robh:
Does anyone have a recommendation on a good kids (10YO) scuba program in Orange County? My son has expressed a lot of interest in diving, but I don't want to just put him through a 4 day training machine. I want him to be able to spend plenty of pool time getting used to the equipment. Lots of places are willing to train him, but I was surprised to see how short the certification courses are now. I'm open to private instruction as well.
Regards,
Rob
You will likely hear from others on here that, while the agencies allow for 10 year olds to be certified, IHHO it is the
exceptional sub-15 year-old who is ready for SCUBA. I certified my 12-year old a few years back, but because
only I knew I would be there to watch him like a hawk and he largely addressed the following issues
- physical size and stamina
- maturity to be a good diver.
- presence of mind in 'tough' situations
Physical size and stamina come into play in SoCal on a number of fronts. First of all, rental suits generally don't fit kids all that well and then get cold fast. Secondly. we have lots of stairs and he will likely be carrying a fair amount of weight up/down the stairs. A rule we used is if you can't carry your own gear, you aren't ready to dive..
Maturity and responsiblity to be a good diver is pretty obvious. When my youngest was 12, my eldest was 15. My 15-year old sticks to me like glue during a dive and checks his guages often. My 12-year old had a tendency to focus intently on whatever critter he was checking out and 'forget' to check where I was. I simply modified my approach to always follow him and ask him very often about his remaining air and depth.
Presence of mind is a tough one to judge. How will the youth respond in a panic situation. I really didn't have a
strong idea how he would respond other than knowing he isn't one to 'freak out'. Again, I modified my dive habits to focus on him always looking for telltale signs that something might be wrong and anticipating and preventing any issues before they become problems -- honestly, this took away some of the 'fun' for me, however, the knowledge that he was experiencing things most others don't was reward enough.
All that being said, I have
never met a 10-year old that I would certify...but maybe your son is different. I would suggest getting him used to the ocean through snorkeling until he is
ready.
Assuming you are intent upon certifying him, the I believe your
only choice is private instruction. As a generalization, he will need
- More frequent, shorter academic sessions due to a shorter attention span
- even if he is very comfortable in the water, he will require (and you will want) slow and repetitive skill instruction/practice. Whereas most group classes do 3-4 sessions of 2-3 hours each, I would suggest you plan on doubling the number of sessions with shorter durations
- Most group classes do 2 ocean dives per day for 2 days, he will likely only want to do 1 dive/day due to the cold and fatigue
This obviously means a longer time commitment on the part of the Instructor and you and your son. I defintely recommend his own wetsuit, otherwise he will be miserable. All of this means more bucks as well.
In selecting an Instructor, I would have an honest conversation with the Instructor. If he/she doesn't express any concerns about certifying a 10-year old -- run (don't walk) away quickly. I would ask how many 10-14 year old he/she has certified? What was the mix of male/female (males typically being more immature). How will your son's instruction differ from adult level instruction?
If after all of that you both come to an agreement that your son is ready for the instruction, please remember that there is no guarantee that he will get certified (you don't want him in the water if he isn't ready) nor is there any guarantee that he will enjoy diving -- both of my boys (now 15 and 17) are predominantly warm-water divers (the 17 year old will dive locally with me if his schedule permits).
