Diving Holidays

Specialist Reports Activity Holidays Diving Holidays Diving for Children 

Age Limits

Minimum ages for diving vary. In the past the BSAC for example had a minimum age of 16 though this has currently dropped to 14. The UK sports diving medical committee has now advised that it can see no reason why children as young as 12 can't dive safely.

Different dive centres operate their own limits but there are also national laws on minimum ages which impose further restrictions. For example in Greece it is against the law for anyone to dive under the age of 14, while in Egypt the minimum age is 10. In Turkey and Grenada minimum age is 12 and Croatia 14.

The reasons why diving is not considered suitable for young children are:

• They must be old enough to know how to handle themselves underwater. (As all parents know, maturity is the key, not actual age.) Comments PADI ‘The fact that junior divers are supposed to dive with and be supervised by an adult after being certified does not excuse them from being safe, sensible, independent divers should the need arise.'



• They need to be big enough to use the equipment. Modern equipment does come in a vast array of sizes though, and some manufacturers now produce equipment specifically for children. Especially with a small teenager, you will need to look out for this.



• There are doubts in some quarters about the effects of water pressure on a as yet not fully grown body.



• Diving, particularly at any depth, creates pressure on the lungs. This could be damaging to undeveloped children and is one reason that even those who have reached an accepted age to dive might not be allowed to do so if they are under sized for their age.



• There is an acknowledgement that the known effect of decompression on the bones of fully grown divers could be a problem. Although the bone lesions, revealed by X-rays, are reported to heal once the sufferer stops diving, the potential effect on bones which are not yet fully formed is not known.
  PADI comments that its decision to introduce junior diving is based on evidence from Divers Alert Network (DAN) among other organisations. It is known that long bones grow at the epiphysis which is at the ends of the bone. This growth process continues until the person is about 20 years old and data gathered from clinical reports in cases of decompression sickness (the bends) in those aged 15-20 have not shown that the epiphysis has been damaged. The organisation acknowledges that in extreme exposures such as commercial diving or tunnel and bridge builders evidence of bone necrosis (the stunting of bone growth) is present, however, these exposures are not a feature of recreational diving. The limited depth and times emphasised for junior divers, and for recreational diving in general offer further protection.
  
  The BSAC also notes that evidence from France, where younger divers have been permitted for longer than anywhere else, indicates that this is not a problem for recreational diving in children.
  However, because diving itself is a relatively new sport, long-term effects on developing bodies are still not certain.

Requirements

Under PADI Standards, children are pre-screened for dive fitness (under parental supervision) via a dive-specific medical screen, and are required to be evaluated by a doctor should should the screening form indicate any potential problem.

Those learning to dive must be able to swim 200 metres with ease and be able to float for at least 10 minutes.

Learning Options for Under 14s

The following are largely, though not entirely, operated by PADI.

All PADI courses are performance based and not time based. This means that the duration of any course or experience will depend on the aptitude and ability of the diver taking part.

SASY (Supplied Air Snorkelling for Youth) a system for 5 years plus using a compressed air cylinder and regulator but with a PFD (personal floatation device) so that participants are unable to submerge. It allows children to practise using scuba equipment, without actually diving. (SASA is a similar system for adults.)

Bubblemaker Introduces children from 8 years to the idea of spending time underwater and to scuba techniques. Under close supervision participants use children's equipment in just two metres of confined water. This is generally a swimming pool or a lake, though sometimes the sea if conditions are pool-like. Children learn breathing rules, equalisation techniques, some basic hand signals and how to clear a regulator that has been flooded.

PADI Seal Team Programme gives children of 8-plus a chance to swim under water to a depth of 4 metres. To qualify to join children must complete the first five of 15 AquaMissions (the equivalent to completing the skills for Confined Water Dive One from the PADI Open Water Diver course). Sessions consist of a briefing, a skill session and a game or activity, designed to develop basic scuba skills. Teaching is based around a Seal Team video and an AquaMission Activity Book. Completing the pool dive and answering questions in a PADI Seal Team AquaMission Logbooks earns an AquaMission decal, which counts towards PADI Master Seal Team recognition.
As part of their membership, PADI Seals have access to www.padisealteam.com, which provides further information on the scheme.

PADI Junior Open Water Course Offered for 10-15 years, covering the same theory and practising the same skills as the adult Open Water Diver course, but only allowing participants to dive to 12 metres in depth.
Once the course is completed a Junior Open Water Diver between the ages of 10 and 12 is required to dive with a certified parent, certified guardian or dive professional and is limited to depths shallower than 12 metres. A Junior Open Water Diver between the ages of 12 and 15 can dive with any other certified adult and is limited to depths of 18 metres or shallower.
Once the diver turns 15 they can upgrade their certification card to one that does not include the word "Junior". However, to dive deeper additional training and experience is strongly recommended.
The course consists of five knowledge development sessions, five confined water dives and four open water training dives.

Snuba A system invented in the ‘90s, combining snorkelling and diving, the heavy air tank remaining on a small inflatable boat that floats above the divers. The air comes via an air-line and a breathing regulator that is attached to the diver with a harness. As the divers swim underwater, they tow the boat above them.) It's reported suitable for children of 8-plus. (PADI does not offer snuba though under certain circumstances and with some additional equipment requirements, scuba cylinder systems buoyed at the surface may be used in the PADI Discover Scuba Diving activity.)