Question About 10 Year Old Child Certification

[urbaneve71]

great feedback guys -- thanks so much -- keep it coming

yes he's ready for it. and we are planning to do the courses - its just where i am at - the course doesnt run all the time so we will be going on vacation before he can complete his full course. i know there are a 1000 places to dive in FA any good ideas with a child - we are open ended on where to go -- i hear the middle keys are best for shallow dives and corals - what do you guys think

 

[docmartin]

Should have checked first. Discover Scuba works for 10 year olds. So that would be the easiest option. peronally I'd be a little concerned. 10 is young anyway and Discover Scuba is a money maker rather than anything resembling training. Your child will basically go diving after a little show-and-tell so he should be very comfortable in the water to avoid a bad experience.

 

[packrat12]

My daughter learned at 11. She took to it very well and is very capable. She was truly more aware of air and depth then we, the parents were. If your child is mature, they will be fine. You may have some difficulties as they get more skilled, getting them on more challenging dives. I sought out dive shops that were more friendly to youth divers. They are still the ones I prefer now. Your skill level also matters but seeing 100-200 dives, you should be able to handle a novice diver. When everyone in the water is a novice (youth included), is when I get nervous. I firmly believe at least 1 diver in the group should be somewhat skilled. In the end, my daughter was thrilled when she lost the Jr in the cert!

In the Keys, I think Key Largo is best for beginning divers and the best in the Keys in general. There are numerous shallower reefs like Molasses, French, Carysfort, Elbow etc. These reefs are absolutely gorgeous. I tend to use Horizon Divers for most of my diving in the Key Largo. I am not a big fan of Looe Key nor the last time I was on Sombrero.

 

[urbaneve71]

the great thing is that i have an excellent dive shop that i worked with and dove with over the years - so i trust them completely.

i think we will stop in key largo to begin with and move on. i know my husband wants to do some fishing also. but seeing that its his birthday (my sons) he gets first choice and his choice is to dive --- win for mom's side j/k

 

[Steve_C]

There are several diver boats that leave from the Holiday Inn marina. Ocean Divers, Sea Dwellers, Bluewater, Rainbow. You have several more nearby. There are also fishing boats that leave from the same marina. (They have to fish outside some of the reef areas). There is also a dolphin swim in Key Largo. Not sure the age restrictions on that.

 

[USdiver1]

At 10 he is old enough for a Jr. Open Water Cert. The question is if he is ready for it, The course is the same as the adult course so its a tough call for a parent.

As someone who was both certified as a Jr. (Age 13) and whose kids received Jr. Certs. (Ages 13, 13) I agree it is a tough call. Situational awareness and the ability to closely follow instructions, stay focused on both the school work and pool work means that there are very few 10 year olds who are mature enough to get certified. You know your kid better than others, so make a serious evaluation of their maturity, and be sure to run it by your spouse (assuming there are two parents involved), or other caregivers as they may have insight that you have missed.

It is better to err on the side of caution at that age.

 

[Altamira]

I got my grandson certified at age 10 and it turned out he is a natural at diving. However, never having dived with a 10 year old, I decided to hire a private DM for the first three 2 tank dives. Turned out the dive ops in the 3 different ports required that also. Best money ever spent other than getting him certified. It takes a big load off your shoulders so you can watch and evaluate their actual underwater capabilities.

 

[Rhone Man]

At 10 he is old enough for a Jr. Open Water Cert. The question is if he is ready for it, The course is the same as the adult course so its a tough call for a parent. That warning out of the way, both our girls got certified at 10. Some of the best dives I have ever been on were with them. The oldest is an avid diver with her Trimix and full cave.

I know where you are coming from. I'd also advocate caution for a slightly different reason.

I started diving at 9 and loved it (different world back then) so I was very keen to get my oldest son diving as soon as I could, and I had him take his PADI OW at 10. It was too early. The academics were fine, but the equipment was big and loose on him, and he got cold a lot (skinny frame, hard to get a wetsuit snug), and basically it really put him off diving. He has slowly come back into it, but for about 3 years after his course he didn't really want to dive again.

So for my younger son I have decided to wait a bit longer. He really enjoys snorkelling. He is certainly interested in learning to dive, but understands when I tell him I don't want him to rush in until he is older.

YMMV.

 

[DiverDownD3]

Got to say I'm jealous you are getting ready to take your kid diving. My daughter is only 9 months so I got a way to go. Really want the wife to get certified but I'm not gonna push her into it

 

[Cali_diver]

My son was certified at 10 but he was already free diving to 15-20 ft before that with no problems. He is also a very very bright kid. +1 for hiring a private DM for him for the first year or so depending on how long he dives. They will hopefully teach him to become a great diving with great buoyancy skills. Mine would find a way to argue with me under the water but would always listen to an instructor/DM.

As a side please do not do a dolphin swim. They are so so bad and as a diver and hopefully lover of the ocean you should not support this practice. It is a tourist trap and If you have ever watched the movie The Cove then you know how many of the dolphins are captured and sold for the aquarium business. Please go dive somewhere where you can see the dolphins in the ocean where they belong!!! They do not belong in tanks.