Diving with kids

[?????????]

A friend of mine has just mailed me to tell me that his 13 year old son has passed his PADI Open Water Divers course so that he can keep up with his sisters and dive on holidays. He wants to know if I would be willing to dive with him. Since I'm a firm believer that diving starts at 18 yrs (It's a rescue skills and preserving my life thing) do I tell him no way Jose or take him for a bubble to keep him in the sport?
Answers on a post card, fights behind the bike shed.
Cheers all,
Pete

[Dave]

A friend of mine has just mailed me to tell me that his 13 year old son has passed his PADI Open Water Divers course so that he can keep up with his sisters and dive on holidays. He wants to know if I would be willing to dive with him. Since I'm a firm believer that diving starts at 18 yrs (It's a rescue skills and preserving my life thing) do I tell him no way Jose or take him for a bubble to keep him in the sport?
Answers on a post card, fights behind the bike shed.

It's your choice.

Personally I would have no qualms about it; no difference imo to taking a 13 y/o POW diver to taking an 18 y/o POW diver. In either case, <18 or 18+, I would look at how he comes across as a diver to how happy I would be to take him out.


Dave

[Tony Dwyer]

Personally I would have no qualms about it; no difference imo to taking a 13 y/o POW diver to taking an 18 y/o POW diver. In either case, <18 or 18+, I would look at how he comes across as a diver to how happy I would be to take him out.


Dave

There's a huge difference. One is an adult, legally responsible for him/herself, the other is a minor for who you must accept total responsibility while in the water.

However, I would be prepared to dive with the 13 year old. In fact I've dived with a 12 year old. She was confident and exuberant and in my opinion a better diver than her father, who was alledgedly a PADI Dive Master.

regards

Tony
BSAC nut and PADI OWSI (insert large grin here - emoticons don't work!)

[Nigel Hewitt]

do I tell him no way Jose or take him for a bubble to keep him in the sport?

He is now qualified. He will go diving. Would you rather he dived with you and picked up your dive style or with some kid his age with similar experience?

'Best available' may not be 'Best' in the real world but it is still a whole lot better than 'worst'.

nigelH

[Kevyn Bodman]

:= do I tell him no way Jose or take him for a bubble to keep him in the sport?
:

Don't dive with him if your personal rule,based on whatever reasons you deem appropriate,is that diving begins at 18.
You are not responsible for the fact that he might chose an alternative buddy if you don't take him.
We tell divers right from the beginning of their training not to be presured into making a dive they are not happpy with;the same advice should apply to those of us who are more experienced.

I have dived with a 12 year old whose water skils in benign conditions were fine,but it was noticeable that her concentration on the fish spotting we had agreed to attempt wasn't to mature standards.I suspect she would have been no help if things had gone wrong.

I don't dive with children now.
Other people can do what they want,you can have any personal limits you want and they are yours,don't succumb to presure to change them.
Kevyn.

[Bill Bird]

:=:= do I tell him no way Jose or take him for a bubble to keep him in the sport?
:

Don't dive with him if your personal rule,based on whatever reasons you deem appropriate,is that diving begins at 18.
You are not responsible for the fact that he might chose an alternative buddy if you don't take him.
We tell divers right from the beginning of their training not to be presured into making a dive they are not happpy with;the same advice should apply to those of us who are more experienced.

I have dived with a 12 year old whose water skils in benign conditions were fine,but it was noticeable that her concentration on the fish spotting we had agreed to attempt wasn't to mature standards.I suspect she would have been no help if things had gone wrong.

I don't dive with children now.
Other people can do what they want,you can have any personal limits you want and they are yours,don't succumb to presure to change them.
Kevyn.

I agree it's got to be an individual call. I personally wouldn't be happy taking in a 12 year old and would rather not dive if that was my only option. If you have set your limits then stick to them!

[steve swift]

Personally I would have no qualms about it; no difference imo to taking a 13 y/o POW diver to taking an 18 y/o POW diver. In either case, <18 or 18+, I would look at how he comes across as a diver to how happy I would be to take him out.

I am a confirmed kid o phobe, but I took a 17 yr old in over the weekend who was far more mature than many men i know in their early twenties. Although I didn't actually dive with his 15 yr old brother, he also came across as a very mature young man.
My point is, I guess, that teenagers mature at different rates. Perhaps you should look at himm as a person rather than as a 12 yr old and then decide whether you want to dive with him. I am always wary of generalisations, because generally humans are not very general!!!!

Steve

[Dave]

:=
:=Personally I would have no qualms about it; no difference imo to taking a 13 y/o POW diver to taking an 18 y/o POW diver. In either case, <18 or 18+, I would look at how he comes across as a diver to how happy I would be to take him out.

I am a confirmed kid o phobe, but I took a 17 yr old in over the weekend who was far more mature than many men i know in their early twenties. Although I didn't actually dive with his 15 yr old brother, he also came across as a very mature young man.
My point is, I guess, that teenagers mature at different rates. Perhaps you should look at himm as a person rather than as a 12 yr old and then decide whether you want to dive with him. I am always wary of generalisations, because generally humans are not very general!!!!

An excellent attitude to have imo.

Dave

[Linda Lawcock]

:=:=:= do I tell him no way Jose or take him for a bubble to keep him in the sport?
:=:
:=
:=Don't dive with him if your personal rule,based on whatever reasons you deem appropriate,is that diving begins at 18.
:=You are not responsible for the fact that he might chose an alternative buddy if you don't take him.
:=We tell divers right from the beginning of their training not to be presured into making a dive they are not happpy with;the same advice should apply to those of us who are more experienced.
:=
:=I have dived with a 12 year old whose water skils in benign conditions were fine,but it was noticeable that her concentration on the fish spotting we had agreed to attempt wasn't to mature standards.I suspect she would have been no help if things had gone wrong.
:=
:=I don't dive with children now.
:=Other people can do what they want,you can have any personal limits you want and they are yours,don't succumb to presure to change them.
:=Kevyn.

I agree it's got to be an individual call. I personally wouldn't be happy taking in a 12 year old and would rather not dive if that was my only option. If you have set your limits then stick to them!

Diving skills/capability aside, as it has been pointed out this person is qualified. However, one of the original concerns was in case of an incident, and as we know this can happen to anyone be it individual or equipment failure. However how would a 12 year old (say 7 stone) child manage to tow a fully grown person (say 14 stone), maybe unconcious, giving AV, and then possible de-kit!! Not sure I would want add this 'risk' on top of the dive.

Linda