WORLD ’ s Youngest Master Scuba Diver

[Dive Source]

On 4th January 2004, Charles Jessop (12) became the youngest ever diver
in the English speaking world to qualify as a Master Scuba Diver....

World's youngest Master scuba diver article

I just read this on Google news and was wondering what everybody thought.
This was obviously quite an accomplishment for the young man but will people view it as a stunt?

Where does respect of another's accomplishment start - with age, # of dives, types of dives or C-Cards.

Can a 12 year old be qualified as a rescue diver from a physical point of view?

What about the deep diving aspect and childrens physiology?

Is it too far to fast or do you applaud his accomplishments?

If you were arriving in Hawaii to go diving and saw that on paper you were partnered with a Master scuba diver then arrived to find a 12 year old gearing up what would you think?

Enquiring minds want to know.....

 

[mwilding]

By starting when he did, the kid is probably a fish. That said, is he mature enough physically and mentally to handle a rescue situation? I have no idea, but I reckon most divers aren't anyway...

 

[Dwain]

" By starting when he did, the kid is probably a fish. That said, is he mature enough physically and mentally to handle a rescue situation? I have no idea, but I reckon most divers aren't anyway... "

I agree with above quote.

 

[rmediver2002]

Where does respect of another's accomplishment start - with age, # of dives, types of dives or C-Cards.

Can a 12 year old be qualified as a rescue diver from a physical point of view?

What about the deep diving aspect and childrens physiology?

Is it too far to fast or do you applaud his accomplishments?

If you were arriving in Hawaii to go diving and saw that on paper you were partnered with a Master scuba diver then arrived to find a 12 year old gearing up what would you think?

Enquiring minds want to know.....

Just my opinion here but recreational diving has grown to the point that with the number of different instructors and agencies teaching right now I do not have any respect for a divers age, number of dives, types of dives, or c-cards. I simply do not view any of these items as accomplishments, they are no longer a quantifiable measure of skill.

I admire and respect a divers skills, knowledge, and dicipline but these are most often gained through self education and practice not through instruction or card collecting.

As far as performing a rescue, I suppose that would depend on the physical attributes and decision making ability of the individual. Would most 12 years olds qualify? Of course not, but I would reserve passing judgement until seeing this individual in action...

Childrens physiology? We are still not sure about all the effects on any diver regardless of age. Many variables in addition to age to consider on this one... Research still needs to be conducted... The only issue I have is whether or not the individual is ready to accept the risks both known and unknown that exist...

Time diving is no indication of readiness for new skill sets, I know divers who seem to delight in saying I have been diving xx number of years and fail to mention the have less than 100 dives...

If you were arriving in Hawaii to go diving and saw that on paper you were partnered with a Master scuba diver then arrived to find a 12 year old gearing up what would you think?

I would like to say I would not be biased but honestly I would, still I would evaluate the individuals skills and knowledge in the water...



Hopefully sooner rather than later a diver will come to realize that no school or certification is going to give them the confidence that practice and experience will... You care less and less about what others think and learn more from everyone you come into contact with regardless of skill level without a chip on your shoulder...

Keep diving!!

Jeff Lane

 

[DFC5343]

Its all about the money. Basic to instructor in 6 months...no experience needed.

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

I must be honest, I would be rather dubious. Thinking back to when I was 12 years old... hmmm.

Who knows, maybe this kid is superhuman. But I can't say that I would confident of his ability to handle a rescue situation unless I had spent time diving with him.

In fact, I suppose this is true for any dive buddy. It takes time to get to know each other's abilities and to build confidence and trust in each other.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[wreckchick]

When I did my rescue class, we had a jr. rescue candidate in the class with us. He was probably 12 or 13. I wasn't very happy to find the kid in the class to begin with, when I found out he was the son of the instructor I was less happy. During the pool sessions the instructor spent an inordinate amount of time helping his son out to make sure he could do everything while the rest of us watched.

Due to my odd work schedule, I didn't do the open water part of the class with my classroom class and completed it later in the summer only to find the kid as one of our rescue victims. I was all ready to get fired up about it, then I saw the rest of the rescue students. A bigger bunch of bumbling idiots I have never seen. The whole time we were in the water I felt like I was the only one who had ever been diving before. I was left by my buddy, had another one plummet to the bottom so that I had to go remind her that our dive plan did not include sitting in the muck. The third and final member of the group had been certified earlier that summer and wasn't a good diver and failed to follow the "stop, breathe, think, act" mantra during all rescues and dropped his entire rig to the bottom of the quarry so that a S&R mission had to be launched.

So, who would I better off with? The kid or the band of merry idiots?

Rachel

 

[AzAtty]

Since PADI's minimum age for a Master Scuba Diver is 15, I think the author was a little overenthusiastic in his reporting. The correct certification level would be "Junior Master Scuba Diver," and his diving would be depth-restricted.

I think it's great that a kid is out achieving a worthy goal instead of wasting his time hanging out at a mall somewhere. I can respect the fact that the young man accomplished his goal.

From my perspective as an adult, and as someone who has the necessary money and education, the PADI "Master Scuba Diver" certification isn't terribly difficult to get. It requires OW, AOW, Rescue, five specialities, and 50 logged dives. For me to get that certification would be trivial--I'd call up the dive shop, tell them I wanted to take five specialty classes this week, pay them a few hundred bucks, and do the certification dives over the weekend. Bang--PADI Master Scuba Diver in a week. If I were a brand new diver would take more time, but given the necessary money and time, I could still have the c-card in a couple months' time if my only goal was to have the c-card.

Yet, from the perspective of a twelve-year-old, it may have been a journey that took him a couple of years. Although PADI's materials are an easy read for adults, the theory is unfamiliar and a younger person might have difficulty with it. Maybe he had to pay his own way and scraped together the money by mowing lawns around the neighborhood and doing odd jobs. If it is something the kid sweated and worked for, I have a lot of respect for his effort and ultimate accomplishment.

Now, whether that c-card makes him a skilled diver, I don't know. I think 12 is too young to be diving, c-card be damned. Most 12-year olds I know--and I know many--lack the judgment I consider to be necessary for safe diving. If it were my son, I might feel different, but probably not.

 

[nwdiver2]

I have taught 12 year olds to dive who were brilliant. I have not found one who could remove a drysuited victim from the water and drag them free of the water up the beach or demonstrate 2 or 3 types of carries with the victim. Our victim is drawn by lots from the students not in the exercise it could be a 5 ft. 100 lb person or a 220 lb 6’4 person, I don’t discriminate. It is how the person reacts under the pressure that I watch. A smart 12 year old who properly managed their assets may pull the team together and pass, or sit in the surf crying (I have not worked with a 12 year old in rescue but have seen some adults break into tears while trying to remove someone from the water).

I have also seen the problems of bringing the victim to the surface from an entanglement carried out methodically and seen the frustration of a pair of rescuer that were not prepared.

Rescue is a matter of strength/technique and maturity.

 

[simbrooks]

Well there are a couple of points, at 12 i know i was a great deal more mature than most 12 year olds, had a good number of years out on the seas (was teaching 8 yr old kids to sail at 13 on my own), was physically able to do a lot (being 5ft 10in and 168 lbs - larger than a good number of divers too). Would i have felt right as a JMD and all that was involved, on looking back now i would say no, at the time, i couldnt tell you, i know i would have liked to start diving a good number of years sooner than i did though! As for the teaching aspects and learning what in terms of physics and physiology would be advanced for them - the gifted programs only just begin to broach that kind of stuff around 11/12, hardly getting into any depth at all. It is possible, but to get everything down (properly) would take a pretty smart kid with good physical attributes - not many of those around! But look at any other adult who is going thru any cert, half of those dont really catch what is really being taught (not meaning to highjack the thread!) and like i said above at 12 i was about as large as the average adult male (back then), so physically it is possible.

When we did tae-kwon-do at college, at the competitions we went to, there were 8 yr old black belts able to break blocks etc, do all sorts of maneuvers. It is obvious that they were pushed by parents early on, whether they grew to like it i never did find out. I felt they were given too much knowledge too fast!

BTW, the kid would have had to have a really great part time job/pocket money to afford all those courses in that amount of time (even if they didnt buy gear or exotic vacation)!!