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Posted: 5/29/2018 10:43:40 AM EDT
[#1]
Thats some indulgence
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Posted: 5/29/2018 11:13:17 AM EDT
[#2]
Are you a diver? PADI JR open water diver program
You might check out a Discover Scuba program which is an introduction to SCUBA, not an actual certification. |
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Posted: 5/29/2018 11:18:44 AM EDT
[#3]
I would say snorkeling until 13 or so. I wouldn't put a 10 year old on air outside of a pool.
Former military SCUBA diver FWIW |
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Posted: 5/29/2018 11:35:21 AM EDT
[#4]
My kids started at ten.
There are several things to take into consideration: The child's maturity, the child's ability to handle stress, the adult's experience and comfort level. My kids were restricted to easy, warm water, shallow dives until they were older. I had been diving under a variety of conditions for twenty years when they were certified. As the adult your focus will always be on the child diving with you. There are physical considerations as well, the effect of pressure on growth, the effects of micro bubbles, and stress. There is a ton of information out there. The instructor is important as well. With all of this said, there is nothing to compare to the joy of watching a child discover the wonders of the underwater world. Also, scuba diving, I believe, gives a child confidence along with some educational benefits. |
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Posted: 5/29/2018 12:30:51 PM EDT
[#5]
I think he is too young to be honest. Try snorkling instead.
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Posted: 5/29/2018 6:37:19 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I think he is too young to be honest. Try snorkling instead. |
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Posted: 5/29/2018 6:49:49 PM EDT
[#7]
My son started diving in a pool at 8. Like a poster above said, it all depends on their maturity level, but if they're comfortable swimming / snorkeling, they should be fine diving too. PADI has a "Seal Team" program that teaches the basics and lets them complete different skills all in a pool starting at 8 years old.
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Posted: 5/29/2018 7:17:43 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would say snorkeling until 13 or so. I wouldn't put a 10 year old on air outside of a pool. Former military SCUBA diver FWIW PADI diver since 1983. |
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Posted: 5/29/2018 8:18:43 PM EDT
[#9]
I'm a retired PADI and IDEA instructor and have taught numerous kids 10 and up to dive. The certification they received restricted them to diving with an adult until they were 16 when they could convert to an Open water certification.
My test for doing this was simple: If the kid could snorkel and go under and not aspirate water on surfacing and could pass a simple swim test, I would teach him/her along with the parents or older (16+) sibling(s). I NEVER taught Junior classes with other adults- other than the family member(s)- due to the attention that was necessary and I limited their initial bottom times to 15-20 minutes until the final dive, where I allowed no more than 40 minutes. Maximum depth was kept to 25'. Personally, I was certified at 11 at the YMCA 47 years ago. |
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Posted: 5/30/2018 8:30:39 AM EDT
[#10]
those PADI Seal Team classes sound neat!
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Posted: 1/6/2019 11:45:58 PM EDT
[#11]
He’ll be old enough very soon. You can at least go snorkeling and get him some good material to read.
FWIW, I started my basic certification course when I was 13, and turned 14 before the end of the course, and got certified then. Didn’t do much diving during those first few years, though. |
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Posted: 1/7/2019 1:11:29 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would say snorkeling until 13 or so. I wouldn't put a 10 year old on air outside of a pool. Former military SCUBA diver FWIW He'll still be the coolest kid in school to get certified at 13, plus he'll have a better grasp on the math needed, and will be better sized to handle the gear. A standard 80 cu ft tank is probably almost as big as he is now. |
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Posted: 1/7/2019 9:12:44 AM EDT
[#13]
Take a look at both his and your own maturity level. I say you since you'll be his dive buddy and he'll be going where you'll be going. I've seen some very stupid parents drag their kids into caverns/caves and the kids couldn't have been more than 10-12 at the most. I've also seen some very stupid stuff on the reef. If neither of you is apt to a hold my beer and watch this moment then I'd maybe say yes, otherwise give it some time.
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Posted: 1/7/2019 9:23:42 AM EDT
[#14]
When I got certified, my first several dives were in a swimming pool. The next few actual dives were so focused on technique and procedure that I was too busy to really see anything. You only have so much air and can only stay underwater for so long due to decompression issues that you really don't have time to do anything else.
A trip to Florida would have been wasted IMHO. Get certified first. Then go on diving vacations. You will enjoy it more. |
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Posted: 5/31/2019 10:07:30 PM EDT
[#15]
My youngest just got his cert and he’s 11. Truth be told he’s been diving in our pool for a couple of years so he knows the equipment. I will say this, I go with him and stay on him like a hawk monitoring his depth and air constantly though he does fine. Being in the water with my kids takes away from some of the enjoyment of diving because I put myself in the role of his personal dive guide but if you’re willing to accept that responsibility why not?
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Posted: 6/1/2019 8:20:02 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm starting to agree with you guys Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I think he is too young to be honest. Try snorkling instead. Not a huge issue. 60 is the limit for OW. I say do it. It'll be a good parent-kid bonding experience. If you can, do the eLearning before you make the trip to Florida and get as much of the course work done ahead of time... but not too far ahead that it's not fresh in your mind. Depending on the dive shop you should do a review of the material before you start confined water. Don't let the instructor rush you through anything the two of you are not comfortable with. I'm not familiar with the area but I'm sure there are plenty of good dive spots at 40ft. Especially since you'll still be new divers. Just the feeling of breathing underwater at any depth is fun enough when you're first starting out. |
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Posted: 6/1/2019 8:32:47 PM EDT
[#17]
I started at 13. Another kid in my class was same age. Everyone else was 17-20 or so. I didn’t have any trouble, but 10 seems a little young to me. It’s not like he can ask for advice when 25 feet down.
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Posted: 6/2/2019 7:42:28 PM EDT
[#18]
I did PADI Jr at 14, my brother was 13.
Same program as adults, we did ok. The rest of our class was Marines on Okinawa. Diving is awesome but we needed to be watched. Once I hit the magic age, I sent PADI a letter and they sent me the normal open water license. 10 sounds young. Make sure they're a very good swimmer, comfortable in and under the water...but I'd probably focus on snorkling and skin diving for a bit. |
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Posted: 6/11/2019 9:07:27 PM EDT
[#19]
I got my cert at 14 after almost drowning I screwed up and headed for the surface the last thing I remember was the instructor grabbing my ankle and me sucking in water. The next thing I know I am laying on the dock on my back choking on water and someone rolling me onto my side to cough it out. The instructor had a talk with me and I convince him to give me another chance and got the exercise right that time.
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Posted: 8/20/2019 8:27:04 PM EDT
[#20]
I've had my daughter on scuba in the pool since she was 4. She was already free diving to 15ft at 7. If she wants to get certified at 10 it will be her choice. Honestly, the course work will be harder for her than the pool/ocean skills.
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