Safety Risk for Children on dive boats

[johndiver999]

I think there is a huge difference in the potential level of maturity between a 5 and 10 yr old child. 10 yrs old is old enough to be certified, so I would assume that it might be beneficial for a 9 or 10 yr old child who has an interest in diving, might like going on a boat and seeing what it is all about. Ideally, the parent would provide one on one supervision while they themselves are underwater by bringing a third person aboard.

I can also understand completely why a commercial charter operation might disallow it. I think a lot would depend on the circumstances, the weather, the length of the trip, the size of the boat and of course the maturity level of the child. It is super important for the child to understand where to puke and also that the boat isn't coming back early - so don't even ask.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I was thinking more about this thread when I was at the gym. The gym has a Kids Club, where parents leave their young children to be minded by someone while the parents work out. It seems to me the reasoning is similar to what we're talking about here. There are hazards. There are other people trying to work out. There's some amount of time pressure. There isn't a lot of open space. Even if there were places for "workout watchers" to sit down around the gym, not all kids can be counted on to sit still next to dad while mom does her bench presses. In my opinion, if a dive boat allows bubble watchers, the boat should have a separate area where they hang out while diving is going on, such as an upper deck or salon.

An exception might be what I could envision as a "family friendly" dive boat that is specifically marketed to families with young children, likely in a resort area, where the seas are calm, etc. I don't think that's what the OP had in mind. If I understood correctly, the OP is associated with what most of us think of as a typical dive boat.

 

[KathyV]

There are some resorts and dive ops that offer programs for families and kids, like DiveTech on Grand Cayman:

Scuba Diving | Grand Cayman | Divetech

 

[adurso]

I keep seeing "children" in this thread.

Has anyone defined the ages under discussion?

Someone did point out there is a significant difference between at five year old and a ten year old, but I have not seen any defined terms.

 

[T.C.]

I keep seeing "children" in this thread.

Has anyone defined the ages under discussion?

Someone did point out there is a significant difference between at five year old and a ten year old, but I have not seen any defined terms.

5-10, and non-diving. First post.

 

[adurso]

5-10, and non-diving. First post.

Oops

Did not have my contact lens in.

 

[Hatul]

I tend to side on the liberal side of letting children on a boat. Several factors are in play: the personality and maturity of the child, the type of boat— a panga no, but some larger boats have plenty of room for a non diver to away from the dive area, there should be a non diving adult to take responsibility for the child, and the final decision of course rests with the captain.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I tend to side on the liberal side of letting children on a boat. Several factors are in play: the personality and maturity of the child, the type of boat— a panga no, but some larger boats have plenty of room for a non diver to away from the dive area, there should be a non diving adult to take responsibility for the child, and the final decision of course rests with the captain.

See, I don't think it's practical to allow the captain or anyone else to decide on a case-by-case basis. That would just lead to confrontations between customers and dive ops, or at best, interviews/discussions that the dive op likely doesn't want to devote the time to. A dive op needs to have an across-the-board policy. They could break it down by boat, I suppose: their big boat with the sun deck up top allows children under 10, but the small boats do not, or something along those lines.

 

[gcarter]

I don't know what kind of boats some of you are diving on, but most of the ones I dive on don't have any extra space for day care and non-divers taking up space and getting in the way.

 

[adurso]

This all boils down to the expectation that the crew will babysit sub ten year old children.

That is not reasonable.

Taking young children out on a dive boat to snorkel without leaving them at all is a different matter.

Personally I would not have left my children in the care of some strangers on a dive boat when they were that age...