Age limit for diving in Canaries?

[J G Beattie]

Can anyone confirm the diving age restriction of 16 in the Canaries? There is some confusing info on the Los Gigantes Diving Centre. www.divingtenerife.co.uk

[Wendy Male]

I don't know about the other canary islands but as far as I know there is no age limit in lanzarote. Both my children have dived there without any problems since qualifying - youngest was 12 when she first dived ther.

[J G Beattie]

I don't know about the other canary islands but as far as I know there is no age limit in lanzarote. Both my children have dived there without any problems since qualifying - youngest was 12 when she first dived ther.

Hi again. Just received a confirmation Email from Los Gigantes rep in UK. Spanish law states divers must be +16! I do not know if this is recent. Surprised, as my 14 year old son dove in Lanzarote 2 years ago.

I do not think this is widely known or maybe the dive centers turn a blind eye!

Garry

[Nick Kay]

I'm going to Tenerife at Easter - my son will be 14 & Ocean Diver and wants to dive out there. Are there any schools/dive centres that will take him?

[TerryH]

I'm going to Tenerife at Easter - my son will be 14 & Ocean Diver and wants to dive out there. Are there any schools/dive centres that will take him?

As Tenerife has a large number of illegal dive centers, chances
are that you could take a 10 year old diving if you wanted!
Which is why its a very good idea to do (as you are) your
homework. I would suggest that you concentrate on BSAC/PADI
schools rather than just PADI. They will understand your sons skill levels more.

Checkout:
Island Divers (Play de las Americas)
<a href="http://www.island-divers.com/" >http://www.island-divers.com/</a>

Los Gigantes Dive Center (Los Gigantes).
<a href="http://www.divingtenerife.co.uk/" >http://www.divingtenerife.co.uk/</a>

HTH
TerryH

[J G Beattie]

I'm going to Tenerife at Easter - my son will be 14 & Ocean Diver and wants to dive out there. Are there any schools/dive centres that will take him?

I recieved this from Los Gigantes Diving Centre.....

"Hello Gary
Recently, the PADI Rep. for Spain was in consultation with the appropriate governmental office & has clarified to dive centres that the age limit for diving in Spain, by law, is 16. It has always been 16, all dive centres have been breaking the law by taking under age divers. Now that we are aware of the situation, we must comply.
This has put us in a bad position because, although we do not want to appear restrictive & turn away business, the consequences of something going wrong with an underage diver would be dire, involving fines, prison, void insurances & the loss of our entire business, prospects which I do not relish.
Please understand our position & take it as a measure of our professional integrity that we wish to operate within the law. There are, I?m sure, other outfits who will be prepared to break the law for financial gain.
Many regards
Nev Widdrington
Los Gigantes Diving Centre"

Looks like my family and I will not be diving in Spain's waters. The risk is too great.... personal diving insurance implications also. I have seen no information about this on the BSAC web site.

BSAC434..... Chairman

[TerryH]

Have you tried the FEDAS site?

Looks like its ok from 10 years old in the spanish federation.
They also use CMAS standards and PADI have a reciprocal
arrangement with CMAS.

Something dodgy going on!!!!!!

<a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.fedas.es/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFEDAS%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG" > <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.fedas.es/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFEDAS%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG" >http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.fedas.es/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFEDAS%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG</a></a>

TerryH

PS: You might have to press refresh a bit. If that doesnt work
go to diving on left menu. Then Courses. Then 1st Scuba. Lots
of pictures of happy kids learning scuba and an absolute
confirmation of 10 years of age.

[Nick Kay]

1) Checked out the FEDAS website (as suggested on another post) - it states that the minimum age is 14...

Island Divers (Play de las Americas)
<a href="http://www.island-divers.com/" > <a href="http://www.island-divers.com/" >http://www.island-divers.com/</a></a>
Spoke with these people - they said the minimum age is 14 and that my son is OK to dive with them

Los Gigantes Dive Center (Los Gigantes).
<a href="http://www.divingtenerife.co.uk/" > <a href="http://www.divingtenerife.co.uk/" >http://www.divingtenerife.co.uk/</a></a>
Spoke with these people - wouldn't budge on the minimum 16 requirement... I'm guessing they either don't know the Law (unlikely) or (more likely) they just don't want 14/15 year old divers...

Looks like we'll be diving with Island Divers.

[Nick Kay]

Can anyone confirm the diving age restriction of 16 in the Canaries? There is some confusing info on the Los Gigantes Diving Centre. www.divingtenerife.co.uk

Just got back from Santiago/Tenerife. Dived with the Spanish Dice Centre in the Marina at Los Gigantes who accepted my son's OD qualification at 14. They were taking out 4-6 boat loads per day!

LGDC still refused to accept that FEDAS state 14 is the minimum not 16 as they (LGDC) insist.

Anyway, I had 4 dives, my son had 5, we hired one full set of kit (for me) and he used his own. Total cost 205Euros.

Diving was OK, plenty of fish (including pet Rays), coral not much to look at.

Only real problem encountered was the vicious (and I do mean vicious) current on the last day (and the sunburn)

If you're in Los Gigantes / Santiago / Playa Las Arenas, then they're well worth looking into

[Alison boler]

I'm not having any trouble with this. We are going to Tenerife in October and my two daughters 11 (12 by then) and 13 are diving with us. We are with Atlantic Divers (BSAC and PADI) school near Los Cristianos. They couldn't be more helpful actually, have small cylinders, small wetsuits of various thicknesses and all that included in the diving price. Saves us buying thicker wetsuits for them, especially the younger one who seems to shoot upwards every time I turn my back.

FEDAS schools have taught children as young as 10 for donkey's years, so I cannot quite understand how anyone can state that 16 is the legal age. Very odd. Suspect that Los Gigantes just doesn't want to take kids out which is absolutely fair enough. Maybe the dive sites they go to are unsuitable, or it's too difficult to schedule the boats with kids onboard needing shallow sites. It would be more honest to say so though wouldn't it. Misinformation like that puts me off wanting to dive with them.

Allie

[seamonkey]

I am a freelance PADI instructor in Tenerife and would like to clarify the laws about age here (and in all other Spanish territories). The minimum age for an individual to be put in a "hyperbaric environment" is 16; FACT. No dive organisation can over-rule the law of the country that they are operating in. The fact that Los Gigantes Dive Centre will not take under 16's diving is simply because they are a reputable outfit operating within the law... not becuase they can't be bothered. I know PADI is putting pressure on to change the law but at the moment, the law stands.
Yes, dive centres are willing to break the law and just because you get the service you want, by allowing your children to dive, doesn't make those who abide by the law, dificult or awkward. They are just providing proper service.
We would all like to share our passion for diving with young people but until the law is changed, sadly, we cannot.
What is also worth mentioning is, it is illegal in Spain (and also plain stupidity) to leave your dive-boat unattended during a dive. You don't need to do very many dives here to see plenty of dive boats left unattended. They will also very probably take your children diving!

[Alison boler]

Hi Seamonkey,

Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps you would like to clarify for us the published stance of FEDAS, the Spanish governing body for scuba diving, CMAS recognised body etc who seem to have their website festooned with information about taking children and young teenagers diving. Why, I note that not only do they have qualification certs for the 10 year olds but they also offer CMAS 1 star diver and all the other CMAS training programs to young teenagers. In fact they offer 3star to 16 year olds, so it is a bit strange if that's the youngest age you can go diving.

Not doubting what you say, but clearly something isn't adding up. You would think the CMAS Spanish federation would know what the law was relative to diving within its own country, wouldn't you??? Blimey, perhaps someone ought to tell them that they are breaking the law and enticing others to do likewise.

Not sure what you are getting at regarding the comment about dive boats being left unattended, unless (bg) you are trying to tell me that Atlantic Divers, who I note are a PADI 5 star IDC center, a Gold Palm resort and a BSAC school, are in the habit of doing this????

Why don't you reveal your true identity? Your anonymous nametag sort of leaves me wondering...

Allie

[Alison boler]

Sorry Seamonkey, I realise now that if I look at the email properties of your message I can see that you aren't anonymous but are in fact Andy Mcleod who is indeed a PADI instructor in Tenerife as well as being a film cameraman. However, this has confused me even more because I notice that the Aqua Marina dive centre where you seem to work clearly takes children diving. There are pictures on the website and an article in November 2002 Diver magazine.

So, I dunno. There is clearly some confusion. You and Los Gigantes say under 16 is illegal in Spain. The Spanish Federation say it isn't. But whatever the truth, the vast majority of dive centres seem to be offering it quite publicly - they're actually advertising it, there's nothing under the counter about it. And I think you will agree that its not just irresponsible and illegal dive centres.

Anyway, we're all really looking forward to our visit and the diving. Maybe it will all become clear by then.

Allie

[John Bantin]

Alison,
You seem to be applying English cultural attitudes to a Spanish situation.
I ran a dive centre in Spain for years when it was literally impossible to be legal. Check with dive centres that operated in the 1980s to confirm this. I did it with the blessing of the local Chief of Guardia Civil who administered the rules at the time. I was also a member of FEBAS (FEDAS) at the time.
Spain has a lot of rules from laws imposed under Franco. For example: Did you know that certainly until recently it was illegal to fish in the sea without a permit issued by the Guardia Civil (or previously by the Comandancia de Marinas)?- yet every Sunday thousands of Spaniards did and still do!
The fact of the matter is that the Spanish are very pragmatic when it comes to applying rules. If you get stopped and fined for not wearing a crash-hat on your motorbike, you are still allowed to complete your journey without it.
So while on the one hand something might be illegal, on the other hand everyone might be doing it.

[seamonkey2]

Thank you Allie for respecting my privacy. :) I am a freelance instructor and I do work occasionally for Aqua-marina.
The situation about age limits for diving in Spain was brought to light by PADI Europe's Legal Advisor in Spain at the begining of the year, as Neville at Los Gigantes pointed out. It was a suprise to all the PADI members on the island and those who have acted on this, like Aqua-Marina, LGDC and other dive centres that I have discussed this with, can only be regarded as being reponsible.
The link to the Aqua-marina forum was about a Junior Open Water diver who dived there in June 2002, before the PADI information came to light.
More importantly, the original reason for posting my reply was to respond to your comments about being "put off" diving with Los Gigantes Dive Centre for putting about "mis-information". As I said before, they are a very reputable out-fit and anyone reading your posting could be receiving real "mis-information" about them. As for your comments about Atlantic Divers, I can assure you they do have boat cover and they are also a highly respected dive centre.
My afterthought about having personnel on boat duty was to advise anyone diving here to make sure that this is part of the service the are getting. It is also illeagal not to and, in my opinion, more serious than taking a certified 15 year old diving.
Yes, FEDAS do have a recommended age of 14 for a 1* rating. Why? I can't answer that... we are all a bit confused.
If anyone would like the email address of PADI's Spanish Legal Advisor then please mail me and I will pass it on.
Meantime I can say the diving here in Tenerife is excellent and I hope you enjoy your holiday.
Regards,
Andy

[Alison boler]

Hi John,

No, you are misunderstanding me completely. Having worked in both Spain and France I am only too well aware that the Latin attitude to lawmaking is totally at variance with the Anglo Saxon. If the English make a law, they argue fiercely over it first because they fully expect to obey it to the letter once it is enacted. In France and Spain, they make lots of laws in a more casual manner (this sounds patronising when I write it, but it is only what nationals of those countries have said to me and it doesn't sound that way when you say it with an affectionate smile) because they don't ever expect to have to necessarily obey the law. Frankly the law in most Mediterranean countries is an absolute hodgepodge built up and not rationalised in hundreds of years - and that's the way they like it. !!! Look at the laws in France regarding smoking in public places!! Try using the argument "but it's the law" in a dispute and see the reaction. Its a shrug and a grin. And you have mentioned other examples. There are hundreds.

So, I was merely pointing out that there is obviously considerable dichotomy between what may be one particular law, in contrast with other laws, in contrast with the published programme and advice of the governing body in contrast with actual practice. It is others who are saying that there is black and white on this issue and that any school who offers diving to the under 16s is irresponsible and disreputable, not to mention illegal. Sorry, too many big names publicly involved for that to be the case. Irresponsible/illegal behaviour tends to be arranged in a face to face/whispered aside, not blasted across the website and on official literature. What is clear out of all this legal confusion is that most, many - call it what you will - diving operations in Spain take the under 16s diving, FEDAS has had an entire programme for the 10+s with certification for donkey's years, and its happening on the ground every day. Importantly, you can get insurance to cover the activity.

I think I'm happy to leave it like that rather than delve into the labyrinth of the Spanish legal system.

Cheers

Allie

[John Bantin]

So, like a lot of things in Spain, it might not be legal but it certainly can be possible!

Alas, I fear the ideal of a single Europe will never materialise while there are such cultural differences between its peoples.