Giving an 8 year old a "taste" of scuba.

[JKPAO]

Place him in a life vest or a snorkel vest so he can only submerge his face. Let him try breathing off a reg. no probs.
See you topside! John

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sorry, but I have to disagree.

I am a parent myself, and my youngest daughter certified at 10. Did I teach her? No. Why? Parents often have an inflated view of their child's abilities, as I see when they bring them and ask me to teach their children. I probably turn down more than I accept. Despite their parent's insistance, they just aren't ready.

Many posters on here will recognise that statement. How many times do you get frustrated with your own chilldren, as you believe they are capable of so much more, when the simple fact is, at that time, they may not be capable of so much more.

The best person to judge the child's abilities in this case is an instructor.

Take your youngest to a dive centre and let an instructor talk to you and the young one. Then see what can/cannot be done.

I could not disagree more. I had my oldest kid spearfishing to 60 feet on scuba at 9 yrs old, but the OP is ignorant. To be unaware of the potential for lung over expansion injury in a few feet of water, is indicative of some VERY serious deficits in diving skills. For this reason alone, the dive training should be left to a professional.

8 yrs old is very young. I tried to teach number 2 son too young in the pool and he took a breath, gagged or something and tried to shoot for the surface after spitting the reg..Not sure of his age.

Luckily, I was there holding him and physically held him underwater as he struggled and struggled to reach the surface, but I would not release him until he exhaled. Finally after both of us thought be might drown, he began crying underwater, and I immediately took him to the surface. It was a VERY uncomfortable situation for both of us, and he was not allowed to try again to use the tank in the pool for a year.

He was too immature and it was a major error on my part to allow him to try the gear.

Neither of you apparently read the statement of mine that you quoted.

I said ... "on ScubaBoard".

You CANNOT evaluate a child's readiness on an Internet forum ... you have to do so in person. You have to watch the child, speak to the child, and evaluate the child's responses.

Neither of you know anything about this child ... and even if the parent told you something, you STILL wouldn't know it.

I don't argue that a dive professional would be the appropriate way to learn ... I am arguing that coming onto ScubaBoard and asking for opinions will get you exactly the value of information that you paid for.

Sorry ... but I do trust a parent to know their child better than some anonymous person on an Internet forum ... and to be a better judge of when that child is ready to try an activity like scuba diving.

Just because you're a dive instructor doesn't mean you are in the best position to make that evaluation ... not even, necessarily, in person. I've met way too many dive instructors who are incompetent ... or just not good with kids.

As I said, every child must be evaluated as an individual ... and you just can't do that on an internet forum.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[adurso]

There are plenty of other things a kid at that age should be doing. Go fishing, grow a vegatable garden, work on those soccer skills, learn how to draw.

And, although we call it a sport, SCUBA isn't the same as a youngster getting on a basketball or baseball team.

SCUBA can wait for later. Let 'em have fun with kid stuff while they still are.

And why is SCUBA not "kid stuff"? Is it not "fun"?

 

[adurso]

SNIP
Just because you're a dive instructor doesn't mean you are in the best position to make that evaluation ... not even, necessarily, in person. I've met way too many dive instructors who are incompetent ... or just not good with kids.

SNIP
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Geez Bob, now you have gone and denied the infallibility of scuba instructors.....you will suffer for this....

 

[Simon-]

Right that's it, the questioning of an instructor is just too much to take

Seriously, I did read your statement, which is why I said for the OP to take his child to meet an instructor.

I haven't said that the child is or isn't ready, as you say, no way to do that off the internet.

I have said however, that the OP is not necessarily the best person to judge as to whether or not the child is ready

 

[Rhone Man]

A child's natural reaction is not to choke on a popcorn kernel.

We must understand that the natural reaction to an emergency underwater is to take a great big inhalation, plant our feet securely on the bottom and push off and shoot for the surface as fast as humanly possible... holding our air until we are safely on the surface....

I completely disagree that an over expansion injury is of "negligible risk".

A child is NOT going to drown in a pool on scuba gear if someone is watching them. Prevention of this occurance is entirely under the adults control. The same can not be said for being 100% sure that you can control an instantaneous bolt for the surface. It takes 2 seconds to pop a lung, it is going to take more than 2 minutes to drown a kid... no comparison...if you are vigilant.

Explaining the concept of not holding your breath is easy, so is not locking up the brakes in a car when we start to skid.....Now we all have anti-lock brakes...

I respect your views and your opinion - I just disagree with you. However, I am not going to change your mind, so I won't argue with you.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I respect your views and your opinion - I just disagree with you. However, I am not going to change your mind, so I won't argue with you.

Thanks!, but an attitude like this could DESTROY this place.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Right that's it, the questioning of an instructor is just too much to take

I AM an instructor ... and I team-teach regularly, which involves all of us questioning each other. I'll happily be questioned by someone who's addressing what I actually said.

Seriously, I did read your statement, which is why I said for the OP to take his child to meet an instructor.

I don't disagree ... necessarily ... but it mustn't just be "an instructor". There's instructors out there with less practical experience than some of my AOW students ... and far less common sense. There's instructors out there who will sell a class to anybody ... regardless of qualifications. There's instructors out there who may be superbly qualified to train adults, but wouldn't have a clue how to approach training a child. The parent's job isn't just to evaluate their child's readiness, but also to assure that the instructor chosen for their child's training is up to the task.

But that wasn't the question the parent asked in this case.

I haven't said that the child is or isn't ready, as you say, no way to do that off the internet.

Then you don't disagree with me at all ... because that's really all I said.

I have said however, that the OP is not necessarily the best person to judge as to whether or not the child is ready.

But ... given the circumstances ... the OP is in a far better position than you or I are ... and we're both instructors ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Stu S.]

And why is SCUBA not "kid stuff"? Is it not "fun"?

I have to speak as a parent right now. I saw a lot of benefit in my kids doing team-related sports when they were youngsters. Teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, and learning how to win or lose were all good lessons from sports. At age 7, any boy can get on the soccer team, but if he starts the sport at age 17, it may be difficult. And most boys have more fun playing "king of the hill" on a big pile of dirt than anything else.

Tree house fun is special to a youngster, but you may not regularly visit one yourself. BB guns? Stickball? That's fun for kids.

Diving can be fun and enjoyable at any age. Kids can have fun at it too, but parents should leave plenty of room for those fun parts of childhood that a kid will outgrow.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Having had the same experience, my daughter became a diver through an instructor (who was very keen in me not being present !).

However, once certified, I treated her as any other buddy, going, every so often, through all the drills together. I think that treating her as equal was positive.

I'm curious why your daughter's instructor was very keen on you not being present. When I train kids, I insist on at least one parent being present ... because I'm not just training the child, I'm also training the parent how to dive with the child. They both have to understand the limitations and capabilities of diving with each other. My agency (NAUI) mandates that a diver under the age of 15 either dive with a parent or someone the parent designates to dive with them.

To be sure, a parent can be a distraction to the learning process ... if you allow it to happen. I set some rules. The number one rule is that I'm to do the teaching. If the parent has something to add to the curriculum, they can suggest it to me outside the presence of the child ... but once the class starts, they're to be involved only in the manner I specify. That discussion takes place before I ever agree to train the child, and if the parent is uncomfortable with the ground rules, I recommend they find a different instructor.

As said previously ... when I took the 8 year old in the pool with her 10 year old brother, both parents were present and in the pool diving with us. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh ... and about letting kids have fun ... that girl is now 15, and still talks about how much fun that day in the pool was ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)