dm379 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Dh wants to give dd scuba diving lessons for her 11th birthday in a few weeks. It's the youngest you can get certified. Am I crazy for thinking she's too young? Dh and I are both advanced divers with several certifications each. Heck, when she was born I remember us talking about how we couldn't wait to go diving with her. But I've seen grown adults have accidents out there over forgetting something simple. There's no way I would let her go with anybody other than dh or me but accidents happen! Am I crazy or is dh? Would you let your 11 yr. old do it? She's very responsible. Maybe I'm just having a hard time with my baby growing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 My dd is 2 and we want her to be able to scuba dive, but I am where you are when your dd was younger so I don't think that is any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Totally depends on the kid. I want to get ds certified when he is old enough, and honestly I think he would be okay going with me now, but he is very responsible when not around other kids. For some reason the child just loses his mind when he is with other kids :glare:, so NO WAY would I let him go to one of the scuba camps that are popular in this area. But with me there as his buddy, sure. OTOH, if I had any concerns about goofing off or dare-deviling, I would err on the side of caution. At depth is not the place for that kind of lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 If she is a strong swimmer and is interested in the sport, then I would say maybe. That said, she would only dive if BOTH mom and dad were there. Last thing you would want is to put her into a situation where it was her parent that was in trouble and she had to figure out what to do without panicking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I would do it with the restriction that she only went with mom and dad for a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 11 isn't the youngest, or at least it wasn't when my 10 year old got certified back in 2006. No regrets here. He did fine and loves it. Of course, mom or dad was always his diving buddy for the first couple of years, but there were no incidents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Dh wants to give dd scuba diving lessons for her 11th birthday in a few weeks. It's the youngest you can get certified. Am I crazy for thinking she's too young? Dh and I are both advanced divers with several certifications each. Heck, when she was born I remember us talking about how we couldn't wait to go diving with her. But I've seen grown adults have accidents out there over forgetting something simple. There's no way I would let her go with anybody other than dh or me but accidents happen! Am I crazy or is dh? Would you let your 11 yr. old do it? She's very responsible. Maybe I'm just having a hard time with my baby growing up. I actually learned to dive when I was 10! They made an exception for me because my entire family was doing it and I would have been 11 by the time I finished the classes and got my certification. I think it would be okay to let dd learn, especially since ya'll are advanced divers and can be the best dive buddy for her. Not every dive has to be caves or deep water dives, kwim? I don't see anything wrong with doing 30 foot dives and letting her get experience under her belt, a few night dives etc. and let her gain competence. FTR, I wasn't a particularly mature young person, but I was pretty responsible. I have lost my buddy (and whole group for that matter) on a night dive, run out of air, lost my mask and a few other things I'm sure and I was able to handle all of the situations because of the training. It just kicked in and I did what I had been trained to do and I got through everything. :) I'm sure your dd would do even better with two master diver parents looking out for her. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I was beginning to wonder if we were the exception or not, but seriously, there's no "exception" (unless, perhaps, it's local or with a different organization). The minimum age is 10 just as it was back in 2006. I'll confess to looking it up - just in case it had changed - as I didn't want to have wrong info in mind personally. http://www.padi.com/scuba/scuba-diving-guide/start-scuba-diving/scuba-certification-faq/default.aspx Minimum Age: 10 years old Students younger than 15 years, who successfully complete the course qualify for the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification, which they may upgrade to PADI Open Water Diver certification upon reaching 15. You must be at least 13 years old to take scuba lessons online with PADI eLearning, due to international internet laws. If you’re younger, you can still learn to dive – just have your parent or legal guardian contact your local PADI Dive Shop or Resort. My youngest got certified in Feb 2006 (when our whole family got certified). His 10th birthday was Dec 2005. We had no regrets and still have no regrets. We love the underwater world. Whether it's right for every 10 (or 11 or 16) year old depends upon the individual. Mine was adventurous since birth, could swim well, and really wanted to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splash Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 My son, now 17, has been a certified diver since he was 12. He always dives with dh and we've looked at having him take the master diver classes. He is a natural in the water. He loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 IMO, I think I would consider how your dd handles making independent decisions (underwater communications being as limited as they are), how well she handles problem solving, how she handles fear and panic, and how she handles physical stress. I think these things are as important as the technical aspects of diving. In an ideal world, she would never have to handle any of these. In reality, she might have to deal with all of these aspects in one dive. I think many kids could handle the technical stuff, but it takes a good degree fo maturity to be able to manage the rest. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 If you trust your skills and those of the instructor I say do it. She can always begin with shallow dives and progress to deeper depths as she ages or gains new skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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