How do I know if my son is ready for OW?

[Capnhook]

I've sent Natalie and Ivan an email and asked them what they think. I met them at your recommendation actually. Great people. I understand that at the depths I'm considering, it might not be the most fascinating of the area dives, but I think it will be a great intro. I recall from snorkeling the area that there were a few areas with 20-30ft that had some sand interspersed with coral heads that would still blow his mind.

 

[CT-Rich]

I have been wanting to get my kids into diving for a few years. Haven't taken the leap yet (may be this spring if finances work out). I have a lot of respect for the idea of the kid being expected to shoulder responsibility, especially when it comes to things like calling a dive. Ultimately, you are the Dad and the idea of a 10 year old being capable of helping bail you out of a bad situation isn't realistic. With only 15 dives yourself, unforeseen situations are not totally unlikely. I would say let him get certified and do some easy openwater dives with dad and a guide. When I taught my kids free diving, I was surprised and pleased by how they got really turned on by little things like small schools of fish and chasing crabs.

Let your son get his OW, take him on a few easy dives and he has to sit topside while dad does more challenging dives. What he sees and does on the trip this time will make him a BMOC (big man on campus) and what he doesn't get to see will motivate him to demonstrate his maturity for next year.

 

[Diver0001]

Well.... I'll train kids starting at the age of 12 on a modified course schedule (read: essentially private lessons) but I really prefer to have them 14 or older because even at the age of 12 and especially younger their lateral thinking capacity can be somewhat limited as compared to an adult (with wide variations in individual development at this age). As a result, during training you have to be careful to expose kids to a lot of scenarios of things that can go wrong so they don't do something incredibly dangerous when confronted with a novel issue.

That's the big difference between snorkeling and scuba when it comes to youngsters if you ask me. On scuba when something odd/unexpected happens and you don't react adequately, it can start to go down the drain very quickly. You don't get that to nearly the same degree with snorkeling. Point being that you never really know how a young kid is going to respond to the sht hitting the fan until you see it... and the results can vary from "made daddy proud" to doing something bizarre and unexpected.

That said, I think a very shallow dive in near perfect conditions with an experienced DM stuck to him like velcro might be ok, with emphases on very shallow and velcro. My last point; with only 15 dives yourself I would strongly advise you to hire a experienced guide who has prior experience with children specifically to be his buddy. Don't try to do it yourself. Not yet.

R..

 

[diversteve]

One point I brought up in a thread about this recently was gear sizing. Does the shop have smaller kid-sized rental gear? Or are you going to buy it for the trip? And do they rent 60's or smaller tanks?

Here's the thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...t%85-few-questions-because-her-young-age.html

We did find options for kids BCD's like:

Oceanic Explorer Youth BC 08.3003 with reviews at scuba.com
or
Zeagle Ranger Jr BCD discounts on sale Zeagle - you might be able to get more use out of since with their Personal Fit System you can change components as he grows. 24 lbs. of lift in warm water might be functional for a while.

Scuba.com also had a couple of lesser known models. As well as other kids gear - wetsuits etc.

Copied this from Akumal Diveshop's website:

YAL-KU: Situated directly in front of Yal-ku Lagoon, this shallow dive site (20′-50&#8242 is the most famous feeding site around, due to its constant flow of nutrients in and out of the lagoon. Under the extensive and climbing Elkhorn coral structures, there are various tunnels to swim through. Don’t be surprised to see more lobster here than you can count.

 

[C P]

Both of my girls learned at age 10, One I taught (the second one) and one I didn't. Both really wanted to learn which makes a difference. One thing the oldest's instructor did that I thought was very good, was insist I not be involved until they decided she was mature enough and capable. Then they brought me in for the buddy type skills, (sharing air and such) Both in confined and open water. Obviously since I certified the youngest that changed a bit. As an instructor I would hope that I didn't have to work through bad habits taught by well meaning future dive partners who spent time "in a pool showing them the ropes..." first. Unfortunately that happens a lot. You said that you have the opportunity to go to a pool with several instructors from a club. Take him, and you beg off for some reason one night and let the instructor evaluate him. (Arrange it before time) Also consider doing a referral where he gets to do his book and pool work at home, then check outs there.

 

[Scott]

My son seems to be a real natural and took to diving in the Rangers program like he was born to do it, so if he does well in the rest of the pool time we have, am I right in thinking we should give it a go? Thoughts?

You are the only one that really knows your son and the maturity level that he possesses.
When I have parents that wonder if their child is ready for diving I hand them a copy of the article The Younger Diver, The Challenges and Concerns of Childhood Scuba that was published in Dive Training magazine in 2008. They may have published a more recent article but I haven't read it.

 

[tracydr]

One point I brought up in a thread about this recently was gear sizing. Does the shop have smaller kid-sized rental gear? Or are you going to buy it for the trip? And do they rent 60's or smaller tanks?

Here's the thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...t%85-few-questions-because-her-young-age.html

We did find options for kids BCD's like:

Oceanic Explorer Youth BC 08.3003 with reviews at scuba.com
or
Zeagle Ranger Jr BCD discounts on sale Zeagle - you might be able to get more use out of since with their Personal Fit System you can change components as he grows. 24 lbs. of lift in warm water might be functional for a while.

Scuba.com also had a couple of lesser known models. As well as other kids gear - wetsuits etc.

Copied this from Akumal Diveshop's website:

I've never had trouble renting AL63. I choose to rent them for most tropical dives because of their short size. I use steel HP 80s in cold water, which are even shorter.

 

[tajkd]

All diving is not the same. I dove with both my sons in a swimming pool from an early age. I thought only one of them, however, had the maturity to dive and take his OW course at 12 years old. Even then we dove only with DM's privately. While he was young, I was very careful about the location and type of diving we'd do.

 

[faze]

I dive with me 10 year old regularly and in April his younger brother will be joining us - the SEAL Team is a great way to gauge if a youngster is up for it - generally if they love it in the pool then they'll be good for OW.

 

[Diver0001]

Faze, do you teach SEAL team or did you just follow it with your kids? I'm curious to know more about your experiences with it.

R..