Question for the Junior Divers

[Formerly 45yroldNewbie]

Of the Jr divers here how old were you when you started your OW class and what parts did you find to be the most difficult both book work and practical work in pool or OW checkout?

I ask because my daughter turns ten in March and I'm not 100% sure she is ready. I want to get some youthful opinions and then see what she thinks.

Thanks!

[comet24]

I not a junior diver but the shop I DM with does a scuba camp every summer. This students spend a week at the pool doing the pool/class work and other fun activities. Then go up the the lake on the weekend to do the check out dives. I have never been to the pool part. Real jobs likes it when I show up. But I have done the check out dives at the lake.

The kids as a whole seem to know more then the adults for the check out dives. Now part of this is they just spent a week doing the stuff. They also have less concerns and fear compared to adults. Now the parents are a different story.

My best advice is make sure your daughter wants to do it. Don't push her. Find a instructor that wants to teach kids and can do it right. There are some who are great at teaching adults but not good with kids. It's a hole different approach with kids.

[Formerly 45yroldNewbie]

Originally Posted by comet24

My best advice is make sure your daughter wants to do it. Don't push her. Find a instructor that wants to teach kids and can do it right. There are some who are great at teaching adults but not good with kids. It's a hole different approach with kids.

Thanks for your reply. She and I were supposed to get cert'd together but I couldn't wait. She and I have been talking about diving together since she was 4.

[fireblossom4]

i was certified last summer im 13 now and was 12 then one little piece of advice, make sure the course isnt too rushed i had to do a two day course and it was a terrible rush, the pool work was pretty easy and the book work was very easy but the open water work was terrible, it was terrible visibility and one day it rained, id suggest getting her certified in a saltwater environment that would have helped me SO much

[YoungDiver]

Hi! This will be a long post I warn you now! But it has great information for you and your daughter!

I think I'm pretty good for this question.
Some background on me. I was 9 when I got certified with my dad and my older sister of 3 years. I'm 16 now. I swam competitively, so my dad wasn't worried about it at all. I really didn't have much of a choice, honestly, but it sounded like something fun to do! And boy was I naive. Not that it wasnt fun AT ALL!! I love diving! I really enjoy it. It is something different that not many kids do at my school, and it's fun to brag. Not only that, but it taught me a lot of responsibility. I had to learn to take care of myself, because everyone else was taking care of themselves. I stopped spreading my stuff and stopped depending on other people to do it for me. The thing I wasn't told was the effort that goes into it. It is physically demanding. Getting into your wetsuit during the summer at Table ROck Lake is the absolute worst part about diving. Your gear weighs a ton and you have people telling you what to do and what your doing wrong all the time when you first start out. Now, i dont like to brag, but i'm a dang good diver. I'm comfortable in the water and I started early. I've dove in Florida Keys, Cozumel a couple times, but mostly lakes around missouri.

So, your question. I was 9 when I started open water, and the next summer I became Advanced Open water. I didn't get started in a pool, in fact I have only scuba dived in a pool once after I was certified at Girl Scout Camp, and it was boring. I was mailed the book work, which was very little, and worked through it at home. The next summer I went down to Table Rock Lake State Park Marina and was taught in the lake. This may sound like a bad idea, but it was the best. No kid likes to be lectured in a class room or in a pool. They like to make the mistakes themselves and learn. Standing at 3 feet and making mistakes is excellent.
The hardest thing was getting and keeping my bouyancy.

I'm going to stop here, and if you would like more information, just let me know! I'd be happy to share my experiences with you!

What area do you guys live around and how far are you from Branson, Missouri? If your not far, I'd like to suggest Table Rock Lake State Park Marina. THEY ARE FANTASTIC!! I really don't know how to describe it. My summers are spent down there with the people and diving. It's great. I could go on for hours. Anyway, mainly the people are great with kids. I dive with a lot of little kids, between 10-14, and help them get started on their shore dives. The dive instructor is great with kids and teaching them how to dive. They also offer a discovery scuba class to do for a pinch of diving to get the feel if she is comfortable in the water or not.

PLEASE! Let me know if you want more, like i said i could go on for hours!

YoungDiver

[ScubaGir1]

My very first dive was when I was 12-13. The only thing I remember about troubles was sinking. But that was a "crash course" dive. Meaning I wasn't certified, we got a 30 min. crash course in the pool and then went out. haha

For a ten year old, I'd say the dive tables might be a bit hard if she has to do that as a junior diver, and then any fears she may have about the ocean. Also the swim might be a challenge if she isn't a good swimmer. My parents never worried about that with me because I was a competitive swimmer (did it for 13 years!! ).

[mm2002]

Youngdiver, welcome to the forum. The wife and I are both Table Rock divers. Maybe we'll see ya there some day!

Now, from my experience; When we got certified last summer, there was a 10 yr old boy in our class. He had a lot of trouble with the book work and tests, but in the water he was a fish! He made fewer mistakes, had better buoyancy control, and was generally much more relaxed in the water than any of the adults. By the end of the OW dives, he was a real pleasure to dive with, and I'd trust him as my DB any day of the week!
I don't know if this would be true for all 10 yr olds, but I'll bet they have a lot less worries on their mind, not overly stressed from work, children, bills, etc., so they are just more relaxed and open minded.

[Black-Gorrilla]

im 22 now, and i got cert. when i was an adult already... but there was a 11or12 year old girl in my class... she was pretty good with the book stuff but had a bit of trouble here and there (which makes sense, because some of the stuff is hard to grasp) but she asked questions and figured it all out... then in the pool, just a natural, had never dove before, but was really good in the water, no problems, no panics, no worries. she just did what she was told, and breezed trough pool and OW check out dives. (and her dad is pretty cool too.)

[thecheeseman]

I'm 13-i haven't done my ocean dives yet, but my 13 yr old friend has. We both had an easy time-we did SSI. He isn't such a great student in school, but had fun in the classroom and did great on the test. I don't know what certification agency you're talking about, but SSI's class is easy and fun, and the pool work is easy once you get the hang of it. On my first class I had some trouble with buyonce, but i figured it out. If your daughter is a good swimmer and likes to learn, she should love it!

I agree with comet24-if she doesn't want to do it, she's gonna have more trouble then someone who's trying their best.

Good luck!

[scubasavvy]

I'm 20 and I have a few thoughts about junior diving. First, I think its a great thing that people want to get their kids certified at a young age. Secondly, I think it's an even better thing that the kids want to get involved. I don't have kids, but I thought I might share a few thoughts with you.

It's one thing to say that you had a great instructor and therefore your child is going to the same person. My instructors were wonderful, because they were strict and taught us how to do things properly THE FIRST TIME. I just remember getting things done and getting them done right. There wasn't much laughter until we were out of the pool and could fool around without being at risk for injury. One of my instructors was an ex navy seal and the other was an ex royal air force pilot, so they had a military style about them. I would recommend them to anyone on earth, but to a child or even a young teen, no way.

Even if you feel comfortable with the instructor that you had, your child might not feel the same. I would make your daughter the primary part of the decision process. I'd take her to several dive shops and have her do the talking. Have her write some questions down that she would like the answers to. As a parent, I'd be listening to the responses and getting a feel for these instructors as well. In the end, let her decide. You can make all the suggestions you want, and try to help her out, but remember, if she's not comfortable, she's not going to perform well.

I hope this helps! Tell her we're all pulling for her to get her cert!