Kids diving? No way!

[MikeFerrara]

Should a ten year old be allowed to ride a bike, play football or hockey, swim or surf in the ocean etc? All of these activities carry a significant risk and lack the fail-safes and backups of correctly conducted diving. At some point, children have to be introduced to risk. Why not do it in a controlled manner, with structured training? I'm not suggesting that we try to certify every child out there but those with the aptitude, intelligence and desire to learn should not be denied. By the age of ten I had already swum a mile, could swim 50 yards underwater on one breath ...and had to wait another four years before I got an opportunity to dive! I personally wish that I had started earlier and would not deny someone in the same position. It is not easy to put yourself in the position of a child but you can try and remember yourself at that age. As an instructor, I preferred the 12 limit but I have the choice to accept or deny a student, regardless of age (and have done so across the board).

First of all I'm not saying that there should be a law against it or anything. Only that I, as an instructor, wanted no part of it. There are some differences between diving and things like bike riding and playing football. For one, most football and bike riding mishaps result in sprains, bruises and maybe a break here and there. You can fall down and wait for some one to come and pick you up. It doesn't work that way underwater. Look back at what I wrote about the kid who's mother freaked in the water. That kid didn't remind me of a kid who just fell off his bike and got banged up. He seemed more like a kid who was just in a terrible car accident and saw things he wasn't ready to see. He was one very upset little boy and seeing what I saw made me want to shake some sense into somebody. What on earth made those people think they were able to supervise any one else in the water? Some bunk they heard in a dive shop or a PADI add no doubt.

Kids take to the phisical skills of diving easily. Shoot diving is phisically easy. As I said, I worry about the skill of the parents supervising and how that relates to a child who isn't in a position to pick his own dive buddies.

But...I really feel for you having to wait until you were 14 to dive, BTW. When I was 10, like you, I could swim or run all day. I did some diving without being certified on and off from about my mid 20's because I had some family who walked into some gear. I was never in a position to buy certification, equipment and babysitters until I was in my 30's. When I was 12 those were the days of eating 2 cookies at a time or pouring three fingers of coke into a glass and putting the rubber stopper in the bottle before returning it to the frige because if there were cookies or pop there was only that little bit until the next shopping day...That is if there was extra money for such things. Anyway, no one was going diving. That was something you saw on TV and who would have ever thought that real people did it? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. We were never without anything we really needed and it isn't cookies, pop or even diving that make one content. I look at my own kids. When the pop is gone they expect some one to pick up another case! My son started diving with me when he was 13 or so. He's 20 and he still takes it for granted. I'm grateful I had the chance to do so much diving with him but it would mean more to him if he had to go after it and pay the bill himself. My kids missed so much of life because they had too much junk. So should we deny them? Oh no, how dare we?

 

[MikeFerrara]

While in the Bahamas, I got to observe a 10 yr old boy and an 11 yr old girl getting their training. After certification I dived with the girl a couple of times. These kids were better buddies than a lot of adults I have seen!!

They can be better buddies that the adults are the supervisors. LOL

 

[MikeFerrara]

OK as a parent I cannot wait until my son and twin daughters can dive. But, what do i think is the right limit maybe 15-16 nothing younger. I am torn, I would love to do it sooner but who knows I guess I will have to wait.

It's, of course, one of those things that you have to answer for your own family but from my point of view you need to consider their readiness and your own abilities. If you are very capable in the water and very knowledgeable about diving, I think you're in a better position to decide.

 

[JOHN DE KLERK]

Hi Chiara...
I (a 50yr old dad) was "dragged"into diving by my daughter 13. We are now both qualified Padi Open Water (tiffany as "Junior"). we both love it enormously - Tiffany a fanatic! In fact she beat all the course participants on practical and academic/theoretical aspects!

Kids diving - yes BUT BUT BUT... Tiffany is:
Much stronger than most kids her age - she can lift the BCD with tank etc., she can get back onto boat after dive...and even asissts in the launching of the boat from shore. I would not be happy, if she was small and unfit!
Very mature in attitude and behavious for her age. She is the deputy head-girl of her school, a leader etc. So I think attitude is VERY important. She is a fanatic about procedure, protocol, safety etc...even scolding me if I step out of line even a little!
Only diving if I am on the dive - I keep a big hairy eye-ball on her all the time! She is my darling!

So Chiara, I think it is vital to distinguish between the maturity and pysical development of the child.

Tiffany and I did one dive with a young teenage guy who carried on like a spanish dancer under water, was a menace, bumping into people (and the coral etc) and was, in my view NOT a great diving companion! All part of life I guess!

PADI has criteria for Juniors - they are sensible!

have fun...

 

[AndrewK2]

I have similar opinions to many here.
Let me jsut start by saying this is my first post and I've been diving since I was 12.
Now I'm 18 and in a week, I'll be in a divemaster class. I started diving on my own and my parents didn't want to. I was obsessed with it at such a young age and the experience I gained through the past years of my life as a diver has been life changing and exciting. The theory and skills learned when I was diving helped a lot in high school and other areas of life and I think diving is an experience kids should be able to take part in if they desire and if they're capable.
I'm not disputing that there are kids that shouldn't be diving just like there are adults, but the limits Padi imposes for the junior certification in my opinion are strict enough and allow kids to gain the necessary experience for diving to greater depths in the future.
In terms of gear, I did have issues with it back then and I would recommend (when I'm an instructor) that if a kid seems fit to dive mentally and physically and I decide to take them on as a student, that they purchase gear to fit them.
I will never refuse to dive with or teach a kid just because they're too young, but I will if they're clueless about the whole deal which is why there's an exam at the end of the course along with the open water dives - to ensure that the divers meet standards. I do agree that some instructors have lower standards than others and that emergency situations are hard to simulate and therefore, a child's reaction to them may be unexpected and dangerous, which is why they need to dive with an adult that is more experienced than they are.
To all the kids who have responded to this and say they are good divers, you've achieved a lot in such an adult dominated sport and maybe adults can learn a lot from some younger divers.

 

[almitywife]

my problem is i dont give our 12yr old niece the credit for the capable person she is becoming. yesterday hubby was giving her some senarios that i thought were too hard and she handled them all well. i for one havent flooded let alone taken my mask off since open water (i know, i know) and she happily diving around doing skills without one on. she even started asking equipment questions that indicated she was heading down a DIR path which totally confused me because our family isnt into the dir theory

 

[ItsBruce]

A bit off topic, but only a bit. ... We talk about kids and skills ... When was the last time you took off your mask underwater?

 

[almitywife]

A bit off topic, but only a bit. ... We talk about kids and skills ... When was the last time you took off your mask underwater?

if asking me specificially - since my ow in 1998! i tried yesterday - ESPECIALLY after having a 12yr old tell me "go on, just relax and give it a try" and failed. i know, i know......

 

[TPreston]

When i did my OW cert. dive there was a kid and i would say he was no older than 10 or 11 and his parents where getting their ow cert. The kid was already cert. and was actually very helpful. As for his gear it fit as well as ours. I have children of my own and i can't wait for the day when they become my dive buddies. I believe it will be a good way to maintain a strong bond between you and your children.

 

[ItsBruce]

A bit off topic, but only a bit. ... We talk about kids and skills ... When was the last time you took off your mask underwater?

Actually, the question was to everyone and anyone. I ask this because my 14 year old (a product of my Grow Your Own Dive Buddy Program) found a pair of sunglasses while on a dive, took off his mask and wore the sunglasses around for a bit. Not only did it look rediculous, it reminded me to question how many divers practice the skill of removing a mask underwater.