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

[Simon-]

I note that you requested not to be flamed.

Surely by putting that statement in your OP would suggest that you are not happy with doing it.

From a professional point of view, don't do it. You are not an instructor.

From an insurance point of view, don't do it. You are not an instructor.

From a parent's point of view, don't do it. You are not an instructor.

As mentioned, there are options for 8 year olds to receive instruction, Seal Team, Bubblemaker, Try-Dive etc.

Your young one may have the will, ability and maturity to handle it, but how would you feel if something does go wrong?

 

[spectrum]

Let him blow bubbles in the bathtub. He'll get the idea.

I agree with the others, there.s just to much that can go wrong once you add a little depth.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I note that you requested not to be flamed.

Surely by putting that statement in your OP would suggest that you are not happy with doing it.

.. or he's been around on ScubaBoard long enough to understand that people tend to have strong opinions ...

I've had an 8-year old in the pool on scuba once ... along with her 10-year old brother and both parents, who are diving friends of mine. She did great!

Every kid needs to be evaluated as individuals at that age. The ability to listen and process information varies widely ... and some kids are more ready at 8 than others will be at 10 or 11. You can only determine that by knowing the kid.

In my case, I spent about an hour going over some safety rules, and showing each kid how to put his/her equipment together first. Then I took it apart and said "OK, now you do it". That was a simple test to see how well they were listening to what I'd told them. While they were putting it together, I was asking them questions about what we had talked about. Correct responses meant we were going ... and I was quite clear on that point at the very beginning. Both kids responded by paying attention ... because they really wanted to go.

If you're going to put your kid underwater, that's my recommendation ... spend some time with them outside the pool first, going over the basic safety stuff. Make it clear to them that if they want to do this, it's important to pay attention and take it seriously. Instill a sense of responsibility from the get-go. It's time well spent, and will give you a basis for evaluating whether this kid is ready for a regulator or not.

If at any point, you get the impression that maybe they're not ready ... don't press it. Kids develop at their own pace. I used to be a ski instructor ... specialized in teaching kids ... and had several who weren't ready one season, and then the following season they proved to be wonderful at it.

You wanted opinions ... mine is that you're in a better position to evaluate your child's abilities than anyone on ScubaBoard ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Simon-]

You wanted opinions ... mine is that you're in a better position to evaluate your child's abilities than anyone on ScubaBoard ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

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.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

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.

 

[Rhone Man]

I let my son play in around in our pool with my pony tank when he was 8 (under my supervision). He liked it, so I enrolled him for the PADI Seal course. He enjoyed it tremendously, but the only drawback was by the time he was 10 and he did his OWD he had become "bored" of diving (pre-teen disease), and has moved onto the next thing.

I don't buy the scare stories about embolising your son in 4 feet of water. Yes, you need to be careful, but your biggest risk would be drowning him. A sensible kid who is a good swimmer and in good health will be at negligible risk at that depth. You will know better than some 19 year old instructor who graduating from the class of Last Friday whether or not your son is in fact a sensible boy and will take instructions seriously.

Do I believe a kid could embolise in 4 feet? Sure. But I also know that kids choke to death on popcorn kernels, and I still let my kids eat popcorn. Life is about assessing and understanding risks, not running away from imaginary boogey men.

Bob, don't understand your comments about strong views. Who expresses strong views on SB? :

 

[adurso]

Just a different perspective; myself, and many others on this board, began diving very young with instructions:" Never hold your breath, pinch your nose and blow through it when you start to drop down, swim around, when it gets hard to breathe, pull the lever, never come up faster than your slowest bubble".

And we did just fine.

As Bob suggests, give the child some instructions on ear clearing and breath holding, then have fun.

A formal program, such as the PADI or SSI programs will make it easier for someone who is uncomfortable with the idea of exposing their child to scuba in this fashion.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I let my son play in around in our pool with my pony tank when he was 8 (under my supervision). He liked it, so I enrolled him for the PADI Seal course. He enjoyed it tremendously, but the only drawback was by the time he was 10 and he did his OWD he had become "bored" of diving (pre-teen disease), and has moved onto the next thing.

I don't buy the scare stories about embolising your son in 4 feet of water. Yes, you need to be careful, but your biggest risk would be drowning him. A sensible kid who is a good swimmer and in good health will be at negligible risk at that depth. You will know better than some 19 year old instructor who graduating from the class of Last Friday whether or not your son is in fact a sensible boy and will take instructions seriously.

Do I believe a kid could embolise in 4 feet? Sure. But I also know that kids choke to death on popcorn kernels, and I still let my kids eat popcorn. Life is about assessing and understanding risks, not running away from imaginary boogey men.

Bob, don't understand your comments about strong views. Who expresses strong views on SB? :

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...

 

[Vassilis Vlachopoulos]

...when I tried teaching my own kids to ski it was a failure. They whined and cried.

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.

 

[Stu S.]

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.