my 5 year old daughter

[tzzoooma]

i'd like to get her started.
what age is recommended and anything else to look out for?

 

[mike_s]

The search tool here is your friend....


Most agencies won't give an Open water cert until she's 10 or older.


some have some programs for younger kids, like Scuba Rangers or Scuba Seals. but they are group programs for shallow water with an instructor, which might be fine with her right now.


but I wouldn't expect 5 year old to be able to compute dive tables for NDL, etc. I'm guessing that and other reasons are why most agencies don't do an Open Water cert until 10 or older.

 

[The Chairman]

Not enough is known about the effects of pressure on the growth of bones to take a chance on one so young. I like the Boy Scout's 14 YO limit for almost all kids. Sure, there will be some who will push the envelope because of their love of mom/dad or because mom/dad push them into it.

I still like 14.

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

Either you jest, or you are a candidate for a vist from your local Child Protection Service!

 

[Walter]

I'm not aware of any agency that will certify a child younger than 10. Some have 12 as a lower limit. I certainly have no problems with the Boy Scout's minimum age of 14. I honestly do not believe it's a good idea to teach children to dive until they are mature enough emotionally to understand and deal with dive accidents. They do happen. There is also the issue of being mature enough physically to deal with the heavy equipment. I also caution against deep and/or frequent diving until the child's bones are completely developed which is usually in their 20s. There's no reason to rush into diving at a young age. Your daughter will have a long healthy life in which she can enjoy diving.

 

[Walter]

Either you jest, or you are a candidate for a vist from your local Child Protection Service!

There's nothing wrong with asking for information.

 

[spectrum]

5 years of skin-diving would be prudent.

 

[nwhitney2003]

I'd say get her into swim lessons first. The more comfortable she is in the water and knowing how her body will move and react will make for a better diver. Then when she is older, more confident, more knowledgeable about water safety, and more mature you can start getting her into scuba. Even though I'm new to scuba I do have many years experience teaching lessons to kids and adults and coaching competitive swimming and water polo. My best water polo players were the ones that were also competitive swimmers and lifeguards. They were more comfortable and understood (whether they knew it or not) hydrodynamics then the others. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Ted S]

I'd say get her into swim lessons first. The more comfortable she is in the water and knowing how her body will move and react will make for a better diver.

Well said. At 5 it's near impossible to know what a child will have interest in and since none of the agencies let them get certified that young, or even close to it, there's no need to worry about classes. However, getting your child acclimated to the water, use to swimming and comfortable in the pool is a great way to start building their interest. Then in a few years when they're more developed and better able to express interest or non-interest you can look into classes for junior diver programs and a few years after that, full certification.

 

[freediver]

Yes, I would echo the swimming part. Then if she gains enough comfort, put her in a mask and snorkel and see if that is entertaining to her. You could also watch a scuba/underwater dvd or program with her to see if she is even remotely interested. It may turn out that you are more excited about the idea than she is.