What are age/depth restrictions..

[garyfotodiver]

Why do we have the same questions asked over and over? There is a "Search" window at the upper right corner of the web page... I expect it was placed there by the developers in order for it to be used.

There are no definitive controlled, peer-reviewed studied on the effects of SCUBA diving on adolescent bodies. I doubt any sane person would want to have his (or her) name associated with such a study. In the 1940s, there were some studies performed in Europe concerning the effects of cold-water immersion on human bodies. Most people reading this will understand to what I am referring. And also understand the implications.

When, how, and where a parent allows his minor child to SCUBA dive is a decision that each of us, as parents, must make. My children must be 12 years old. They are trained to dive where I dive, mainly from boats off the SE Florida coast.

One, who is now 17, decided that diving is not something she wants to do now, but assures me that she will try again. On her third check-out dive, at 12, she was at 70 fsw inside a sunken barge with her instructor. Another, who is now 11, pressures me to let her learn this summer. She will wait until next summer.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

Well, SDI sets a 12 meter limit if OW from 10 to 12 years old. At 12 years old, the limit is 18 meters. If they get advanced certification, they may extend the limit.
My daughter is 10 years old. She has 38 dives, 5 specialties and her advanced cert. but I still don't take her below 12 meters. I don't see much reason to do that. I want her to have a long healthy diving career. There's plenty of time. My son is 13, and was certified at 12, and is also AOW. But He still stays above 15 meters, by my rule.

They will have lots of time to go further. Enjoy them and diving. Just because there is a limit, nothing says you have to reach it... It's a maximum.
Have fun. Kids are the greatest to dive with.
Dee

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

My daughter is 10 years old. She has 38 dives, 5 specialties and her advanced cert. but I still don't take her below 12 meters. I don't see much reason to do that. I want her to have a long healthy diving career.

When you decide to continue your training -- particularly if you opt to take Advanced Open Water -- you may notice another difference between SDI and other agencies. We have Advanced Adventure, which is usually a weekend program and is the equivalent of PADI's advanced diver, and SDI also has Advanced Diver which takes longer than a weekend and requires a diver to log 25 dives. A bit confusing but I'm sure you can work out what I mean.

With regard to Advanced; SDI has an Advanced Adventure Diver, which is similar to PADI's AOW, but the card pictured on the AAD web page says Advanced Diver. Also, PADI (and others) require minimum age of 12 to become Jr. AOW yet ZD3D claims her 10 y/o has her advanced cert. If a 10-11 y/o is not allowed below 12 meters and Deep Adventure Dive is required for AAD, how does a 10 y/o get an AAD cert?

Visiting the SDI web site, I do not find the Advanced Diver cert requiring 25 logged dives, yet the SDI Marketing & Communications Director mentions it on another current thread? I'd love to hear some clarification.

 

[KrisB]

With regard to Advanced; SDI has an Advanced Adventure Diver, which is similar to PADI's AOW, but the card pictured on the AAD web page says Advanced Diver. Also, PADI (and others) require minimum age of 12 to become Jr. AOW yet ZD3D claims her 10 y/o has her advanced cert. If a 10-11 y/o is not allowed below 12 meters and Deep Adventure Dive is required for AAD, how does a 10 y/o get an AAD cert?

Visiting the SDI web site, I do not find the Advanced Diver cert requiring 25 logged dives, yet the SDI Marketing & Communications Director mentions it on another current thread? I'd love to hear some clarification.

There are two separate certs in question here:

1. SDI's Advanced Diver Development Program
Minimum requirements: 4 specialty courses; 25 logged dives.
"Requirements for Junior Advanced include the above so long as the 4 specialty courses they have taken are allowed by their age."

2. SDI's Advanced Adventure Diver Specialty
Structure: 5 dives; 1 dive between 60-100' ("Divers between the ages of 10 and 14 can not exceed 21m/70ft"); 1 navigation dive; three other specialty dives (the first dive of a specialty).

The only difference I see here between the PADI AOW and SDI's AAD is that 10-11 year olds can complete the AAD -- the "deep" dive isn't part of a specialty, so as long as the three specialty dives chosen can be done by their age, they can complete the course.

One interesting point: while the SDI Advanced Diver looks more robust than PADI's AOW, it doesn't have the same experience requirements -- a diver can be considered "Advanced" by complete CPR1st, Equipment Specialist, Computer Nitrox and Boat specialties (and logging 25 dives). There is no depth experience necessary beyond the Open Water training (i.e. 40') and if that's their list of specialties, they haven't necessarily been in the water with an instructor more than two dives (Boat Diver) since their OW cert.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

2. SDI's Advanced Adventure Diver Specialty
Structure: 5 dives; 1 dive between 60-100' ("Divers between the ages of 10 and 14 can not exceed 21m/70ft"); 1 navigation dive; three other specialty dives (the first dive of a specialty).

The only difference I see here between the PADI AOW and SDI's AAD is that 10-11 year olds can complete the AAD -- the "deep" dive isn't part of a specialty, so as long as the three specialty dives chosen can be done by their age, they can complete the course.

The interesting point for me is that from what you post, SDI allows 10-11 year olds to dive to 70'! :11:

 

[spectrum]

So is that a PADI recommendation or a hard set rule?

This is like a "can I dive when I'm pregnant" thread. The effects are not fully understood but there is a high likelihood of risk. End of story, be a parent and quit looking for someone to validate you pushing the limits.

Of course there are things at any depth worth seeing but they can wait. Meanwhile there is a world of wonder at conservative depths. I have not had the pleasure of a child of mine joining me in diving but would consider this sort of stewardship to be part of the price.

Pete

 

[KrisB]

The interesting point for me is that from what you post, SDI allows 10-11 year olds to dive to 70'! :11:

That appears to be the case, yes. I searched through the rest of the instructor manual looking for anything that resembled depth limits by age and found nothing except what I quoted (and that was straight out of the manual).

Kind of scary, eh?

 

[EliotD]

Standards are not the question, judgement is.

I dont deal a lot with children, but, the one 11 year old diver I know is more than capable of a 70 foot dive, in fact, she is probably more capable than a lot of 30 year olds I know.

 

[EliotD]

One interesting point: while the SDI Advanced Diver looks more robust than PADI's AOW, it doesn't have the same experience requirements -- a diver can be considered "Advanced" by complete CPR1st, Equipment Specialist, Computer Nitrox and Boat specialties (and logging 25 dives). There is no depth experience necessary beyond the Open Water training (i.e. 40') and if that's their list of specialties, they haven't necessarily been in the water with an instructor more than two dives (Boat Diver) since their OW cert.

I think you would have a hard time finding an instructor to sign off on that. Unlike PADI standards which leave very little room for the instructor to exercise their judgement, SDI's standards mirror TDI in that they encourage judgement decisions by their instructors.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I think you would have a hard time finding an instructor to sign off on that. Unlike PADI standards which leave very little room for the instructor to exercise their judgement, SDI's standards mirror TDI in that they encourage judgement decisions by their instructors.

Are you saying that if a diver had the 4 SDI Specialties KrisB mentioned, and the 25 logged dives, SDI would be OK with an instructor refusing to sign off on the Advanced Diver reward cert? Similarly, there are no penalties for a PADI Instructor not signing off on the Master Diver reward cert. I know of PADI Instructors that just won't, for more than one reason.

The SDI website needs help, partly due the wording on the Master Diver page, which requires an Advanced Diver cert, yet there is no Advanced Diver cert mentioned anywhere else on the site.

You have already shown that diving is the sport for you by completing your Open Water Scuba Diver certification, Advanced Scuba Diver certification, Rescue Diver certification and you have logged 50 total dives, now take the next step. The SDI Master Scuba Diver Development Program is an earned certification and the highest non professional level of certification. Visit your local SDI facility and bring along all your accomplishments in diving, don’t forget the logbook with your 50 dives, the friendly staff will reward all of your hard work by submitting for your Master Scuba Diver certification.