Minimum Age Requirments

[kent_1848]

Most agencies won't put children younger than 12 on SCUBA and even then most children that age are not mature enough to dive safely.

PADI & SSI will. If they didn't think it was safe, they wouldn't have the course. Also, children in SEAL & RANGERS, from age 8 are on SCUBA!

I urge parents not to allow your children on SCUBA until they are mature enough to handle life and death decisions.

Just wondering how your dive shop decides who is mature enough for these "life and death decisions." Do you have a maturity test that you give out, or is age just good enough for you? I was under the impression that is why we took the classes was to train for those possibilities. I know plenty of adults that aren't mature enough to dive safely, yet somehow they are certified. As far as life and death, I don't think we are talking decisions here, we are talking training. I've seen divers shoot to the surface when they couldn't clear their masks.

Getting them on SCUBA a few years earlier isn't worth the risk.

Couldn't agree more, that's why we waited until he was 9 before he started

 

[Walter]

PADI & SSI will. If they didn't think it was safe, they wouldn't have the course.

True. OTOH, the vast majority of agencies don't think it's safe and don't have the course for those under 12. Prior to 1986, PADI had no minimum age requirements at all. I've personally seen a 7 year old certified PADI Junior Open Water. I wouldn't let PADI, or anyone else, make decisions on what is or isn't safe for my child.

Also, children in SEAL & RANGERS, from age 8 are on SCUBA!

I know. It scares the hell out of me.

Just wondering how your dive shop decides who is mature enough for these "life and death decisions." Do you have a maturity test that you give out, or is age just good enough for you?

I quit teaching at shops in the '80's. I now teach strickly as an independent. Shops apply pressure to cut corners, increase class size, get it over more quickly. Bad ideas for training, great ideas for increasing sales. Ethics prohibit me from going along. There's no maturity test, although the concept is a good one if someone could devise it. I have a long conversation with the parents about the inherent risks of diving, about the unknown factors with regard to children in diving and if they still want to go through with it, I have a talk with the child. I reserve the option to drop the child from the class at any time and it is a requirement that one (or both) parent(s) either take the class with the child or audit it. No parent = no child.

I know plenty of adults that aren't mature enough to dive safely, yet somehow they are certified.

I've seen plenty of folks who haven't learned the necessary skills to dive safely, yet they are certified. It doesn't make it right, but more are certified every day. Unless they demonstrate a safe, mature attitude during the class, they won't get a card from me.

As far as life and death, I don't think we are talking decisions here, we are talking training. I've seen divers shoot to the surface when they couldn't clear their masks.

Yes, we are talking decisions. Training, of course, comes into play - a great deal, but that doesn't negate the need for the ability to make decisions.

Couldn't agree more, that's why we waited until he was 9 before he started

Your child, your decision. It's not one I would make and for the sake of you and your family, I pray you never regret that decision. Good luck.

 

[StSomewhere]

Its the attitude, more than the age.

When I did my open water checkout dives we had a young family in our group and since I was, ahem, older and the family had fewer adults vs. kids being certified, I was buddied up with a 13 year old boy while an 11 year old girl was buddied up with her father and a 12 year old boy was buddied up with his uncle.

The 11 year old girl and 12 year old boy were both safety oriented, could do their skills, were aware at all times of what was being asked of them, and followed directions. Exactly the attitude you'd want in new divers.

The 13 year old boy I was buddied up with was a total screwoff, paid no attention so he had no idea what/where/when he was supposed to be doing, refused to follow even simple directions to the extent that he even once went off on his own and had to be chased down by one of the DM's, and if I had to guess I'd say he will eventually go on to become a DAN statistic. Doing my OOA drill with this kid scared the bejebers out of me. I asked that he not be given a c-card, but to be honest never followed up on it since I will most certainly never dive with him again.

I'm sure the same thing applies with some adults, it just so happens that was my limited experience with younger divers. Before saying this age or that is appropriate for dive training, look at the individual before looking at their age.

Obviously, YMMV.

 

[kent_1848]

Its the attitude, more than the age.

...The 13 year old boy I was buddied up with was a total screwoff, paid no attention so he had no idea what/where/when he was supposed to be doing, refused to follow even simple directions...
QUOTE]
I think that maturity of a child (or anyone for that matter) has everything to do with the parents. We have all seen those kids who treat their parents like crap, and the parents let them get away with it. Those kids you would like to just take outside yourself and spank them! My guess is the 13 year old "wonder" kid was one of them. Probably the parents were those parents always making excuses for their children and never disciplining them. It really angers me when I see that. It also irritates me when people lump all kids under a certain age with some kid they know that is this way.

I have been coaching a soccer team for 5 years, ever since the boys were in Kindergarten. There are definately kids that I would consider taking diving, and those I would never take diving. If you meet these kids parents, you can tell who you would be a good diver, and who wouldn't, without ever even talking to or seeing the kids. If you don't think your kid is mature enough to dive, then it probably isn't their fault.

 

[Walter]

Its the attitude, more than the age.

To a point, very true. Comparing one child to another, I agree completely. Susie at age 10 may be more mature than Billy at age 15 by quite a large degree. OTOH, taking the same child and comparing maturity levels at age 10 and age 15, age is a big factor. With rare exception, Susie will be more mature as she gets older (18 year old boys are an obvious exception).

While I have taught a few 12 year olds to dive, it's a rare child yonger than 15 with the maturity to handle the issues involved with diving.

There are also the unknown factors with respect to growing bodies to consider. There are not any studies to let us know if extensive diving is hamful physically to children. There is some evidence, far from conclusive, that indicates it may cause problems.

 

[adurso]

There are not any studies to let us know if extensive diving is hamful physically to children. There is some evidence, far from conclusive, that indicates it may cause problems.

There is no way to experiment with children to determine harmful effects (although I did volunteer my children at the local hyperbaric clinic), so one must proceed anecdotally. My daughter has been diving since age 10 and now that she is out of the home and has stopped lighting fires the doctors believe that she can dive again as long as magnesium and ignition components are kept away from her...

Seriously I have been diving for close to forty years beginning at a very early age and developmentally, siblings used for comparison, no harm was found. My children have been diving since ten without developmental or physiological issues that may be predicated upon pressure or other dive related issues.

What evidence indicates a harmful outcome?

 

[Walter]

You are correct. All evidence on both sides of this issue is anecdotal. There is no conclusive evidence one way or the other. For that reason, I'd err on the side of caution. I have a first person account of a woman who had serious health issues she and her doctors attribute to diving too much at a young age. I'll dig it out and share it with you.

 

[adurso]

You are correct. All evidence on both sides of this issue is anecdotal. There is no conclusive evidence one way or the other. For that reason, I'd err on the side of caution. I have a first person account of a woman who had serious health issues she and her doctors attribute to diving too much at a young age. I'll dig it out and share it with you.

Thank You, that will be interesting to see

 

[String]

Just to throw this one in although unlikely to be an issue in america, 14 is the minimum age to learn scuba with bsac.

 

[RickSp]

My son of 12 and I just completed our certifications. (I started diving at 17 but hadn't been diving in almost 30 years so starting over seemed like a good idea.) The material was fine for a 12 year old. Nothing was unduly tasking either intellectually or physically. It was also a great father/son activity.

Our 8 year old recently took a PADI "bubblemaker" class while we were in Boniare. It was limited to a depth of 6' but did give him an idea of what diving is about, including using a scaled down BC, tank and regulator. We will have to see whether he is ready to get certified at 10 or whether we will wait until he turns 12. It will be great when the whole family is certified and can dive together on vacations.

Rick