2 year old diving ?

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That's really what I wanted to find out. Do the immature eustachian tubes on kids that young make them more vulnerable ? I'd have to think depth would increase ear infections at the very least

Geez, I hesitate to answer as my memory is faulty (beyond don't let kids dive), but I believe there are parts of them that are stiffer than adults. Again, that could be really faulty as this is from a conversation from over a year ago.

If you would talk to a doctor, preferably one versed in dive medicine, they could explain this to you. And then you could correct my poorly communicated statements.

 

[OceanEyes]

I'm sorry , I should've been more clear! The 2 year old wasn't on a tank. Just freedive. The dad took him down like 8 or 10 feet and took him up. U guys think there's any risk to that?

Yes. But the risks can be almost entirely negated by proper protocol, training, and responsible supervision.

 

[zaf88]

Basing your life choices on random video clips seems to me to be inadvisable, criminally negligent, paralyzingly stupid, or exceedingly clever. Each situation requires a modicum of judgement as to whether or not you should emulate what you’ve seen.

You saw a video of a little kid teaching you how to perform a magic trick with a deck of cards, colorful bandana, or bit of string? Go ahead and have your child give it a try. Saw a video of a one-armed guy named Lefty teaching you how to perform a trick with a full gas can, razor blade, and blowtorch? You might want to think twice before you decide to proceed.

Do you really think that is acceptable to for a toddler to breath compressed air at any depth? If you have even the most rudimentary understanding of SCUBA diving, or of children why would you even have to ask?

Oops. I was typing my initial reply when the OP clarified his initial post. I had my son in a pool when he was about a month old, and water-play was an almost daily part of our lives. He was drown-proofed before he could walk, and while still a toddler he could swim to the bottom of a 10’ deep pool to retrieve my watch, then ascend and swim the length of the pool. I was ALWAYS with him, and never tried to push or cajole him to do anything he did not wish or have the capability to do, and insured that it was always fun for him.

At 10 feet his ears didn't give him a problem ??? I have to pop mine every 5 or 6 feet

 

[zaf88]

In my mind kids ears are pretty sensitive. Landing planes w all the babies crying and such.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

At 10 feet his ears didn't give him a problem ??? I have to pop mine every 5 or 6 feet

Mine less than 3. It's great as an instructor as most people don't have as sensitive ears, but I get them to equalize with me as we go down.

 

[zaf88]

Mine less than 3. It's great as an instructor as most people don't have as sensitive ears, but I get them to equalize with me as we go down.

Funny, my ears are getting worse as I get older.

 

[Belzelbub]

When they were babies I was going to do isr! But man was it pricey here in nyc. I think they wanted something like 350$ a week. And each class was like 10 or 15 minutes I think

Yeah, not cheap. I don't recall it being quite that high, but cost of living in NYC is quite a bit different than west coast of FL.

Here's my younger daughter during one of her ISR lessons. She was under 2 years old at this point.

Now, this is more their speed.

 

[OceanEyes]

At 10 feet his ears didn't give him a problem ??? I have to pop mine every 5 or 6 feet

While we have the same anatomical bits, each person has their own particular way of controlling various aspects of their bodies. Some folks can wiggle their ears. Some can wiggle each one independent of the other. Some can clear their ears by simply swallowing, wriggling their lower jaws, or even just sending themselves a slight command to open their eustachian tubes.

I no longer remember how I taught my son to keep his ears cleared all those years ago, but do recall that one essential protocol that I stipulated was that ANY discomfort was a non-negotiable command to ascend.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

I'm a little late, but I'm guessing that OP is referring to this video from The Bucket List Family.

The video itself is short and we can't tell how much time it represents. However, generally speaking... this family produces travel videos for a living and they have several swimming and snorkeling videos. It looks like the adults supervise the children carefully in the water and are familiar with the kids' personalities, limits, and needs.

Is it risky? Everything in water is. Do they appear to be aware of the risk and acting accordingly? Looks like it to me.

 

[Belzelbub]

While we have the same anatomical bits, each person has their own particular way of controlling various aspects of their bodies. Some folks can wiggle their ears. Some can wiggle each one independent of the other. Some can clear their ears by simply swallowing, wriggling their lower jaws, or even just sending themselves a slight command to open their eustachian tubes.

This is a good point. People are different. I can equalize fairly easily, but usually use valsalva as it seems to be the most reliable for me.

But, that reminded me of some kids when I was younger. When they would jump in the pool, they'd have to hold their nose. That always struck me as odd. We had a pool when I was younger, and many of the didn't, but I don't recall ever doing anything consciously to keep water out of my nose. I guess I just learned to exhale a bit when jumping in, but I still don't recall doing this consciously to this day.

Oh, and another comparison. My buddy's kids are even more comfortable in the water than my own are, but his parents have a couple houses in the keys, so they spend each summer there. Anyway, when his younger daughter was around 6, they got boarded by the FWC during lobster season. They were counting, and the officer told my friend that the younger daughter didn't count toward their limit. Luckily, he happened to have video from that day of her diving down around 15', tickling a lobster out of a hole, surfacing for air, and diving back down to grab the lobster.
The FWC officer, watched the video, and told the other officers, that she would count toward the limit.