From what age could children dive?

My son of 7 years old desperately wants to dive.
Last yr we convinced him that he should wait until he is 10 years old.

I recently ran into an article which was translated in Dutch.
In this article the conclusion was drawn that is was probably wise to wait until a kid is 16 yr old.
For people who read dutch, here is the link: http://www.duikplas.nl/archief/pg/kinderen_en_duiken.htm

In this article Dr. Carl Edmonds is mentioned as an expert.
If you google: "Dr. Carl Edmonds" children
you will find some interesting stories.
More specific:
When is a person old enough to dive?
How old is too old?
http://www.seasabres.com/%5CSafty-education%5Cage%20and%20diving.htm

Fortunately my son accepted that we should not take unnecessary risk.
Probably he will join me very year to a max depth of 6 feet.

Go to PADI.COM
Click on Begin the Team Adventure:
Virtually anyone who is in good health, reasonably fit, and comfortable in the water can earn a PADI Open Water Diver certification. If you are between 10 and 14 or have a child between these ages, there is a PADI Junior Open Water Diver program available.

Good Luck!

I forgot to tell you that they also have programs available for younger children.

Here's another article, Bob. Click Here

As a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer I can tell you the age for certification for Jr. Open Water Diver is 10. There is no change in course materials for younger divers but I have trained several as young as 11 and some are more apt to pick it up that young and some need to wait a little longer. Its up to the parents and ultimately the instructor.

Aquaman

Otherwise, let him try the Sasy. Although he is not under the surface, everything else is the same as diving....
Have fun
A-M

My son loves the water has has wanted to dive for a long time because his dad and I love it so much. When he was 8 he joined scuba rangers. They teach them basic scuba skills in the pool only. He loved it and had no problem with any of the skills, even mask removal and clearing. Unfortunately, the club didn't last a long time. We decided that 12 would be the earliest we would let him get certified and only then if we felt like he was mature enough. He turns 12 this year and is started his scuba classes in 2 weeks. He is very excited.

I think kids have to be 14 with developed lungs and can only go 40 ft.

Bob, children between 8 and 12 can join the Scuba Rangers (site). If you want to have more info, you can email me privately.

Thank you all for yr reactions.

Until recently I only “knew” the PADI rules.

After reading all articles I’m more aware then before of the risks. There could be medical risks, there are certainly psychological risks. I’ll probably won’t dive alone with a child of 12 years old. Just imagine that a serious problem occurs at 40 feet. Will a 12 year old be physically capable and emotionally mature enough to respond to the unexpected, from strong currents to an out-of-air situation. (out of air happened to me during my second lesson in 1978)

Cecil, that is a very informative link. Thanks 4 posting.

As the mother of a 12-year old diver (certified in Bonaire last year 3 weeks after her 11th birthday), I think the parents' attitude and diving ability has a lot to do with how seriously a child handles diving. I don't think my daughter is prepared for anything beyond easy beginner dives at this time, but she is developing good skills.

On a boat dive to Klein Bonaire last week, my daughter dropped to 70' chasing a fish - I caught up with her & shoved her computer in her face and made it quite known that I was unhappy with her and made her come back to 60'.

On the same dive were a father & 15yr old son that had just been certified 2 days before. They were below my daughter at that time. The DM caught up with them & indicated they needed to come up to 60'. They did, but proceeded to go back to at least 80'. On the boat log they recorded their max depth at 65'. I told them that my computer read 73' & they were at least 10' below me at that point. The father laughed and said he was only at 65'. That sort of attitude is only going to get them both in trouble. I wish the DM had grounded them on the next dive, but he didn't & they proceeded to go well below 60'.

My son just became certified and he is 14 years old. But we all became certified together; I imagine it's a different thing when the parents are experienced divers.

We'd planned to go for our certification when he was 12, and then 13--but were unable to get away.

Now I understand that kids as young as 10 can get their certification--I do think that is awfully young. Obviously, it depends on the maturity, strength, and other abilities of the child in question.

I do wish we had been able to do it sooner, but I don't think my son would have done so well when he was younger. At this age, he was mature enough to admit that he couldn't equalize and had to scrub the dive, for example. He also became the de facto leader of our little threesome--checking in with us re our air supply and herding us in the direction we were supposed to go. (He's not a bit like that on land, I assure you!)

He does complain about the 40' limit (it goes to 60' when they turn 15) but it makes perfect sense to me. He's quite developed--but it doesn't necessarily mean that his lungs or pulmonary system are equally developed, from what I understand. It's always best to err on the side of caution, and this is something they need to learn. I think divers (especially dive masters and instructors) are usually very safety conscious--at least the ones we've met. That's a very good thing and makes the sport more attractive, IMHO.

Sue, I completely agree with you about that irresponsible father and his 15 year old son! It sounds like he needs a good thunk on the head!

Sue, et al.,
Your comments reflect an attitude that is seen in the dive industry - especially where diving is not a 24/7/365 sport. As a DM, and a parent, I don't necessarily agree with the age limitations. My son - very intelligent and athletic - it was a difficult decision on when to allow him to become a diver. He wanted to do this a few years ago. (I can't wait until he tells me he wants to drive a car!). I (and my husband) have been diving for well over 20 years, and just because the child reaches a certain age doesn't mean that they are ready to dive. The other consideration is the conditions - don't forget that 'easy' diving sometimes allows the parents to let their guard's down.

Bonaire is 'easy' so allow your child to dictate the 'rules' for the dive, and stick to them. (as long as they are within with the planned dive). Remind them of their training every chance that you have and focus on the safety of diving.

Train them well and they will sustain the environment and the sport.

It seems the standard answer now days is 10. But at that age, they need to be mature enough to make the right decisions. The problem I see with this way of thinking... Think of the "worst little brat" you ever knew. Possibly a bully that you won't want around other children. The parents of this child usually think he/she is a smart and well-adjusted child. And what parent doesn't think their child is mature enough to do something as "simple" as scuba dive. So asking a parent if their child is mature enough can only give you one answer. And it's usually not an honest answer.

I had my daughter wait until they were 16 to learn to scuba dive. Let me explain: No one will disagree with the statement that pregnant women should not scuba dive. --It's not understood how pressure effects the unborn child. So the next step is how does pressure effect the immature child. There really hasn't been research on children. What we do know is that medication react different on children than adults. So is it possible that gas under pressure could effect the development of a child as they grow. (There is more to it, but you get the idea).

I'm a scuba instructor, and my youngest daughter really wanted to learn. But we waited until our daughters were basically "done growing" before learning to scuba dive. Maybe pressure has no effect on the development of a 10 year old, maybe it does. We thought it better to take the safer route, and look at their best interest, instead of our personal wants.