BP/W Instructor for 10 yo?

[CD24]

My 10 year old daughter is interested in getting OW certified and I'm looking for an instructor in the Bay Area that meets the below criteria:

1) Has a lot of experience/patience instructing younger kids (most important)
2) Would be willing to instruct her on her BP/W
3) Is female (least important; not a firm requirement)

Am I looking for a unicorn of instructors that doesn't exist? I'm thinking private instruction would be best given her age. Appreciate any recommendations/feedback.

 

[lostsheep]

I have a potential idea for you DM inbound. (It’s not me lol)

 

[suricatasuricata]

I'd recommend three people at Diver Dans in no particular order (Jon Lockwood, Deanna Chu and Matt Vandercook).

 

[sea_ledford]

How tall is she? That may make a bigger difference on BPW than anything else.

 

[Landau]

How tall is she? That may make a bigger difference on BPW than anything else.

Exactly. I’m not located near the OP but would only teach a 10 year old on Backplate and wing if it was sized appropriately and supported her at the surface at least as well as our shop’s XXS sized rental BCDs.

Also a heavy steel backplate might overweight a small child in a warm freshwater pool. Aluminum or carbon fiber would be better choices.

 

[CD24]

She's 4'6. I purchased a short backplate for her from subgravity and waiting on the wing to arrive next week.

 

[lowwall]

Can we address the question of whether a 10 year old should be taking scuba instruction in the first place?

I got my son certified at 12. But only because I knew he could handle difficult physical conditions without panicking (he's a dinghy sailor).

 

[CD24]

It's a fair question and one I've asked myself as well. Both my kids also race dinghys and are very comfortable in the water which helps, but I understand 10 is very young. My son got certified at 12. Physically I am confident she can do it. I'm more concerned about the dive theory and making sure she understands the risks. That's why I felt private instruction would be best.

 

[lostsheep]

Can we address the question of whether a 10 year old should be taking scuba instruction in the first place?

I got my son certified at 12. But only because I knew he could handle difficult physical conditions without panicking (he's a dinghy sailor).

The last 10 year old we had in our class was amazing and likely had the most physical aptitude out of everyone in that class. He dived in trim, and his buoyancy was great for an OW student. He had 2 minor issues, the first just being the weight of the gear required to dive here in Monterey. We have several tricks up our sleeve to help. The second issue is kids will be kids; our last 10 year old required a little more reminding not to get too excited about a particular fish and to focus …as the father of a 9 year old myself, it’s to be expected.

The bottom line is only the kid and parent can make the call, some are ready and some are not.

One of the hardest things, but I think is also one of the most important , is mom and dad HAVE GOT TO TRUST the instructors completely with their kid. I like to think being the father of a similarly aged kid helped mom and dad to trust me. I know I’m not going to teach my own kids and I probably won’t be able to even watch. That said, the instructor I’m going to trust with my kid, has already been named in this thread.

ETA: I got certified at 12, I would have done it at 10 but the rules were different way back then

 

[lowwall]

I'm more concerned about the dive theory and making sure she understands the risks.

This is a general discussion, not directed at you in particular.

Water skills and a demonstrated ability to not panic are good minimum requirements. But parents need to understand that kids of that age do not have the cognitive ability to make appropriate risk assessments. Their brains just aren't wired that way yet. That's why we don't let 10-year-olds do stuff like get married or make contracts or work under dangerous conditions (at least in societies that actually care about their members). The agencies try to mitigate this risk by requiring a depth limit and adult supervision. It's critical that the adults take this responsibility seriously and make the risk assessment for the child regardless of how good their scuba skills are.