try dive for my daughter - age 9 ?
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Thorndowyn
Registered
Hi there.
How good is she in the water? Is she familiar with snorkeling, can she swim?
Can she follow instructions and how serious is she when in the water?
Basically scuba diving can kill her, if she does not behave properly (and there are several Instructors around here who can tell you what that means exactly).
In addition to that there are several unresolved medical reasons why a child should not dive, at least not dive too deep / too often. Again, I refer to the professionals.
My suggestion is, go snorkeling and swimming with her. a lot
This will train her for later scuba diving. And she will see and experience quite a lot of under water flora and fauna.
How good is she in the water? Is she familiar with snorkeling, can she swim?
Can she follow instructions and how serious is she when in the water?
Basically scuba diving can kill her, if she does not behave properly (and there are several Instructors around here who can tell you what that means exactly).
In addition to that there are several unresolved medical reasons why a child should not dive, at least not dive too deep / too often. Again, I refer to the professionals.
My suggestion is, go snorkeling and swimming with her. a lot
This will train her for later scuba diving. And she will see and experience quite a lot of under water flora and fauna.I dont want you to take this in the wrong way, but there is a certain level of maturity that is needed for diving, that just may not be right for someone so young. While diving you have to realize that there are so many things that can actually kill you.
I agree entirely with Thorndowyn and that you should at least get her in the pool as much as possible. I also think there is a PADI program that is 8+.
I agree entirely with Thorndowyn and that you should at least get her in the pool as much as possible. I also think there is a PADI program that is 8+.
A child may be Junior Open Water certified at 10yrs old. Various training agencies have scuba programs for those 8-12yrs, who are either too young to get certified, or just not quite ready to become certified. You can check with your local dive shop to see if these programs are available.The programs are done under the supervison of an instructor in a shallow pool. These programs can help to build confidence & the maturity needed for a child to become a successful JOWD. Whether a child should get certified at age 10yrs can be debated all day long & I'm not going to get into it. There must be a certain level of maturity reached before a child should go for certification. As Thorndowyn mentioned, breathing compressed gases at depth has risks of possible injury & even possibly death. If the basic rules of scuba diving are followed, these risks are minimal, but still present. Not trying to scare you, but just stating fact. One thing I strongly recommend, is for a parent to either go through the course with the child or for the parent to already be an experienced scuba diver. The child will need an adult diving buddy anyway, why not make it a family bonding activity? If the parent is a scuba diver, I encourage them to sit in on the classes (but not interfere), that way they know what & how the child has been taught.
vinegarbiscuit
Contributor
Yes, PADI offers a 'Bubblemaker' course for children over the age of 8. The kids stay very shallow - depth doesn't exceed 6-feet - and will probably give your daughter a taste of what to expect if she chooses to undertake an junior open water certification. You can find out more at
Bubblemaker 8 yrs+
The subject of children diving tends to attract a lot of debate (in case you hadn't already noticed!). Some cite concerns about children's maturity (which naturally varies hugely from individual to individual), whereas others cite physiological risks, such as the effects of subjecting growing bodies to additional pressure. For that reason, junior open water divers are forbidden to dive deeper than 40-feet, but even so, the topic continues to attract much discussion. I think there have been several ScubaBoard threads on the topic - you can find a (very old) one at http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/di...ysiological-risk-factors-pre-teen-divers.html .
Bubblemaker 8 yrs+
The subject of children diving tends to attract a lot of debate (in case you hadn't already noticed!). Some cite concerns about children's maturity (which naturally varies hugely from individual to individual), whereas others cite physiological risks, such as the effects of subjecting growing bodies to additional pressure. For that reason, junior open water divers are forbidden to dive deeper than 40-feet, but even so, the topic continues to attract much discussion. I think there have been several ScubaBoard threads on the topic - you can find a (very old) one at http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/di...ysiological-risk-factors-pre-teen-divers.html .
I know of an operator who takes kids as young as 8 on Bubblemaker reef dives; tethered to a float with a 5' line. I have seen some kids have incredible Bubblemaker dives.
klauricella
Contributor
My twin sons went thru PADI when they where 9 years old, had to wait until they were 10 to receive junior open water.They did their open water on the weekend of there birthday. We just stayed shallow, less then 10' and a lot of times their tanks didn't even get wet. I know a lot of people go crazy over this but most younger kids are really comfortable in the water just have to keep an eye on them.
Being the OP is from the UK, the standards for when a child may start on scuba may be different than in other areas. Unfortunately I did not realize where the OP was from until the last post they wrote.
vinegarbiscuit
Contributor
Apologies - I too had no idea the OP is from the UK. I guess I should read the OP's profile before posting on threads! Yes, I see from a BSAC forum - admittedly a 5-year old thread - that BSAC trains minors from 12-years and over (Lowering of Age for Scuba Diving - BSAC Scuba Diving Forums) .
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