Should or would you have your children dive with you?

[Bob Vincent]

This subject has many facets. First I've certified numerous kids around the 10 - 12 area. Most were better than their adult mentors. I never had a problem from the young-lings! They had a way at looking at diving as if this is really cool and this is really easy. But, (BIG BUT HERE) I made sure I instilled in them it is very easy as long as we follow these simple rules and practice our skills often.

I was lucky I guess because every young student I had when pulled aside and questioned them found them to very very competent to start training.

Lucky? Maybe. Maybe rotating partners so the kids dive with others so they stand alone and have to step up with the rest of adults as opposed to being under the parents direct care might let the kids spread their wings and perform as best they could.

I didn't get the part as not being ready to dive? If you are certified you should have no problem diving being on vacation as long as you checked the level of the dives you'd be doing. Theres a reason we have Open Water Divers, Advanced Open Water, Specialties, Certifications up to Master Scuba Diver.

I wish all newer divers would commit to memory this statement, "A Open Water Diver Certification is a - license - to start learning how to dive!"

 

[diver 85]

Been doing it since '85 when the 1st one was certified with me & the wife(she was 14 then)....the next 2(boys) were each certified when they turned 12 a few years later.......What was fun was the 1st time all five of us were diving together, I put myself in the middle(@ Grand Cayman) & I looked like a bobble-head doll looking back & forth....but it was FUN........

 

[Missdirected]

Personally, the maturity to handle a rescue wouldnt be my biggest concern. The maturity to handle an attempted rescue with a injury or death of the one attempted rescued would worry me more as far as mentality goes..

That is one of the biggest things running through my head. The emotional and life-long impact of them not being able to help. I am not sure most newly certed parents understand the risks/implications of what is involved. Perhaps to assist, it should be required to have rescue in order to supervise minors, I dunno. I do think many come out under certified and think they can go off into the great blue sea on their own, with everyone in the family having only new OW certs.

 

[mirms1024]

hi i am 12 and in the middle of my ssi diving coarse and when i get certified i can not wait to get in the water with my mom and dad as long as i am not going to dive just cause my dad and mom want me to i think i will be alright i hope my story helps you with yours

 

[johnnyseko]

I can't wait to get my kids certified someday! At 9 and 4, I've got some time and thankfully some experience already under my belt.

I'd think a rescue cert should be minimum if you're diving with kids. I know I got mine because I was thinking I don't want to feel helpless in the water if something ever happens to a loved one.

I never thought of it the other way around, with a child becoming the rescuer. Or a family all getting OW together and then going off diving without a DM or mentor. Seems like the potential for a very bad situation.

 

[ScubaGypsy]

snip.......The key is successful snorkeling and an interest in diving, no matter the age.

As the father of 3 boys who are certified and regular divers, I find this remark to be absolute whether for children or adults. All 3 of my boys snorkeled before they walked and thus on the day that my youngest turned 10, I hired an excellant kid-friendly instructor and my boys were certified in a one week class. Now 3 years later, my oldest son (age 17) is a MSD (in 2006), my second son (age 14) will be a Jr MSD by the end of August (one more specialty and he is done) and my youngest son (age 13) just completed his AOW and has 4 specialties as well. As a family we are active divers as we dive everywhere from New England, Great Lakes, Canada, to NC and all of FL. The benefits that my boys have from diving include the following:
1) Confidence and lack of panic in diving and in life,
2) My oldest son will be a Sr in HS next year and is planning on entering Navy diving for a career,
3) My second son is interested in pursuing a marine biology career,
4) An interest and passion for all things underwater,
5) A family cohesiveness among all of us above water and most especially, underwater,
6) A realization that our limits are the training and experience limits of any member of our dive team,
7) A love and appreciation for dive training including the seriousness it deserves (each of their training courses since OW have been provided as birthday and Christmas gifts).

I'm sure there are many other aspects that I have not included but the overall scope has been all positive for us as individuals and as a family.

 

[Cacia]

The emotional and life-long impact of them not being able to help.

Personally, I think as parents we need to think our children would be really impacted in a negative way, forever, but I am not so sure......

I have seen signs that my children would not miss a beat.

Sure, they would grieve, but as long as you live with gusto, I think they fare better than we might imagine. If I am worried about a dive...I say "well, it's been fun, you have been great kids"...they sorta laugh. My son tells JB on the phone "Try not to die" (Fallujah)
I think talking openly goes a long way.

Not to make light of the situation at all.

But, they mirror our attitudes. Ours is always "I am doing what I want to do...don't cry too long" It relieves the other person a bit.

My friend Jimmy who just died, his kids I think are going to remember a god-like being and a big celebration of his spirit.. I hope anyway.

If you are doing dangerous things with your children, prepare them pychologically for the fact that someone COULD die. Make sure they know this little fact has to be figured in.

It seems to be the total shock of reality that messes people up..adults too. Try and dive in reality as much as possible.

My daughter was with her favorite teacher when he died freediving...this past year. She seems to accept it. Hearing her describe the bubbles leaving his airway as he sunk into the deep, beyond anyone's reach, made me seriously wonder how she would fare.

I know, I know...it is different from your mother or father.

 

[do it easy]

If you are doing dangerous things with your children, prepare them pychologically for the fact that someone COULD die. Make sure they know this little fact has to be figured in.

As a matter of fact, everyone WILL die eventually. Live responsibly.

 

[MI Diver]

I got my 13 year old twins and our 16 year old certified one year ago. When on vacations I have had them undertake additional training. In the beginning I would only dive with them when they where taking some additional training and with a DM. Since that time I have become rescue certified and worked with a few instructors on becoming a better diver. I still do not dive with all of them at the same time unless I have other qualified divers along or a DM but I do feel comfortable enouth to dive with each of them individually. They are very good divers in my opinion and while they can be goofball on the surface sometime they take the sport and the incumbent dangers very seriously and we have a lot of fun.

 

[scubapolly]

Let me try to wager in on what Tracy is trying to get at with this thread. I am not a parent, but have instructed a lot of the under 18 crowd over the past frew years. I worked as a SCUBA instructor at a summer camp I trained a lot of kids without their parents, as well as through my LDS.

Getting your kids certified is not a decision that you should take lightly.

First of all you need to look at the child:
Are they ready to dive physically? Are they big enough that you are going to be able to find properly fitting gear for them? Can they carry a cylinder themself? Can they climb the ladder with all of thier gear on? even in minor waves? After a long dive? If you surface 100 feet behind the boat do they have the strength and stamina to make it back?
Are they ready to dive mentally? Does your student struggle in math and science? (not that if they are struggling they shouldn't take the classes-it might give them a reason to do better in these classes, but these are things you should be aware of before the classes start). Are they able to focus and concentrate?
Are they ready emotionally? Are they responsible? Are they rebelious?

Next we need to look at the parent who will serve as the dive buddy. Are they competent in their diving skills? (I don't like to see parents and their minor children getting certified together). Personally I feel that anyone diving with someone who has a junior cert should at least be rescue certified (actually, my standard comment is if you dive with somebody you don't want to watch die in a diving accident, you sould have a rescue cert). Are the parent's diving style, or activities conducive to having your child diving with you. (i.e. you like diving deep wrecks- can you resist the urge to dive the Spiegle Grove and instead do Christ of the Abyss on your next trip to the Keys?, or are you an avid underwater photographer?) This is also a time to look at the overall heath of the parent-and be realistic, are you a heart attack waiting to happen? Do you struggle on every dive to clear your ears?...... Do you have the finances to be able to afford to go diving with your child on a regular enough basis to keep both their and your skills up. (Is local diving a possibility?- or is every dive going to be a massive expendature?)

Next lets look at the diving team. And this should truely be a team activity, not a parent taking care of a child in the water. Are you both able to physically transport each other (tired diver tow)? Do you have a parent-child relationship that allows you to be equals?

A couple more questions to ask yourself before getting you child certified.
If your kid is having problems clearing their ears on a dive are you willing to call the dive? Are you able to let your child play a role in dive planning or are you going to tell them what the dive is going to be? Are you able to look at dive conditions that you normally wouldn't think twice about getting in with, and calling the dive because they are more than what your child can handdle safely? Are you comfortable having your child in the water (I have seen parents who won't let go of their child's hand during a dive).

If after all of this you still think it is time to get your child certified, you need to consider the training. First the instructor you used for your training might not be the best fit for you child. You want to make sure the child is comfortable with the instructor who will be doing their cert. Will they let you sit in on the class? Who are the classmates in the class? If an LDS in your area offers it, I recomend finding a class for 18 and under. If not, you might want to look at the class dynamics. Is the class filled with PhD mathmaticians.... maybe it might be time to wait until another class. What is the Instructor's policy on students who don't complete the class- if they determine your child isn't ready, can they try it again in a year? I also caution parents against putting a child in a diving class during their school year- If you do make sure it is a class that is drawn out a 5+ week schedule, not the 1 or 2 week everyday class.

A couple more things- I recomend not getting your child certified with a trip already planned and paid for. (Don't book the trip to Hawaii for their checkout dives before they pass their pool classes). I recomend buying gear for your child. The argument is often that the child will grow out of it quickly.... this is only true for the BC, fins, and wetsuit. With wetsuits getting one of the more stretchy kinds (Hyperstretch or the like) will lengthen the amount of time they will be able to use the suit, Strap fins are also much more suited for growing with your child than full foot fins. Dive Rite (and possibly some others) have BCs that will grow with your child- DiveRite's transpac now comes with shoulderstraps which can be repositioned to go from a XS-M and from M-XL. Also with a BC like this the bladder is separate, and they can't grow out of it. Having their own gear will add to their comfort in the water due to the familiarity with it. Also in the long run this limits the per dive costs by not having to rent gear every time. Also as a diver, I am sure you have seen the rental geer that is floating around in some dive destinations....

This is not meant to talk you out of getting your child certified, but rather to pose some questions for you to think about to better determine when to get them certified.