Junior OW - depth limit for 13 year old?

[webbah]

Hi all - my wife and daughter (she's 13) are finally doing their open water dives this weekend but was surprised to hear the instructor say tonight that my daughter would only be allowed to go to 40'. Is that true? I thought that was only the case for the 10-11 year olds. I did a search and couldn't get a definitive answer. I'm not saying force it - cause she's a fish and I wouldn't be nervous about her at 60' unless there are health concerns for a 13 year old at that depth?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Jim

 

[chrispete]

I think the major concern with younger divers is the effect of nitrogen bubbles on a person while they are still in their growth stages. You might want to post in the Dr. Deco forum and let him explain it in depth.

 

[garyfotodiver]

I think the major concern with younger divers is the effect of nitrogen bubbles on a person while they are still in their growth stages. You might want to post in the Dr. Deco forum and let him explain it in depth.

Or you might do a search on this subject. It has been discussed in depth before.

My daughter's PADI instructor took her to 70 feet on her third checkout dive. She was 12 at the time.

 

[xSandman3]

I thought that was only the case for the 10-11 year olds.

If you are talking PADI, this is correct. It is 60' for 12-15 year olds.

 

[DeputyDan]

10 and 11 is to 40'

12 to 14 is to 60'

Jr. AOW is to 70'

Age 15 is the same as adults (for the level of certification).

There are no dive police. My last trip to Bonaire we met a family with an 11 and 12 year old that was finishing their dive at the same time we did - their dive was to 107 '
ours was to 55'

Also, most instructors don't know the depths allowed. When doing our AOW in Hawaii our navigation dive with my 13 year old was at 87' we had not done the deep dive yet. The instructor was clueless that there were any limits based on age at all.

 

[espenskogen]

10 and 11 is to 40'

12 to 14 is to 60'

Jr. AOW is to 70'

Age 15 is the same as adults (for the level of certification).

There are no dive police. My last trip to Bonaire we met a family with an 11 and 12 year old that was finishing their dive at the same time we did - their dive was to 107 '
ours was to 55'

Also, most instructors don't know the depths allowed. When doing our AOW in Hawaii our navigation dive with my 13 year old was at 87' we had not done the deep dive yet. The instructor was clueless that there were any limits based on age at all.

I might be wrong about this, but I seem to remember that Junior OpenWater divers are limited to 12 meters until they're 15 - Full stop.
If you're under 12, you can only dive with a Padi dive professional, or your parents. As a Junior Advanced, you can dive to 21 meters.

I'm not 100% sure about this - Will check the instructor manual this evening - But I have a strong suspicion this is the case.

E

 

[elcameroon]

According to PADI's 2006 Instructor Manual (and I believe this hasn't been changed in a while) - here are the limitations for OPW dives 1-4.

"Site, Depths and Hours
You must conduct the Open Water Dives at a dive site with conditions and environment suitable for beginning divers. The maximum planned depth for Open Water Dives 1 and 2 must not exceed 12 metres/40 feet. The maximum planned depth for Open Water Dives 3 and 4 must not exceed 18 metres/60 feet (12 metres/40 feet for 10 and 11-year-old Junior Divers). All dives for the Open Water Diver and Scuba Diver
courses must take place during daylight hours." - PADI Instructor Manual 2006 (Open Water Instructor Guide 4-5)

So technically anybody doing Open Water dive 1 or 2 in the PADI system should be limited to 40' or less. Then during dives 3 and 4 it may be extended to 60'. For 10-11 year olds their 3rd and 4th dives are still limited to 12m/40'.

Hope this helps. I would try and stick to those guidelines especially until your wife and daughter have a little more experience diving. Then they'll be able to make their own decisions about where and how deep to dive.

 

[ontario-diver]

This is true, however, his daughter in question is 13 yrs old

According to PADI's 2006 Instructor Manual (and I believe this hasn't been changed in a while) - here are the limitations for OPW dives 1-4.

"Site, Depths and Hours
You must conduct the Open Water Dives at a dive site with conditions and environment suitable for beginning divers. The maximum planned depth for Open Water Dives 1 and 2 must not exceed 12 metres/40 feet. The maximum planned depth for Open Water Dives 3 and 4 must not exceed 18 metres/60 feet (12 metres/40 feet for 10 and 11-year-old Junior Divers). All dives for the Open Water Diver and Scuba Diver
courses must take place during daylight hours." - PADI Instructor Manual 2006 (Open Water Instructor Guide 4-5)

So technically anybody doing Open Water dive 1 or 2 in the PADI system should be limited to 40' or less. Then during dives 3 and 4 it may be extended to 60'. For 10-11 year olds their 3rd and 4th dives are still limited to 12m/40'.

Hope this helps. I would try and stick to those guidelines especially until your wife and daughter have a little more experience diving. Then they'll be able to make their own decisions about where and how deep to dive.

 

[elcameroon]

Yes - his daughter is 13. But if you read carefully the depth limits (just for PADI Open Water Dives - obviously not the only certifying organization in the world) are 40' for dives 1 and 2. And 60' for dives 3 and 4. Those are the limits for EVERYBODY!! no matter what their age. There are additional restrictions for 10-11 year olds.

Whether or not all PADI instructors follow those guidelines isn't something I can vouch for - just that those are the standards I teach to when I certify Open Water Divers.

 

[garyfotodiver]

OK, I am going to pontificate here for a bit. The question of children diving has been discussed here several times already. Some of the issues are:

Depth limits – The agency rules are their rules. As has been mentioned many times, there are no SCUBA police, at least not yet here in the USA. When my 12-year old daughter did her checkout dives, she did them in Florida on two of the boats that I dive from. So the instructor took her in current, he took her on a wreck, he took her to 70 ft., and he made her do EVERYTHING herself. I knew about it and I approved. My daughter had to dive in the conditions where I dive.

Maturity – This is an issue that parents must decide for themselves. In my home, the rule is no diving until the age of 12. It is my rule and I enforce it. My decision. In Illinois where I live, a kid can get a drivers license at 16. I won’t sign the papers. I believe most 16 year olds are too young for the responsibility of driving. I want my children to have a lot of experience behind the wheel with me or with my wife before I let them on the road by themselves.

Effects on adolescent growth – There are no studies that I know of, no statistics, so again this is a parental call. My decision is that it is all right for my teenagers to do occasional recreational dives when we are vacationing in Florida. I would even take them to some of the lakes and quarries here in the Chicagoland area. If they wanted, we’d do a shallow wreck dive in Lake Michigan. Doing 100+ dives a year… probably not.

Some people might not agree with what I have written here; that’s too bad. It’s a free country and everyone is entitled to an opinion. I have given the matter plenty of thought. My children are MY responsibility, not yours. I helped bring them into the world, I have raised them, educated them, and I intend to ensure that they are healthy, happy, productive, and responsible human beings and citizens of the world.

End of Rant