Quote:
Originally Posted by lmparr
I have two sons, ages 9 & 11, that I would like to get certified to go diving with me. Does anyone have recommendations on whether or not diving with children is a good/bad idea?
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I've got kids. My youngest is 9. Nine is just to young. The other is 17 and took the class some time ago.
First off even 11 is quite yong and I'm told by instructors the most kids that age will not pass the OW class. The PADI text book is written at about the level of a middle school science class. Could your 11 year old do 7th or 8th grade science? Many can. many can't so it's a reasonable question. Next problem is just plain physical size. Can they lift the equipment. If an adult has to help them set up and get in and out of the water then they have not passed the OW class because some of the required skills are setting up equipment and getting in and out of the water. But some 11 year olds can do all the adult level skills without help and some can read the book and pass the written test.
Many instructors would only teach an 11 year old as a private student. One problem is simply that the 11 YO can not really act as a buddy for the other adult students so you'd need a DM as stand in as a buddy for all the share air drills and so on.
But,... OK say the 11 year old passed OW and has a c-card. At that age he will have to dive with a buddy who is either a parent or a "profesional" (DM or instructor) If you are the parent and buddy are YOU qualified to supervise a new diver? Have you had any training in diver supervision and know what to look for and what to do?
Now reverse the viewpoint: There is just no way an 11 year old is going to be all that helpful in an emergency situation or as a rescuer. If you dive with him you are actually at greater risk than if your were diving solo. Would you solo dive? (many divers do) If you dive with a newly certified kid you are going to be one "way task loaded" solor diver. Nothing wrong with this if you are up to it.
So if you put the kid in a private class and after then only dives with a "profesional buddy" then it would be safe. But talk about "expensive".
Bottom line is that in order to dive with your own very young chld both you and the kid have to be "exceptinal" the kid has to be bigger and stronger and way smarter than others his age and the parent must be a lot more experianced than the typical twice a year "vacation diver".
But it could work I took an AOW class years ago with a 12 year old girl who was very good and her dad was up to the task of supervision too. but most mostly I'd say "wait"
What I told my son who kept asking about scuba classes was
OK yes. we will sign you up for class as soon as you read the PADI Open Water manual and answer all the questions inside. Well for a long time he just could not do that. the book is, as I said written to a (approx.) 8th grade level. He was in middle school when he took the OW class. This works much better than saying "no you are to little" kids hate that. Telling them to read this big hard book puts in on them
The other thing is that they will need to dive frequently after OW class if they are to retain skils. can you take them diving every few weeks (at least) for the next few years. You will likely have to buy a new wetsuit every year as well as fins and boots nd other gear as they grow.