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Good question and very thought provoking. I’ve been dreaming of the day when my 5 year old daughter is old enough to join me in the big blue. I never even thought about what would happen if "I" needed to be rescued! I suppose the decision will be a personal decision for each case, as everyone’s abilities and common sense are different. In my case, I am now considering that I will want my daughter to come with me AND another adult buddy just to be safe. Of course that will change as she grows as a diver. Plus I will get her a really loud whistle! :-) Thanks for the question.
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Greg - 2/15/2010 5:57 PM 
I think many 10 year olds have the aptitude to learn scuba diving, but I agree that they don’t make very good "safety" dive buddies. I always suggest that at least two adult divers go along with a younger diver for safety reasons.
I’ve also had to refuse to certify some 10 - 12 year old simply because they wouldn’t pay attention in class. They may be good in the water, but that doesn’t mean they can skip the knowledge portion.
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As a proponent of 2 adults with a junior diver, I’d like to point out something else, in the case of a junior diver and an adult diving alone, where an emergency arises with the adult. It should be considered, not only, whether the child would know what to do to help the adult with the emergency; but also what happens to the child alone after something happens to the adult. Would a child have the ability in a scary situation like that to get themself to safety?
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My son and I got certified together, he was 10 going on 11, I asked for the DM to spend little extra time with him making sure he understood all the training. We spent the first yr diving clear springs to help build his confidence. Never over 30 ft depts., so there was no issue with him having to help dad. We just completed our advance open water and have now done some ocean dives. He has become very confident and I consider him a safe diver. I carry a white slate and I require him to play tic tac toe with me for our safety stop on every dive, even though we did not need them, just to create the habit. Now he is fixing to be 14 and we are now working on our NITOX class. I think it all depends on the child and their understanding. This has been one of the best father son events we share today and glad we have been able to enjoy this sport together. I will say though I do spend my time diving watching ever move he makes, I could not live with the fact if something was to happen to him, so I do enjoy the adult dive trips where I can spend more time enjoying the dive.
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i think its awesome to have kids in the water diving and enjoying the deep blue, but working on a boat i see the occasional 10-12year old come out and get certified. its really hard to put a limit, or say what is wrong or right about this situation because it doesnt just apply to the children, it obviously applies to the parents too. i have seen some kids who are better divers then their parents and i have seen some kids who parents are forcing them in the water. i have seen som parents who stop and do safety checks with their kids, and take all the necessary precautions, and i have seen parents who leave that part up to the kid. i think that if a kid is going to get certified that the parent should go through the training with them (even if they are already certified) so that they can learn together, be safe together, and dive together. that way the instructor can also get an idea of how the parent is, if they are safe, if they are going to push them, if they are there to teach and provide support, or if they are there because THEY want their kid to dive. then based on that the instructor should either continue with training or stop it right there. as for once you are diving and needing other people, well try some ’scenarios’ underwater. see if you child can safetly lift you from the botom. teach them some underwater rescue techniques. if they can safetly bring you up, and know what they are doing, then i think that it is safe to dive with just them. if they cant, then ya you should probably bring some other ’safety’ divers along too. you cant make just one rule to support all children wanting to get certified, it has to be decided case by case.
well, thats wat i believe anyway....lol
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My son has Aspergers disorder (Mild end of Autism Spectrum) for a couple years between 7-10 years of age, he was very excited to learn to dive. The day he turned 10 he got to do a pool SCUBA demo and enjoyed it. However, he says he wants to wait until he’s 12 and get certified through NAUI like his mom. Patiently waiting for my Little Buddy!
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Great topic! Two of our kids dive (14 & 16), we made them both wait until they were 13. We did not agree with the PADI age of 10 and most parents should consider their childs age, size and maturity before consenting to scuba lessons. Our doctor (who also dives) recommended that we keep the dives shallower than 60 feet, their bones are not finished growing and he was concerned about nitrogen build up in the bones leading to arthritis later in life. Plus it makes for much safer diving IMO. We dive as a group of 4 and amazingly, all of us have about the same air consumption. Its a great family sport!!
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I have been teaching for over 30 years and with the new guidelines I think there is a much greater risk for young divers than ever before. I think you are one of the few that understand the problems that could occour with youths in diving. One question: Who would you chose if either of you had a problem while diving with your daughter? Can you be sure your daughter can handle it, unsuperzised, while you or your wife take care of the problem? Life’s experience (age) and the education system, by the age of 12, gives them a little more balance toward handling life’s possible problems. Not all will be as attentive as you both are. The agencies "SELL" books and cards and education is about sales, with a little libility thrown in. We might as Dive Professionals need to re-think the age thing or put very tight controls on the 10 to 12 year olds in diving. The guide lines are there but most agencies don’t have any way to monitor the controls on the age thing until problems and Lawsuits show up. Just a thought.....
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