There is always a LOT of confusion on what a Jr XXX diver can do. I am a very experienced diver with a daughter that was certified at 11. Currently she is 14 and Jr Rescue w/Nitrox. I have had numerous fights with uninformed or think they know all dive shops about her limitations. I also have contacted PADI directly and received confirmations of what I am stating here. The experiance of the dive buddies of the Jr divers does make a difference in what they should be allowed to do by the parents.
From the C-Cards:
1. Printed on the Jr OW Card: 2 lines.
Line 1: 10-11 - With Parent or PADI Pro 12m/40 (Yes a 40' depth limitation but may go with a parent or pro)
Line 2: 12+ - With Adult. Note that there is no depth nor Parent/Pro limitation. Basically this states that they are able to dive NORMAL OW limits with only an adult. While PADI recommends 60' for OW and some dive shops enforce it, PADI's official depth limit for OW is 120' and this applies to the Jr OW.
I do not think that PADI lacked the ink or space on the card to have printed the same limitations as line 1.
2. Printed on the Jr AOW: Jr Advanced OW Diver Must Dive with Certified Adult. Again, No depth limitations, e.g. PADI's official depth limit of 130' and again I do not think that PADI forgot to print it on this card even though they printed the Adult limitation.
3. Printed on the Jr Rescue Diver: Jr Rescue Diver Must Dive with Certified Adult. Again, No depth limitations, e.g. PADI's official depth limit of 130' and again I do not think that PADI forgot to print it on this card even though they printed the Adult limitation.
The official limitation according to PADI when I questioned them for a Jr diver is 130'. There are considerations for what depth your child should go based on numerous factors including maturity, experience and overall ability to handle themselves. There are also considerations on physiological factors that must be balanced. When I learned to dive, 12 was the age to get a full OW certification without limitations.
When your child turns 15, they are full certified for the level they are certified to, e.g. mine will be a full Rescue Diver. She also possesses a IANTD Jr Nitrox which will convert then. We will convert all of her cards then to full status just to make a point,
In case you cannot tell from my rant on this, some shops have been very receptive to the Jr divers while others like to treat them with false interpretations of their limits. As PADI told me, ultimately there are no limits set on any diver by any agency that is enforced. I doubt anybody here will know of a certification being revoked for going to deep or being too risky (other than revoked by death).
There are limitations on training imposed on instructors, e.g. Jr AOW is limited to 70' for the 'deep' adventure dive. These training limitations are real and can be enforced by revoking the Instructor Certifications. The 'deep' adventure dive does not, however, translate to the maximum depth for a Jr AOW diver. Many training agencies set max depth limits shallower than the certified depth for training. TDI Basic Trimix comes to mind which has a limitation of 150' but a certified depth of 190?'. Also there are possible insurance limitations imposed on the dive operations that do not follow standard OW Recreational limitations of 130'.
