Where to Learn for 13-year-old

[boulderjohn]

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.

I will add to the "start at home" frenzy and add another reason for it.

I taught for two different shops in Colorado, where about 80% of our students leave the state and do their OW dives in a resort setting. In both shops, we all did a very through job of working with the students. They did all the confined water requirements, and had plenty of time working in a pool that was idea for the purpose.

I myself was certified completely in a resort setting. I would guess that the maximum depth of the pool was about 5 feet, making it impossible to do some of the confined water requirements. We only spent two hours in that pool. I didn't know any better then, so I didn't realize how many requirements were skipped in that one pool session. I have since observed instructors working in pool sessions in resort areas, and they are very limited in what they can do because most resort areas do not have pools with deep ends. Then we did the OW dives, and for the most part I cannot complain about them. In retrospect, they were better dive experiences than students who do their OW dives in Colorado typically get in our shallow, cold, murky water.

So look for the best of both worlds. Find a local shop that can do thorough confined water sessions and then go to a compatible shop in a pool area for the actual certification dives.

 

[boulderjohn]

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 spend a few months in South Florida every winter, and I have done so for 13 years now. The climate there is definitely changing, and a key characteristic of the change is the wind. A few years ago, I was talking about it to the owner of a dive charter boat. I asked him if it was my imagination, or was it getting consistently windier in the winter. He said it was not my imagination. He said he was going out about half as often in the winter as he used to do a decade before, and it was putting him out of business. Sure enough, two months later, he sold his business, and the new owner left the area.

I have sometimes made arrangements for my scuba students in Colorado to come to Florida for some of their training dives with me. In most of those cases, we had to cancel because of the wind.

 

[scubadada]

Both my children did their OW on Grand Cayman at age 12. The warm water with good visibility and low current were great. They both still dive with me. My son is 39, my daughter is 35.

Sorry, my last several trips to Grand Cayman have been to the east end with Compass Point/Ocean Frontiers, I can't help you with an operator or accommodations, others can.

 

[Fred A.]

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.

Somewhere much cheaper but just as good diving imo is the Pompano Beach area in south Florida. Plenty of operators to choose from. Not as touristy as the Keys; more locals who dive all the time. Close to Ft. Lauderdale airport, plenty of hotels, restaurants, everything less expensive.

 

[jadairiii]

I spend a few months in South Florida every winter, and I have done so for 13 years now. The climate there is definitely changing, and a key characteristic of the change is the wind. A few years ago, I was talking about it to the owner of a dive charter boat. I asked him if it was my imagination, or was it getting consistently windier in the winter. He said it was not my imagination. He said he was going out about half as often in the winter as he used to do a decade before, and it was putting him out of business. Sure enough, two months later, he sold his business, and the new owner left the area.

Not sure I would completely agree. I was born in S Florida (1961) and I really have not noticed a change in that respect. October/November are always wacky, because of the weak fronts that stall on top of us or just north. December can be amazing or, again, crap. Last year I spent a ton of time free diving off the beach during the winter, it was a good winter. I've logged pretty much all of my dives from the very beginning (my first instructor told us to) and November is one of my least dived months since 1974.

Biggest change? Our hurricane season was normally August/September, now its September/October. We are also experiencing warmer winters. Growing up and into my early 20's we would routinely have at least 2 or 3 really cold (for us) snaps, down into the low 40's, high 30's. I haven't seen that since the late 80's.

 

[pickens_46929]

Crystal River Florida with American Pro Diving. Tons of experience with kiddos. Only downside is water is on the chillier side of things at 73F but it's a consistent 73F.

 

[jadairiii]

He said it was not my imagination.

Reading this, it brought back a memory, November 1976, diving from American Diving Hq, out of Largo. I remember the seas being sloppy, 6' to 8'. Getting back on the boat, the boat is on the crest of a wave and I'm in the trough, the ladder was over 6' or more above my head! They canceled the 2nd dive, only my buddy and I wanted to dive, rest of the divers were too sick, one guy was laying on the deck, immobile due to being so sick.

I looked up the weather of that day, ESE 22 mph winds steady. Back then those boats went out in any condition.

BTW, the month of November, 1976, only one day was the wind below 12 mph, and there were about 7 days when it was blowing over 35 mph.

 

[boulderjohn]

Reading this, it brought back a memory, November 1976, diving from American Diving Hq, out of Largo. I remember the seas being sloppy, 6' to 8'. Getting back on the boat, the boat is on the crest of a wave and I'm in the trough, the ladder was over 6' or more above my head! They canceled the 2nd dive, only my buddy and I wanted to dive, rest of the divers were too sick, one guy was laying on the deck, immobile due to being so sick.

I looked up the weather of that day, ESE 22 mph winds steady. Back then those boats went out in any condition.

BTW, the month of November, 1976, only one day was the wind below 12 mph, and there were about 7 days when it was blowing over 35 mph.

So there were some windy days back in the 1970s? Wow! who would have thought it?