Safety Risk for Children on dive boats
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VsubT
Contributor
A lot depends on the kid. We fish a lot, so our son understands boat safety and basic boat handling. Once both of us started diving, we chose ops that offered a private snorkel guide for our son and intentionally picked shallow reef sites that would be fun for him too. Started that around 7-8, and now he’s junior certified at 11. No incidents ever, and the captains mostly comment that he sees divers surface before they do and relays OK signals to them. He’s hauled a more than a few bags of Chesapeake oysters onto the deck too.
That said, there are definitely some kids in that age range I’d not want on board. Oddly enough, the parents of those kids generally behave even worse.
My life would be simpler if I took my son on dive boats. I have not done it, not because I think he will be unsafe or in the way, but because I don’t want him to be present if there is an accident.
One of our local skippers has a story about a pregnant non diving GF on board when the diving father was lost.
One of our local skippers has a story about a pregnant non diving GF on board when the diving father was lost.
In an ideal (to me) world, no bubble watchers, no matter what age, would be on the dive deck mingling with the divers. However, most adults--though certainly not all--are at least able to sit in one place, hold on to something, and be unobtrusive while divers are moving around, the boat is rocking, etc. It's just the nature of young children to have difficulty with the skills of sitting still and holding on.
You are very wise.
As a student skydiving I witnessed a child brought to an LZ have an emotional breakdown when he realized what Dad was intending to do. Dad had brought Son just to watch him jump. Child was 5 - 6 and would have been left unattended while Dad jumped SMH. Dad wisely didn't jump that day.
Some of the guys I worked with went for a dive on the wrecks out of Nanaimo, and one of the guys brought his young kids along (don't know their ages). Unfortunately one of the divers had a medical incident, was brought up from the wreck, and life saving measures were instituted on the boat. Despite everyone's best efforts, the diver passed away before reaching the hospital.
Although I believe that they were sheltered from the incident as much as possible, the kids on board had to experience it. That would be my biggest fear of bringing kids on board a dive boat.Divegoose
2airishuman
Contributor
I think kids are great.
Kids, dive boats, and waters are all highly variable so the real answer is based on discerning judgment rather than blanket rules. Some kids grow up around water and boats. Some kids are lower maintenance than some adults.
Just remember, Wookie, with the safety practices you follow, you are likely to live long enough to reach your second childhood.
Kids, dive boats, and waters are all highly variable so the real answer is based on discerning judgment rather than blanket rules. Some kids grow up around water and boats. Some kids are lower maintenance than some adults.
Just remember, Wookie, with the safety practices you follow, you are likely to live long enough to reach your second childhood.
2airishuman
Contributor
efore reaching the hospital.
I would not agree that witnessing a death (or its aftermath) due to medical causes is necessarily a bad thing for children.
A commercial dive operator, which is what I understood this thread to be about, can't make decisions on a case-by-case basis. They need to have a blanket rule.
Kids are fine, unless they cry. Then to Davy Jones with them....
In all seriousness though, just make sure they don't get hit in the head by someone swinging their tank around. I grew boating a ton, on our family boat, fishing charters, dive charters on vacation, etc. We never got hurt or caused any inconvenience to anyone else.
Some of my best memories are reeling in my first yellowtail when I was like 8, boat diving Cozumel when I was 12ish and my brother was 10, and just boating in general. Bring your kids and let them have the experience. They're likely to get into diving down the line if they grow up watching their role models do it.
In all seriousness though, just make sure they don't get hit in the head by someone swinging their tank around. I grew boating a ton, on our family boat, fishing charters, dive charters on vacation, etc. We never got hurt or caused any inconvenience to anyone else.
Some of my best memories are reeling in my first yellowtail when I was like 8, boat diving Cozumel when I was 12ish and my brother was 10, and just boating in general. Bring your kids and let them have the experience. They're likely to get into diving down the line if they grow up watching their role models do it.
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