kids diving?; need some feedback

[scubajane]

There are probably many threads on this topic but some thoughts would be great......
My son, who is 12, just got his OW certification at a central american dive resort. Talking with his instructor, he aced the PADI exam, is very focused, and according the instructor, one of the few kids that he has felt comfortable with not watching like a hawk...
So what is my issue........
My son is pretty mad at me...I kept him to his limits( which are 40 ft for a Jr Open Water).......The kids he got certified with were at least to 50-60, and he claims he missed(which is true) many of the things that they saw.....I wouldn't let me dive over the walls, nor would I let him chase things he wanted to see....I kept him on a fairly short leash for several dives.......
Frankly, his skills were better than mine on my first post certification dive.....Should I give a 12 year old a little more flxibilitly than I did(hey-I watched a newly certified 11 year old at the same resort chase an eagle ray to 110 ft....or am I on the right path.........Although alll kids are different, what limits do you put on a 12 year old.....

 

[fmw625]

He's YOUR child and I am sure you are concerned for his safety. His limits should be the limits tha YOU are comfortable with. As his experiance, skill level and maturity grow may be then can the limits grow. If you didn't love him or care about him, it wouldn't matter. Hang in there, in a few years he's going to want to drive. Are you just going to turn him alose once he gets his drivers license? Just my $.02.

 

[junior diver]

12 I was allowed to 60ft on Jr OW. Then about 6months later when I was still 12 I took my Jr AOW which let me down to 70ft. The 40ft limit is for divers who are less than 12 years old.

 

[Davidl]

My brother got his OW cert. when he was 11, and has proven to be pretty shart. However he is still a kid (he is 13 now) and sometimes forgets things, like staying near his buddy and such. He has about 25 dives now, and my dad doesnt let him go past the 60-70ft range. I dont really see a whole lot of problem with keeping him on a fairly short leash until you get comfortable with his ability, and he gets more experience. He will probably not be happy about it at first, but I dont think you can be too careful. Sometimes I am amazed by the intelligence and ability of 10-13 year olds, at other times they do things that makes me remember how young they are. And there is less room for those errors kids that young will undoubtibly have under the water.

 

[scubasean]

There are probably many threads on this topic but some thoughts would be great......
My son, who is 12, just got his OW certification at a central american dive resort. Talking with his instructor, he aced the PADI exam, is very focused, and according the instructor, one of the few kids that he has felt comfortable with not watching like a hawk...
So what is my issue........
My son is pretty mad at me...I kept him to his limits( which are 40 ft for a Jr Open Water).......The kids he got certified with were at least to 50-60, and he claims he missed(which is true) many of the things that they saw.....I wouldn't let me dive over the walls, nor would I let him chase things he wanted to see....I kept him on a fairly short leash for several dives.......
Frankly, his skills were better than mine on my first post certification dive.....Should I give a 12 year old a little more flxibilitly than I did(hey-I watched a newly certified 11 year old at the same resort chase an eagle ray to 110 ft....or am I on the right path.........Although alll kids are different, what limits do you put on a 12 year old.....

Well, of course he needed to be with you or another adult, to dive at all, right?

So, he wouldn't be chasing around at things anyway, presumably. Chase a ray to 110? No way...Remember, and he should also remember, that you were his buddy, and he needed to stay with you or another adult. He would not be buddying with other 12 yr olds...Perhaps if you explained that you were relying on him as much as he should rely on you?

You could have gone deeper, but you didn't...I'd rather he be mad at me, than to have had an accident or scared me.

My son was certified at 14, and I allowed him to go with me to 90+ feet doing two exterior wreck dives in San Diego. He did fine, and was frustrated with me about having to stay with me...Oh well...He got over it. And he and I both had a great time.

Now, he is 15, a great diver, and still dives with me. Go figure.

 

[jtivat]

My daughter is 11 and just received her Jr Diver this summer as a Jr. Diver she is only allowed to 40'. I believe the limit for Jr. OW is 60' but that is just what PADI says, if you are not comfortable with deeper then don’t let him. I took my daughter to Gilboa a few weekends ago and she did better than a lot of adults, by the end of our four days there she had her buoyancy down and totally stayed off the bottom. Once everyone left and the vis cleared up on Monday I took her over the top of the tubes and let her stand on the top of them, her computer show 45' max depth which she thought was very cool. However she practically begged to go in the plane and bus but I would not budge as I was not comfortable with her doing that yet. As for as chasing things she is also on a very short leash and she only follows me and stays within 10' or where I can see her depending on if the vis is worse. If she doesn’t like it or complains she can sit out the next dive. I really don't think strict rules for a diver that young is going to kill them, I didn't even dream of doing things like diving at that age.

 

[tracker]

But Dad, Billy's Dad let HIM pet the shark.

 

[pasley]

But Dad, Billy's Dad let HIM pet the shark.

I can not improve on that statement.

effects of depth/pressure on developing bodies, youth, maturity level (now and future, as they tend to get real immature when they hit 13 or 14) are all factors you have to judge for your own child.

Personally, I would not be having this issue as I would not have allowed my child to get certified before they were 16 at least. But that is me.

I would not argue with you keeping him to the established liits of his current certification.

 

[eponym]

Scuba Jane:

The genie's out of the bottle, all right. I'd say set your rules and hold your ground. At the same time, find some ways to make shallow dives fun and challenging. Sounds like your son is up to challenges.

It can be hard to impress upon someone on that age just how much time he has in life to get those peak experiences.* Ask him to go slow, for your own sanity.

I've helped two of my granddaughters (so far) get comfortable snorkeling and occasionally going under the surface on a breath. They're 8 and 12. That's as far as I'm willing to take it. On vacations with them, we all snorkel.

Please understand, I'm not trying to second-guess your decision, but perhaps your son can understand just how few children his age ever get to try what he's done.

Best of luck,
Bryan

* as one comedian observed, "People say life is short. But life isn't short. Life's the longest *amn thing you'll ever do."

 

[ScubaFreak]

ScubaJane,

I agree with Pasley and Tracker. PADI standards and guidelines are there for a reason. Regardless of his skills, the concern may be his resposibility for going past the recommended depths. I understand that he's just discovered a whole new world which is absolutley fantastic for his age, but if you don't keep him on a leash underwater, you may end up in a tricky situation one day. Also, if something happened to him(knock on wood it won't!) because he was past the recommended depths you're putting a dive centre(if you're diving with one) at a great liability risk.

It's just something to think about.

Again, just my 0.02

SF