Question About 10 Year Old Child Certification

[sheeper]

good article on this from SDI How Do I Find a Scuba Instructor for My Child? | SDI | TDI | ERDI

 

[urbaneve71]

cali - divergirl -- last thing i want to do is dive in a tank. i want him to experience diving with marine life where they belong. that is one reason we are staying the heck away from sea world dolphin thingy. i agree with you -- they need to be free.

 

[urbaneve71]

As someone who was both certified as a Jr. (Age 13) and whose kids received Jr. Certs. (Ages 13, 13) I agree it is a tough call. Situational awareness and the ability to closely follow instructions, stay focused on both the school work and pool work means that there are very few 10 year olds who are mature enough to get certified. You know your kid better than others, so make a serious evaluation of their maturity, and be sure to run it by your spouse (assuming there are two parents involved), or other caregivers as they may have insight that you have missed.

It is better to err on the side of caution at that age.

the one great thing about wyatt is that he is a bit different than other children. he pays attention to things and being a water baby like myself - scuba diving has his complete attention.

i have started teaching him what i know so he gains an awareness of what is truly involved in diving but my local dive shop doesnt do classes for young children all the time (he only offers them a certain times of the year) great advice - though

 

[falcon125]

Can a 10 year old lift an AL80? Or do they use smaller tanks?

 

[Cali_diver]

Can a 10 year old lift an AL80? Or do they use smaller tanks?

Hi my son had to set up his gear (AL80), carry to edge of pool and put it on to get certified. He was able to get out (ladder) with it on his back. They are stronger then you think especially when they are motivated. He was a strong sturdy little kid though.

 

[urbaneve71]

my DM told me that he will use a smaller tank

 

[Altamira]

When my grandson was certified just past his 11th birthday, he would use a 63cf tank, and still come up with a lot more air than me on an AL80. When he was 12, he started to use the standard AL80, not only because he could carry it without a problem, but it also gave us more of a buffer on air in the event of an underwater problem. He still comes up with a lot more air than I do, but that is not a bad thing. I do not want either of us to ever regret not having the air we could have taken with us. I guess I will always revert back to my aviation training, and the adage that there are few things more useless than the fuel you left in the fuel truck on the ground.

 

[urbaneve71]

see the thing for me ... and this is strange.... i am asthmatic. while everyone comes up with 500 psi. I will come up with 1800 psi. I tend to breath more shallow. BUT that being said. I grew up as a long distance swimmer also to help with my asthma. Thank God my mom put me in swimming. It was the best thing she could have done for me. At first, my instructors and those around me thought there was something wrong with my guages - so they switched them out and again, I came up with 2100 psi.

Long story short, it turned out, that I breath more shallow and less than other divers (I guess) so I can really extend my bottom time -- w00t!

the great thing with my son is that he is really tall for his age -- almost 5ft... so i am almost tempted to try an 80 with him -- but i think weight wise maybe an aluminum is the answer. but maybe we can really extend our bottom time with the correct training

 

[USdiver1]

the great thing with my son is that he is really tall for his age -- almost 5ft... so i am almost tempted to try an 80 with him -- but i think weight wise maybe an aluminum is the answer. but maybe we can really extend our bottom time with the correct training

I'd go with a maximum of a 63 aluminum, and for training maybe even a 50. No sense straining young muscles or hurting your back with something too heavy.

 

[urbaneve71]

@USdiver1 I think you're right. I am going to start him out on a 63 so I don't scare him with the weight. He is hefty for his age though. I guess I will wait till I get him into class to see what the instructor has to say and go from there.