. The best way to do that is to give them the space they need to be creative, develop confidence and feel in control of their own body from a young age. Small choices can go a long way—so go for it and allow your little one to start choosing. Providing young children opportunities to use their voice, make decisions, develop ownership, and solve problems are great ways to bond with them too.

Giving kids a say also: Builds respect, Strengthens community, Invites cooperation, Develops problem-solving skills, Capitalizes on kids’ normal human need for power and control.

Avoid overwhelming them: Kids want and expect their parents to provide structure and make key family decisions. It helps them feel safe. While it’s great to give kids a say in things, too many or too big of a choice can overwhelm them or put too much pressure on them.

 

[hefley343]

I've read several dozen threads on regulators and I'm still uncertain the best course of action, so I burden you with one more thread on the subject.

Background: My son has waited his entire short life to get into diving. His mother and I were very active divers before he was born, but we took a break from diving until he was old enough. He was certified last month in Maui, and we have been diving local quarries once per week since returning. We plan to resume our pre-parenthood dive schedule of 3 - 4 dive trips per year, and he is 100% over the moon about diving.

Type of diving: There will be ZERO true cold water dives. My opinion of what counts as cold water is pretty much "anything under 70F". Our diving, historically, has basically been a blend of 3 different locales - quarries in the southeastern United States, wreck dives off the coast of Florida, and the vast majority of our diving has been tropical (Caribbean and Hawaii). If the water is cold enough to need to pull out my 7mm, I'm more likely to spend the day sitting in a hunting blind rather than diving. Given my son's age, it will be some time before he could seriously consider tec diving.

What gear we already use: I'm trying to kit him out with quality gear that will last many years to come. As of last weekend, he is diving with his own Halcyon Infinity BP/W, Hollis F1 fins, 5mm Bare ultrawarmth boots, and a Tusa mask. He's using my old Oceanic VT3 computer, and we will move the transmitter from my reg set to his so he can go air integrated once he has his own rig.

What I'm looking for: He has expressed interest in buying his own regulator set, but I don't think he has enough funds to cover the cost of one and I really don't mind buying gear for him. Either way, he's a bit more price sensitive than I am. I want to get him a quality set that will last him decades. He does want to dive long hose (like I do), but I'm a bit uncertain if I should get him a 5ft or 7ft long hose, as he's only about 5ft tall right now. I'm looking for a 1st & 2nd stage, backup 2nd stage (short hose w/ bungee), and an SPG.

Brand preference: I'm a bit unhappy with our Oceanic 1st stages that my wife and I dive with right now. Both have had failures (after being serviced) leading to excessive IP causing the octo to free flow. One is at the shop right now waiting on a new seat, the other will be dropped off this week for similar repair/rebuild.

I would always recommend an adjustment knob on your second stage if possible. You leave it open all the time, there's no need to make it more difficult to breath, but as the seat in the regulator wears over time, normal wear since last service or maybe it got pushed a little past it's service date, you can tighten the knob a little to finish a couple dives before you get in to service it again.
If you do have a knob, always store the regulator with the knob all the way out, that lessens the seat pushing against the orifice and will prolong it's life.
I would also suggest getting a regulator that has at the least a balanced 1st or 2nd stage, should even out breathing resistance throughout the dive.
I used to always carry a jug of fresh water with me just to rinse of my regulators before taking them off the tank after a dive too, get the salt off immediately then soak when home and they will last a very long time.