Kids diving? No way!

[Louie]

I'm about to embark on the PADI Divemaster course.

Does this mean that if I'm working as a divemaster somewhere, I may be asked to take a ten year old out on a dive? Or is a fully-qualified instructor the only pro allowed to take out someone so young?

How I dread. One of the biggest appeal of diving for me is that it's an adult-orientated activity (liveaboards are great for this - no kids allowed). Also as PADI is often criticised for certifying students too easily, I dread the thought of working with a child who is inadequately trained may be prone to inappropriate behaviour when facing difficulty underwater.

 

[O-ring]

Allowing parental subjectivity into it is a bad idea...it needs to be a mandatory age and I think it should be 18. After all, in a parent's eyes their kid is always the exception, right?

 

[diveaustin]

NOT WHEN YOUR CHILDS LIFE IS ON THE LINE. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS SAFETY.

TO EACH HIS OWN...


MY SON CAN BEAT UP YOU HONOR STUDENT:boxing:

REGARDS

 

[JeffAustin]

By the time I was eight, I was swimming better than most adults, had gone thru the entire Red Cross swimming program, and I could read very well. At age ten when I had an opportunity to try SCUBA, I did. A neighbor had a tank and reg. I could use, a Voit MR-12 and a steel 50 tank. I had been snorkeling for two years at that point. I read "the New Science of Skin and SCUBA Diving" from cover to cover and understood the important stuff; don't hold your breath, don't stay down too long, and in my case, being young, don't go very deep!(my parents added that one) It was a wonderful experience, diving with a tank, floating weightless in the cold, clear waters of Lake Tahoe, a pretty stout memory still, 35 years later. If I told you guys that I spent a lot of that time doing 20 foot dives by myself that summer, you might freak out, but times were different then. Nowadays, it seems that kids can't even ride their bikes to little league practise without parents worrying. Each and every kid is different, and have different abilities, if you have confidence in your kid, let them try in a controlled atmosphere, it's the stuff dreams are made of!

 

[O-ring]

diveaustin once bubbled...
NOT WHEN YOUR CHILDS LIFE IS ON THE LINE. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS SAFETY.

TO EACH HIS OWN...


MY SON CAN BEAT UP YOU HONOR STUDENT:boxing:

REGARDS

I am not saying you are unsafe with your child, I am saying that I think kids shouldn't dive and that if we leave it up to individual parents to decide they are mature enough to dive all of a sudden every 8 year old is mature enough because "My Johnny is so smart, great, special, and mature"..

Sorry if I offended you, but that is my opinion..

 

[diveaustin]

AGREED

 

[raybo]

O-ring once bubbled...

Allowing parental subjectivity into it is a bad idea...it needs to be a mandatory age and I think it should be 18. After all, in a parent's eyes their kid is always the exception, right?

I agree that subjectivity is not good, but believe it or not, some parent do look at there child's acttvities objectively.

Age, to a certain extent, has nothing to do with it. I'm sure you know people, as I do, in their 30's & 40"s that don't have the sense to pour pee out of a boot with the instructions written on the bottom.

I took my first class before you were born, at age 13, when you didn't skate by on a couple of weekends. That course makes today's major certification agency course look like child's play. I was expected to know the material and do the physical skills just like the adults. If you're big enough to haul the stuff around, and if there aren't any shortcuts in the training, I don't think that there should be an age limitation.

In B.C times (Before Children), I had the same attitude. But they change a lot of things in your life.

If you don't have any, you can't understand. diveaustin is right. You'd die in an instant to protect your child from serious harm.

Not every child should be allowed to dive, but not every child should be prevented, either.

 

[diveaustin]

NO OFFENSE TAKEN...JUST TRYING TO LIGHTEN IT UP.
IMHO....
I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ME AND MINE AND THEM ONLY..I CANT SPEAK FOR OTHERS(PARENTS THAT IS) I JUST CANT SEE A GOOD PARENT SAYING THEIR CHILD IS RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO DIVE FOR THE SAKE OF IT WHEN THEY KNEW THAT THEY INDEED WERE NOT READY FOR THE EXPERIENCE.

WHEN SOME FATHER LETS HIS DAUGHTER WEAR ILL FITTING GEAR AND DIVE STRONG CURRENTS THEN HE HAS FAILED AS A PROTECTOR/FATHER BY DEFINITION.

ON THE OTHER HAND WHEN A SET OF PARENTS..BOTH OF WHOM ARE DM'S RESEARCH, TEACH, PROVIDE CONTINUING EDUCATION, AND STEARNLY MONITER THE ACTIVITIES OF THEIR 11 (ALMOST 12 YEAR OLD) SCUBA DIVING IN A SOME WHAT CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT I BELIEVE THAT TO BE A RISK NO GREATER THAN THE ONE WE PUT OURSELVES AT EVERYTIME WE DIVE. BUT NEVER BEYOND 4OFT, NO SURGE/CURRENT , BLUE WATER, TETHERED, AND WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE VERY WELL TRAINED.
HOWEVER IT IS STILL A RISK AND THIS MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED.

18 YEARS OLD IS A BIT CONSERVATIVE DONT YOU THINK? YOU CAN DRIVE A 2 TON CAR ON PUBLIC ROADS AT 16...ROADS YOU DRIVE ON WITH YOUR LOVED ONES.

REGARDS,
MATT

 

[O-ring]

raybo once bubbled...


I agree that subjectivity is not good, but believe it or not, some parent do look at there child's acttvities objectively.

Age, to a certain extent, has nothing to do with it. I'm sure you know people, as I do, in their 30's & 40"s that don't have the sense to pour pee out of a boot with the instructions written on the bottom.

I took my first class before you were born, at age 13, when you didn't skate by on a couple of weekends. That course makes today's major certification agency course look like child's play. I was expected to know the material and do the physical skills just like the adults. If you're big enough to haul the stuff around, and if there aren't any shortcuts in the training, I don't think that there should be an age limitation.

In B.C times (Before Children), I had the same attitude. But they change a lot of things in your life.

If you don't have any, you can't understand. diveaustin is right. You'd die in an instant to protect your child from serious harm.

Not every child should be allowed to dive, but not every child should be prevented, either.

I don't have any. But I figure the only way to make it a reasonable system with checks and balances is to impose an arbitrary age limit. After all we have learned on this board you can't reasonably expect instructors to not pass kids who are not ready...they simply won't do that and will pass them anyway.

 

[O-ring]

diveaustin once bubbled...
NO OFFENSE TAKEN...JUST TRYING TO LIGHTEN IT UP.
IMHO....
I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ME AND MINE AND THEM ONLY..I CANT SPEAK FOR OTHERS(PARENTS THAT IS) I JUST CANT SEE A GOOD PARENT SAYING THEIR CHILD IS RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO DIVE FOR THE SAKE OF IT WHEN THEY KNEW THAT THEY INDEED WERE NOT READY FOR THE EXPERIENCE.

WHEN SOME FATHER LETS HIS DAUGHTER WEAR ILL FITTING GEAR AND DIVE STRONG CURRENTS THEN HE HAS FAILED AS A PROTECTOR/FATHER BY DEFINITION.

ON THE OTHER HAND WHEN A SET OF PARENTS..BOTH OF WHOM ARE DM'S RESEARCH, TEACH, PROVIDE CONTINUING EDUCATION, AND STEARNLY MONITER THE ACTIVITIES OF THEIR 11 (ALMOST 12 YEAR OLD) SCUBA DIVING IN A SOME WHAT CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT I BELIEVE THAT TO BE A RISK NO GREATER THAN THE ONE WE PUT OURSELVES AT EVERYTIME WE DIVE. BUT NEVER BEYOND 4OFT, NO SURGE/CURRENT , BLUE WATER, TETHERED, AND WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE VERY WELL TRAINED.
HOWEVER IT IS STILL A RISK AND THIS MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED.

18 YEARS OLD IS A BIT CONSERVATIVE DONT YOU THINK? YOU CAN DRIVE A 2 TON CAR ON PUBLIC ROADS AT 16...ROADS YOU DRIVE ON WITH YOUR LOVED ONES.

REGARDS,
MATT

Make it 16...