SquidSpotter
Registered
I would definitely encourage you to do it. My daughter was 10 (she is now 12 and will be 13) when we first got her certified. She and my husband are always buddies, we drill her a lot about emergency situations, talk about situational awareness in every day life and apply it to diving, ask her random questions to keep her on her toes. She understands we do it to keep her sharp, and her skills have grown. If they stay in their depth and don't dive beyond their certification, I think you can expect that the training is reliable. They learn the same information and take the same test as the adults--the only "jr." about it is their age on the card and their recommended depth limitations. My dd has had situations underwater where she has had to share air for real, lost her fin and had to get it back on, fogged mask, and various other little things, and she is honestly extremely calm and deliberate about things when they happen and doesn't panic. My husband dives with her because I'm more of a nervous Nellie and I tend to fret about every little thing. They work well as a team.Hi. I've stayed here before and it's good family friendly hotel. This will be my 8th trip to Cozumel. One time for 3 weeks during college back in 89. Man was that fun. The rooms at this hotel are a little tight, as they are in most hotels, so we're deciding tonight if we're going to do 2 adjoining rooms. I'm undecided at this point how we'll handle diving and the kids remaining at the hotel. The kid hangout place at the hotel requires one adult be on the hotel property if they're going to be there.
My oldest will be 12 when we go and we're discussing getting certified. She wants to do it but I'm nervous about kids her age handling emergency situations. We'll decide this winter and get her certified next spring. My 7 yr old is already certified, a certified lunatic.
It's gonna be a blast. Looking forward to meeting everyone.
Fat Daddy
I suppose it depends on the kid and their maturity level, but if a 12 year old wants to do it and understands the risks and responsibilities, I say go for it!