Kids & Scuba

[rx7diver]

All,

I thought I would share some vacation photos of my nine-year-old twins scuba diving in their grandparents' backyard pool. This is my children's second summer vacation breathing off scuba; their first was last summer. This year they used an Al 80 (mounted on a plastic backpack) and my favorite regulator, my venerable Scubapro Mk 10-plus + D400. This year they spent quite a bit of time practicing regulator recoveries and (my 11-year-old) back roll entries.

I can't possibly convey how much fun these scuba sessions are for the four of us!

I took the photos with my Nikonos V + 15mm U/W Nikkor, using Fuji Superia X-tra 400 film (pushed to ISO 800) and natural light (late morning August Texas sunlight). Auto-exposed at f/8.

Enjoy, and Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Good times. Think about investing in a 30 or 50 cu ft tank before they get involved in a serious way. And remember, safety first. Even playing in a pool in a discover scuba type setting, they need to be taught basic safety of no breath holding, slow ascents, and the like.
DivemasterDennis

 

[rx7diver]

Good points, DD. I'm teaching them gradually, using, essentially, the same no-nonsense approach I was taught with, essentially the same approach we continued to use when I TA-ed for my Univ scuba program for several semesters over several years. Look closely, for example, and you will see my daughter bubbling (to keep her airway open) while she is recovering her 2nd stage.

Last year we used an Al 63, which proved a bit too large for my then eight-year-old twins. This year an Al 63 would probably have been perfect for the twins, but there was none available. The Al 80 was absolutely no problem, though, for my 11-year-old, who stand almost 5'5" (!!).

Safe Diving,

rx7diver