hammet
Contributor
When my daughter turned 8, I enrolled her in the 'PADI Seal' course at a Caribbean resort where she really took a liking to diving in a private one-on-one pool session. She liked it so much that she did a another whole session the next day where she had a blast once again practicing basic scuba skills in the pool, throwing around a football underwater, swimming through obstacles, and other fun stuff. She also had a fantastic instructor who treated her very, very well and knew how to get her to feel comfortable and confident under water.
When we went back last year, I hooked her up with the same instructor who spent another hour in the pool with her and then the next day, took her for a treasure hunt in the resort's 'lazy river' ride at night! She loved every second of it and seemed really comfortable in the water.
Just to add, I got her swimming when she was just barely walking so she's a very competent swimmer... though she didn't want to do the swim team route that I took when I was young.
Anyway, she turns ten next month and she wants to get certified. I have made it clear that if she chooses to do it, it's because she wants to and not because she feels I would like her to.
She loves salt water. She loves swimming off the beaches in Florida and the carribean and bouncing in the waves. She even loves to dive into the (yucky) water off my boat in a bay off Long Island Sound. However, I've taken her snorkeling the caribbean a few times over the years but she didn't seem that comfortable using a mask and snorkel (though in the pool she's fine). I think she could use a little more practice in airway control with the snorkel.
I figured I would get her to do the online and confined pool stuff here in NY in September and then let her do the certification dives in the same Caribbean resort when we go this December. I'm in the middle of getting rescue diver certification... just in case.
Thoughts of those with prior experience with young divers are welcome.
When we went back last year, I hooked her up with the same instructor who spent another hour in the pool with her and then the next day, took her for a treasure hunt in the resort's 'lazy river' ride at night! She loved every second of it and seemed really comfortable in the water.
Just to add, I got her swimming when she was just barely walking so she's a very competent swimmer... though she didn't want to do the swim team route that I took when I was young.
Anyway, she turns ten next month and she wants to get certified. I have made it clear that if she chooses to do it, it's because she wants to and not because she feels I would like her to.
She loves salt water. She loves swimming off the beaches in Florida and the carribean and bouncing in the waves. She even loves to dive into the (yucky) water off my boat in a bay off Long Island Sound. However, I've taken her snorkeling the caribbean a few times over the years but she didn't seem that comfortable using a mask and snorkel (though in the pool she's fine). I think she could use a little more practice in airway control with the snorkel.
I figured I would get her to do the online and confined pool stuff here in NY in September and then let her do the certification dives in the same Caribbean resort when we go this December. I'm in the middle of getting rescue diver certification... just in case.
Thoughts of those with prior experience with young divers are welcome.
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