Hi Amazon!
As the mother of a 13 year old diver I can say...go for it!
The advice to talk to local dive shop (LDS) owners is good. You and your parents should be able to get a sense of how the owners and instructors feel about teaching younger divers. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions.
Another source of information is your local SSI Scuba Rangers group, if any. Although you're too old to be in the group the instructor/club leader should have good information on where their graduates have become certified. He/she will know which shops are more attentive to young divers.
Search for a Scuba Ranger Club
Another thing to think about is who you will dive with after certification. If neither of your parents is certified you may want to talk them into taking the course with you. Even after certification they won't be able to teach you what you need to know, so you should still plan to dive with more experienced divers, but getting certified together is a great way to guarantee that you'll have someone to share the experience with. You'll get in more dives if a parent is invested in diving too!
Certification involves class work, pool training, and finally open water dives. The class work and pool training can be done seperately from the open water (often referred to as "check out") dives. You're right-spring diving in New England is too cold for all but the hardiest divers and requires a thicker suit than the kind you probably used on vacation. You may want to look into taking a trip somewhere warm, such as Florida or Bermuda for your open water dives.
I would also get copy of the PADI Open Water manual in advance of the class. The information is manageable, but the more you've mastered in advance the more comfortable you'll be taking the class.
Good luck!
As the mother of a 13 year old diver I can say...go for it!
The advice to talk to local dive shop (LDS) owners is good. You and your parents should be able to get a sense of how the owners and instructors feel about teaching younger divers. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions.
Another source of information is your local SSI Scuba Rangers group, if any. Although you're too old to be in the group the instructor/club leader should have good information on where their graduates have become certified. He/she will know which shops are more attentive to young divers.
Search for a Scuba Ranger Club
Another thing to think about is who you will dive with after certification. If neither of your parents is certified you may want to talk them into taking the course with you. Even after certification they won't be able to teach you what you need to know, so you should still plan to dive with more experienced divers, but getting certified together is a great way to guarantee that you'll have someone to share the experience with. You'll get in more dives if a parent is invested in diving too!
Certification involves class work, pool training, and finally open water dives. The class work and pool training can be done seperately from the open water (often referred to as "check out") dives. You're right-spring diving in New England is too cold for all but the hardiest divers and requires a thicker suit than the kind you probably used on vacation. You may want to look into taking a trip somewhere warm, such as Florida or Bermuda for your open water dives.
I would also get copy of the PADI Open Water manual in advance of the class. The information is manageable, but the more you've mastered in advance the more comfortable you'll be taking the class.
Good luck!