Megaladon Tooth Dive for 14 yr old

[LI Diver]

My son has the opportunity to do a shark tooth dive in the Cooper River in July with a group of Boy Scouts and the leaders etc. He has about 30 dives in warm clear caribbean water with minimal thermal protection and little noticable current. I may not be able to accompany him due to work obligations and are a little concerned if it is a good idea. We did one low vis dive together in Curacao after a storm but it was a simple shore dive and we held hands a lot and I navigated. He has not shown any signs of incompetence at all in any dives however he sometimes has to descend slowly (like a minute to get to 25 feet) to get his ears to equalize. Mostly on the first dive or two of a trip. He is also not in the greatest shape. He has no medical conditions but is about 30 lbs.overweight. I have read on here that the Cooper River fossil dive is zero vis and that there can be a considerable current. I have him going to the gym twice a week , he rarely pushes himself enough to really break a sweat but he does have until July to work on this. What do you guy's think??? I know I ultimately have to make the decision on this but any opinions or local knowledge would be greatly appreciated!

PS, He was very psyched to hear about the chance to do this dive and wants to eventually try to get into the Marine Biology field. He also is a sensible young man and when I aired my concerns he was not heart broken but just stated that we could do this at another time.
Ed:huh:

 

[fisherdvm]

I think you are the best judge on the matter. But I feel that you might be imposing too much on the boyscout leader to be in charge.

Decision that a 14 year old can't make is, am I fit for diving. If he has a cold, and doesn't want to miss the dive, the fact that he has problem equalizing on descend will make it worse.

I dove with my 20 yo nephew who had 7 dives, and I would not ever recommend that he dives anywhere unless there was excellent vis, no current, and no waves. He is too immature at 20 to be trusted. But, on the other hand, there are 12 year old who are more responsible and dependable than an adult.

If it were my son, I would tell him NOT to take the dive. I am still contemplating to let my 11 year old son start scuba. He took first aid and CPR and did excellent, probably better than some of the adult who took it before. Your son is probably the same way, smart and responsible.... But I would hate for him to have problems even at 20 ft with 5 ft visibility and a current.

 

[Dv4fun]

I am not sure of the dive , since I have never dove the cooper river. You can search this board for 'Cooper River' and I am sure many hits will come up. It does sound like a dive that requires some self discipline skills and more than likely what will happen 3/4 of the group will descend 10 - 15 ft and then get scared and hit the surface, so you will have 1 group at the surface and maybe 1-2 divers down in the muck. Another option might be a trip to Venice Florida (where I live) it is a very easy beach access good for novice divers and the charters in Venice are good too, theres also Mote Marine Resarch Labratory and is interesting for students. Sorry for not answering your question , but, I always like throwing out options. Thanks and let us know.

 

[Steve50]

Do you know what the ratio will be of scouts to dive leaders, and the qualifications of the leaders?

 

[Drewski]

Based on your profile picture, your son looks a lot like I did at that age. Provided he LIKES the water, I'm thinking he'll be OK.

Why not build him into similar conditions locally? That way he'll know what it's about before the trip...

GOOD LUCK!

 

[james croft]

The times I went on the Cooper river the boat captain told you to roll out of the boat when he got you over the gravel bar he wanted you on. No descent lines. You needed to get to the bottom quick before the current pushes you off target. Poor viz and current could be problematic for any diver not used to those conditions. I've needed a probe to hold myself to the bottom to keep from getting rolled. I have dove with adults there that were not comfortable making some of the dives there. There were some shallower areas around 30 feet that we dove, but some were much deeper.
As a friend described it, the Cooper river can be "ballsy diving." It is not a bad dive for someone who has experienced those conditions before, but I can see why it may not be the best dive for a child that you are not supervising directly.

 

[adurso]

There are some areas of the Cooper that are shallow, and other tributaries where teeth are found that are off the beaten path and shallow. The main diving for teeth in the Cooper River proper involves low viz, high current and proximity to shipping. Find out the EXACT location and the operator information, then judge.

One of my buddies grew up divng the Cooper. I have been there on the main river. I have been told that locals, such as my buddy, know of areas off the main river that lack traffic and current, but are still dark.

Depending on what part of the river your son would be diving would be the criteria to use

 

[DutchDown]

If he said we can do this at another time, that's what I would recommend. I often dive in zero viz with strong currents...but I am 50 years old. First concern is his safety. Keep him alive long enough to gain the skills. The teeth will still be there.

Phil

 

[TrickyRicky]

Hi es601,

The easiest solution to your problem is take the time off work. Your son is only going to be fourteen once. This opportunity will probably help mold your son's character more than your may think, as well as teach him that family comes first. I'm sure the experience that you both share will last a lifetime.

Remember; at work you are only a number, to your son you could be the world!

Hope this helps,

Rick

 

[SparticleBrane]

I wouldn't let him do it.
This sounds like a case right out of a DAN accident report.