Minimum Age Requirments

[Randall]

I have a son who will be 12 this summer. He's shown some interest in learning to scuba dive. What are the minimum age requirments for O/W? There's a padi LDS nearby that has a program for kids 10 -12, but they are restricted to the pool.

Thanks

 

[WileEDiver]

I have a son who will be 12 this summer. He's shown some interest in learning to scuba dive. What are the minimum age requirments for O/W? There's a padi LDS nearby that has a program for kids 10 -12, but they are restricted to the pool.

Thanks

The PADI program you're referring to is the SEAL Team--a pool only program (and kids as young as 8 years old can participate). But the minimum age for Junior Open Water divers is 10.

There are depth and supervision restrictions for JOW divers. Ages 10 and 11 cannot exceed 40' and must dive with a certified parent/guardian or a professional (divemaster or above). From 12 to 14, they can go to 70' and can dive with any certified diver of legal age. At 15, they can covert from JOW to Open Water.

Note that not all 10 (or 12 or 15) year olds are mature enough to learn scuba (note that they must complete the same course as adults--no allowances for age), and not all instructors will teach younger divers. It's their call.

 

[questionreality]

All true. My brother was 11 when he received his jr. open water certification. He has been diving in Thailand and the Red Sea before he was 12. It all depends on the instructor and divemaster.

 

[rex_b]

Wow it's just amazing how young you can be to dive!! I wish I would have picked it up at an earlier age.

 

[ChillyWaters]

From 12 to 14, they can go to 70' and can dive with any certified diver of legal age.

I thought OW divers were "restricted" to 60'?

- ChillyWaters

 

[kent_1848]

Wow it's just amazing how young you can be to dive!! I wish I would have picked it up at an earlier age.

I feel exactally the same way. My son will turn 10 this year, and I'm going to try to find a PADI instructor that is willing to teach him. He has already done Scuba Rangers, which is the PADI equivalent of SEAL team. We even had them do things that we weren't supposed to. They did emergency buddy breathing, out of air asscents, stuff we weren't supposed to teach them, but since it was my son and the instructors son, we wanted to get them ready as soon as possible. They also went on a shore dive in Roatan with us. I know, they weren't supposed to, so you don't have to tell me that. I even kicked my sons mask enough to where it flooded, and he cleared it better than a lot of people I took my OW class with. I wish I would have started at 10!

 

[Walter]

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. I urge parents not to allow your children on SCUBA until they are mature enough to handle life and death decisions. Getting them on SCUBA a few years earlier isn't worth the risk.

 

[Detonate]

Note that not all 10 (or 12 or 15) year olds are mature enough to learn scuba (note that they must complete the same course as adults--no allowances for age), and not all instructors will teach younger divers. It's their call.

This is the truth.

One of the best divers I taught was only 14.

Everyone is different. I just finished teaching a Boy Scout group of divers aged 13-17. Everyone in that class was AWESOME! I wish all of my classes could go that well.

 

[spyder]

My son got his JOW at 10 and dove with me in Cozumel that same year. He now has almost 40 dives under his belt (now 13) with almost all in Cozumel. I agree that they have to have the maturity but it also takes an instructor that is really willing to teach. His first instructor was against it and it was difficult. The pool work went very well and I think it surpised him (some other adults had major problems). The class work did not go as well for a couple of reasons. My son's birthday is in February and class started in March. Due to school we tried the 2 weekends schedule instead of 5 evenings. Class was spent on grading the quizzes, watching the videos, then a quick Q/A session which was backwards and not enough time. He missed the test by 2 and we felt like it was kind of a "told ya". We changed shops and it was like night and day. Passed the instructor "feel out" of his knowledge to see if he was totally lost, worked on the parts that the instructor felt he was a little cloudy on, and then passed the test without a problem. Overall my son is a competent diver that DM's don't have a problem diving with (unlike some others on the boats at times).

 

[friscuba]

Twelve seems to be the age where scuba diving can work. I've taught a couple of ten and 11 year olds and it's a tough one, some of them we have to tell their parents it'd be a good idea to wait a couple of years. In general, the 12 and 13 year old kids have been better students than the 14 and 15 year old BOYS - short attention span and at that age they tend to think they are invincible.

I am not saying, "he's 12, go for it" by any means. What seems to happen is that most every parent believes their child is "mature for their age" whether they are or they aren't - it's human nature. I've had a kid or two who weren't going to be able to pass the course at that age who'd be just fine in another couple of years, but the parents figured they'd give it 2 or 3 months and try again on the mainland. Some kids need a couple extra years just to physically be ready.

I think you should consider taking up the local shop's program and putting him in the pool. If that goes well, at that point invest in the OW program with someone who offers it for the 12 year olds. It might cost a bit more in the long run, but you'll have a child who'll enter the OW class with more experience and will have an easier, and likely a more enjoyable OW class experience.

I hope he enjoys his dive experience,

Steve

I have a son who will be 12 this summer. He's shown some interest in learning to scuba dive. What are the minimum age requirments for O/W? There's a padi LDS nearby that has a program for kids 10 -12, but they are restricted to the pool.

Thanks