What age to start

[RJP]

People always talk about how mature their 10-year olds are. In fact, I've never heard anyone say that their 10-year old was immature.

Some questions are simple:

Can your 10-year old comprehend the required material? Probably.
Can your 10-year old perform the required skills? Probably.
Can you handle any problem your 10-year old might encounter? Probably.

But other questions aren't so simple:

Can your 10-year old handle any problem YOU might encounter?
Are you OK putting them in that position?

That's the question no one ever asks.

Not saying your 10-year old can't. But you need to ask yourself that question. You need to keep in mind that if you are your 10-year old's buddy... your 10-year old is YOUR buddy.

 

[Nasser]

I know that PADI has the Bubble Maker and PADI SEAL team programs for 8 years and up which are basically kids trying out smaller sized equipment in a pool and getting introduced a little to the world of scuba. My niece got certified last year at age 13 and did a couple of discover scuba dives at age 12. She's very comfortable in the water and swims with the junior national swim team, so I guess diving came naturally to her.

IMHO, I think that 10 years is too young to get a a full junior certification, even if your 10 year old is "mature", but I think the Bubbly Maker programs etc.. is kind of a cool idea for kids under age 12.

 

[maj2]

As has been mentioned, the ideal age is probably different for each child.

I know that PADI has the Bubble Maker and PADI SEAL team programs for 8 years and up which are basically kids trying out smaller sized equipment in a pool and getting introduced a little to the world of scuba.

The BubbleMaker and SEAL programs were very useful in several ways for my daughter, her instructor and I:
a) They let her get a feel for the gear and decide if she was ready for Jr OW
b) They let me get a feel for how she did and if she was ready for Jr OW (at relatively low cost)
c) They let her instructors get a feel for her readiness and ability.

She did Bubblemaker at age 8, and the SEAL programs at age 9 to spread the experiences out as much as possible before she turned 10 and could do her Jr OW.

Bubblemaker consists of some basic skills and a bunch of games, etc. My daughter loved the experience.

The SEAL programs were particularly useful. The first SEAL program went through more OW skills so she would be familiar with them later. The Master SEAL program introduced some things that may eventually come in her Jr AOW course (she did navigation, search and recovery, underwater photography, a night dive in the instructor's backyard pool and I can't recall the other "mission".)

For any parent of a child considering a Jr OW course, I highly recommend DiveMasterDennis' blog on the topic at http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/blogs/divemasterdennis/65-parents-junior-open-water-divers.html

 

[Belzelbub]

My daughter turned 10 very recently. She started in the water at a very young age, and expressed a desire to scuba dive as early as age 5. Waited until she turned 10, then started the classes. The key is to make sure it's something they are really interested in and find the right instructor. That will make all the difference. My daughter is doing her final checkout dives this weekend, and she'll have her Jr OW cert.

Here's a video of her first pool session. It worked out that she was the only one scheduled for class on the week she did this, so she got a few private lessons. Had to join a larger group for the final dives as we got rained out last weekend. Her instructor, and a divemaster (not on the vid) made her feel very comfortable with what she was learning. On her 3rd pool session she was with a larger class, and while she was waiting, she just hung out on the pool and did what the DM was doing. That included finding perfect buoyancy and just hovering a few feet off the bottom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDa5xFvw1us&nohtml5=1
She was so focused on what she was doing in the pool that she didn't even realize that I brought the camera along. When I was editing it on the computer at home, she was totally surprised.

 

[Zeagle Eagle]

My daughter got PADi Junior Open Water certified when she was 10 years old. We did it in Cozumel in a couple of days. I had been working with her in our pool back home for months before we went to COZ. She did have trouble with the tougher parts of the book, tables, physics etc; but, she managed to get through it. She is a great little diver and has all the skills for her to be my buddy. Only you can be the judge of whether she is mature enough to handle diving. I did hire a private instructor for her and he was very good. Here she is on her final open water dive after finding out she is now a PADI diver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfaZsjZ6RlM

 

[RJP]

She was so focused on what she was doing in the pool that she didn't even realize that I brought the camera along. When I was editing it on the computer at home, she was totally surprised.

Focus to the point that you lose awareness of what's going on in the environment around you is called "perceptual narrowing." It's very common in divers, and is particularly problematic when a diver is stressed or overwhelmed. Not saying your daughter was stressed or overwhelmed, but it's something to be on the lookout with any new diver.

The ability of divers to be aware of things in the water follows a fairly set developmental path. To a certain extent, you're not able to meaningfully process the next step until the current step is almost second nature. I forget exactly how PADI breaks it down, but it's essentially...

1. Task
2. Self
3. Environment
4. Others

It takes divers a while to progress through these steps and get to the point where their perception is no longer so narrow that they don't notice that they are descending/ascending when clearing their mask, that the water is getting deeper as they follow that pretty fish, or that their buddy is shooting video of them. Or that their buddy is nowhere in sight.

I don't bring this up to be melodramatic, but these stages are even harder for children to move through. It doesn't matter how mature a child is... they are still a child. And children are - by nature - very task-oriented and very self-oriented. I don't mean this in a "children are self-centered brats" sort of way. Rather the simple, psychological/evolutionary reality is that up until mid-teen years or so a child's focus is very much on meeting their own needs and far less so - if at all - on identifying and meeting the needs of others.

It's hard enough for a new diver to be a good buddy... but it becomes even more challenging when you layer on the simple fact that being a good buddy is essentially contrary to the very nature of being a child.

One of the first things you learn in a parenting class - and one of the first things medical schools teach pediatric residents - is that the reality is that children are not simply "small adults." Diving parents and dive professionals will do well to keep this in mind as well.

 

[Frosty]

The proper answer to your first question is --IT DEPENDS. -Age isn't a reflection of maturity in that age group.
My very strong recommendation to you
if you can afford it is to book for him to do his Junior Open Water training with Big Blue Vanuatu. That's a VERY good dive shop in Port Vila
You would then book and do the theory online.
Then on arrival in Vanuatu tell Mike (the owner) you are not sure your lad has the maturity to do his licence.
The Instructors will take him for his first pool session and assess his maturity.
On that basis they may say. Hey look he isn't mature enough to do a full course BUT how about we take him out for a couple of Discover scuba dives?
He will have already done all the pool training needed for DSD
DSD dives with kids (at Big Blue ) are out at a site called Twin Bommies or Kates corner.
First one is with an instructor after that they are with instructor or divemaster.Yes you guys can go with him on those dives BUT he is strictly under the control of the Instructor/divemaster.-Literally they are right there handhold distance from him.
Both sites give plenty to see actually there are about 5 sites -nice calm water and easy dives but good diving for him.

I promise you will NOT pay for the actual dive portion of the dive course in advance so all you have "lost" is the cost of the theory.
Flip side -he takes to it like a duck to water.Personal experience is that the Ni Van (local) instructors are very professional.
My information above is based on personal experience as dad to 5 divers 2 of which were certified at big blue.
Im also doing my Divemaster certification with them
My family will be there sept 29-oct 10 (school holidays)
if you want specific information Im more than happy to help you.

 

[Bob DBF]

It probably depends on the maturity and motivation of the kid. I say probably because my oldest is 11 and she isn't certified yet so I don't know firsthand. I bought her all the study materials, a travel plate and wing, regulator set and an AL63 but I'm waiting for her to take the initiative to read the book and learn the information. I've been waiting all summer. It may be next summer...

My daughter started diving in college, I just figured it showed good sense on her part since my buddies and I were not the best SCUBA role models while she was growing up. It is great now when we get togather and dive.



Bob

 

[TMHeimer]

On this often discussed topic, most of the usual opinions above can be argued for or against. I've taught hundreds of 11-12 year olds in Band. Including myself at that age, I would not recommend ANY scuba dive. I have assisted a couple of OW classes that had someone that age, because I follow PADI standards. My thinking may be a bit archaic. What's the rush anyway? RJP makes some other very good points. At what age was I maybe ready?--Maybe 15 or 16? Did a lot of snorkelling at 12 though.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

10 is a good age for a small minority of kids. This was my younger son at an age of 10 on one outing.. scuba diving to 80 feet - dealing with a wreck, dealing with strong currents, learning to drive a dive boat etc.

The biggest problem is that I have created a monster - he likes to dive now and bugs me to go too often, although for the last year or so he seems to prefer snorkeling over scuba. I can't really keep up with him now on the breathhold dives.



[video=youtube;w2NcsMdOWLA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2NcsMdOWLA[/video]