Kill My Kid

[cuddlefish]

A couple of things...

First...I know a child who suffered from a lung expansion injury in a pool (4 feet deep). It is one of the shallowest recorded injuries of its kind. The kid's fine...but he did get injured.

Second, there are scuba programs for young kids that take place in the pool. PADI has an excellent Seal Team program (excellent if the dive shop knows what the heck they're doing). They can participate at age 8 and up. I believe SSI's program is called Scuba Rangers.

So there are options for this guy to consider. I personally know tons of kids who have gone through the PADI Seal Team and Master Seal Team program...and by the time they start their open water certification (at age 10), they are better divers than many of the adults I know. (Though, of course, they should be supervised extremely carefully on their dives...duhhh.)

 

[cuddlefish]

I'm reading this and learning, because, we own a inground pool with a 9 foot deep end and I have jumped in with a 12 year old nephew with some of my pool gear on and had him "dive" if you will in the pool. Ear barotrauma not really an issue here because the children play games where they throw objects in the deep end and dive in for them, second, with a 9 foot deep end, what is the risk of an air embolism? I suppose

Ear Barotrauma is certainly an issue. It can happen in shallower water than 9 feet deep.

I do know a child who suffered from a lung overpressurization injury in 4 feet of water. The regulator came out of his mouth and he instinctively held his breath and stood up. He's fine, but he did go to the emergency room.

I would say please be careful. Kids can get hurt in so many ways. If you take a full, deep breath from a reg at nine feet deep and hold your breath to the surface, you certainly risk injury. I'm not trying to preach...just be careful.

 

[Bennero]

Just wanted to point out that this string could not have been posted at a better time for me. My son is 10 and is very interested in getting certified. I am not wanting him to get certified just to have a dive buddy but think it is great fun and something he can do. Plus it may help him appreciate nature, and just learn something new.
We are located in a place that does not have any equipment for children so I am in no rush for this. The instructor is an elementary school teacher that knows my son and is willing to teach him but he and I agreed not to rush into this.
My plan is teach him to snorkel in the pool, then the ocean and then help him study the material. I have spoken to the Aquatics Director and she will let me use the platform so that he will only be in two or three feet of water and he try to take a couple of breaths off my reg.
Then lastly, and this may be in a year, as I am not allowing the class to start until I think he may be ready and comfortable in the snorkeling world. I have to purchase all the equipment he will need. (No rental).
He probably will end up getting certified just a few months before he is 12. I downloaded the Table Tutor program from Scuabatoys.com and he is already soaking that up. When the class starts I will not interfere as he will have to prove himself ready to the instructor.
I agree that we need to watch out for our kids and until they are ready not allow them to be certified.
Sorry for being so wordy and thanks for keeping me in check......

 

[radinator]

Ear barotrauma not really an issue here because the children play games where they throw objects in the deep end and dive in for them, second, with a 9 foot deep end, what is the risk of an air embolism?

Just to answer your question, it is possible to have an embolism in 3-4 feet of depth. Once you have the embolism, the chance of fatality just depends on where the bubble goes (brain, heart, ...)

 

[Bad-Andy]

I'm joining in the minority opinion here. My step-kids are 9 and 12, and they've both been diving with me in our pool. The 9 year old is doing the PADI SEAL team program, and the 12 year old is starting on her Jr Open Water stuff. Neither of them is having any great problems... However, I'm finding that I am FAR more demanding with them then my regular students (adult students, I should say). They not only watch the videos and read the book with me, they are getting some serious one-on-one attention from their instructor. (Mainly because I'm afraid of their Mother's reaction to hurting one of them...) Seriously, though, I have a "non-standard" approach with them. They'll do all the pool stuff with me until I feel confident, not just meeting the minimum standards (my right as a responsible guardian). Then, I'm making them go in the pool with an instructor buddy of mine to double check everything before we even think about open water. Overkill? Probably. But, I think that should be a requirement for all kids (as an added safety catch for the instructor, too).

And, to add insult to injury, my kids do better on the written quizes at 9 and 12 than I did at 27.... :mooner:

The hard part is finding a BC for the 9 year old (he'll be 10 and ready to do some open water by mid-summer). Any one have a good suggestions for a BC for kids? Thanks.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You don't say how tall he is or how much he weighs but a company called seasoft makes a bc that is adjustable for divers from 80 or so pounds to 170. There is also the option if you can find one in xsmall of using a womens bc like the diva. In black of course. Or a DSS singles rig with a small plate and hog harness. Then just replace the webbing as he grows and when ready switch the small plate for a medium or large as dictated by his size.

 

[msg]

I have an eight year old daughter who is dying to go diving with me. The instructors that I assist in their classes have told me and her that she should be atleast 12. I know that I could "teach" her how to dive, but I would not want to take on that type of situation. If anything happened because I failed to remember something or assumed she might understand, I would be mortified. Children do respond differently to others than their parents. For now we wait until she is atleast 12, and hopefully mature enough to dive.
The guidlines are put into place so that the sport remains reasonable safe for all divers. We should be mature enough as adults to understand that. Would you want that 8 year old behind the wheel of an automobile, even though she was "taught" how to drive?

 

[Bad-Andy]

You don't say how tall he is or how much he weighs but a company called seasoft makes a bc that is adjustable for divers from 80 or so pounds to 170.

Jim,

Thanks. That is exactly what I am looking for. I think the SeaSoft SeaLion is perfect for what I want. (It's the first one I've found adjustable enough. As for using XS, that's what we're doing for now, but I'm figuring it won't last more than a year or so, and I have no desire to buy a new BC every 6 months... Thanks again.