Where to Learn for 13-year-old

[kommisarrex]

My 13-year-old daughter is interested in learning to dive, but still a bit nervous about it. We’re in a west coast state in America right now, but not near the ocean and I want to get my daughter started somewhere warm, relaxed, and colorful. We were looking for a thanksgiving week getaway, so I thought I’d look for a spot where she could do her open water (or whatever the kids’ version is). Any suggestions on good spots, maybe in the Caribbean or Mexico? We only have a week, so don’t think we’re up for flying to Asia, where I’ve done/do most of my diving. I’m happy to just do some generic reef diving myself if it means a good spot to introduce my daughter to the sport.

 

[NorCalDM]

Depending on which western state you are in look at Hawaii as it's an easy flight from California with plenty of shops with training. She could do the e-learning at home the a referral to a local shop in Hawaii. I can DM you some recommendations for the Big Island if you are interested.

 

[kommisarrex]

Depending on which western state you are in look at Hawaii as it's an easy flight from California with plenty of shops with training. She could do the e-learning at home the a referral to a local shop in Hawaii. I can DM you some recommendations for the Big Island if you are interested.

Please do pass along recommendations. I assume Hawaii is a zoo at Thanksgiving, but there are direct flights, so that’s a plus.

 

[tridacna]

Whatever you do, make sure that she completes her e-learning and pool dives before you go somewhere warm and far away. That way, she will do her 4 open water dives in 2 days and have time for a few more. Make sure that she signs up with an agency that corresponds with that of the shop you pick for her checkout dives.

 

[NorCalDM]

Please do pass along recommendations. I assume Hawaii is a zoo at Thanksgiving, but there are direct flights, so that’s a plus.

We have spent the last two Thanksgivings on the Big Island and it is no worse than any other time of the year. I think next year we will spend Christmas there. I will DM you some shop recommendations.

 

[arkstorm]

Back in late March my wife and I took our 15 and 10 year old girls to Key Largo for a little dive trip and last month I took my 15 year old back again to do her AOW.

I highly recommend Key Largo as a dive destination for families.

Great diving. Lots of options for dive ops and accommodations. Excellent food. Reasonable flights in and out of Miami and surrounding airports.

 

[Rob9876]

Whatever you do, make sure that she completes her e-learning and pool dives before you go somewhere warm and far away. That way, she will do her 4 open water dives in 2 days and have time for a few more. Make sure that she signs up with an agency that corresponds with that of the shop you pick for her checkout dives.

^^^It bears repeating that if OP's daughter does the classroom/e-learning and pool dives before the trip, and then go do the "check-out" open water dives (this is sometimes called "referral") that you should make sure both the home shop and the destination shop are the same dive agency (PADI, SSI, SDI, NAUI, etc.).

I had a friend use a local NAUI shop and then everywhere his family went for vacation for a couple of years did not have NAUI shops to finish his cert. There can be ways around this, but it can be a pain. There used to be a Universal Referral program, but things changed and not all dive shops do that now.

 

[arkstorm]

^^^It bears repeating that if OP's daughter does the classroom/e-learning and pool dives before the trip, and then go do the "check-out" open water dives (this is sometimes called "referral") that you should make sure both the home shop and the destination shop are the same dive agency (PADI, SSI, SDI, NAUI, etc.).

I had a friend use a local NAUI shop and then everywhere his family went for vacation for a couple of years did not have NAUI shops to finish his cert. There can be ways around this, but it can be a pain. There used to be a Universal Referral program, but things changed and not all dive shops do that now.

I have heard that many dive ops disfavor referral check out dives and some don't allow it at all.

I think it is best to do all of your training and check out dives with the same instructor. The e-learning just gives you a head start on the classroom work.

 

[TravisD]

Big reason I would advise doing the pool work "at home" as well is to get any ear or other issues out of the way. It's a lot easier to take a break to get to an ENT if that kind of thing comes up. Also, sometimes new divers get in the water and it just doesn't work for them. They may need extra pool time to get comfortable or master skills. Dealing with that on the ticking clock of a vacation is not ideal, and worst case can lead to "pushing thru it" so as to not disappoint anyone and 'ruin' the vacation.

 

[jadairiii]

Key Largo is great, except end of November can be hit or miss, we start getting "cold fronts" and it can blow out diving real fast.

I would say Mexico (Cozumel / Cancun) is a good option, warm water, shallow reefs for snorkeling, Cozumel diving is on the natural lee side of the island so it is normally calm. Worse case, if the ocean is blown out, lots of caverns to dive/snorkel which have lots of decorations.