I'm 13 years old and want to start scuba diving

[PePaw]

Welcome Aboard and enjoy the journey. My own Grandaughter who is now seven, but has her wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins and already swims and dives like a fish to 10 ft. She can't wait until she's 10 !

 

[Madvelazquez]

You can also check kidseacamp.com I took my nephew last year (12 years old) and he loved it. He got his padi jr. open water cert. This year we are doing the Roatan kids sea camp vacation.

 

[rawls]

Hi Amazon Aquatics....

It is fantastic that you want to get your certification. I have had alot of students who are your age and they do extremely well. You are well within the requirements for taking an OW course. With PADI you would be certified as a Junior Open Water Scuba diver which requires you to meet all requirements of an OW scuba diver. You will have to be accompanied by an adult or professional until you reach the age of 15 at which time you will only need to let PADI know you have reached that age and you will be issued an O W scuba diver card...It does not necessarily take 4-8 weeks for certification. Our course is done over 2 weekends. It is rigorous and involves long days...But it is a fun time...Best wishes to you...

 

[Wisnu]

My daughter was certified Jr. OW when 11 - took full 5 days in a dive resort. She's 12 Jr.AOW at 12. Her sister - 8 years - see my avatar really enjoy ocean bubble maker can't wait her's 10. Both of them are good swimmer and very comfortable with water. These are really help them.

 

[MSilvia]

You should check out the "New England Lobstah Divers" forum here at scubaboard. There are a lot of us who dive regularly (and some all year long) locally, and you should be able to find recommendations on shops and instructors there, as well as tips on good local dive sites and buddies.

Good luck!

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I haven't looked through all the replies... If you have a guardian who will sign the papers, most agencies wil certify you at 13 with a Jr. Open Water cert.... Meaning you can dive with a parent or guardian until you are 16... Then, it converts to a regular Open Water cert

 

[mauichick]

Hi amazonAquatics, I too say good for you. My boys are 11 and 13, they are certified too and love it. We did some diving up in Rhode Island as we were living in CT and wanted some better visibility. We visited the dive shop in Jamestown and they seemed quite good. I don't know where you live in RI but they may be able to help you, and as so many others have said - don't worry so much about which agency certifies you as much as whether you feel comfortable and confident with the instructor.
I do agree that it would be much easier for you if you know someone that you could dive with and I would definitely wait until the water has warmed up a bit. We did our diving around Jamestown and Newport in summer and were still grateful for good wetsuits so maybe doing it during summer break would be better.
Good luck to you.

 

[Sue J]

My 13 year old son just did a pool refresher with a Newton, Massachusetts shop, PG Dive. The owner mentioned that he might be able to put together a few teen dives this summer. I think PG dives mostly on the MA North Shore, which may be a bit far for you to travel, but you may want to check it out. The website is Welcome to PG Dive. Snorkel and Scuba Outfitters. Private Scuba Instruction, PADI classes, Boston Scuba gear,boston snorkel equipment, Newton scuba classes,MA Scuba Equipment