- Be the Parent Who Takes Their Kids IN the Aquarium, Not Just To It!
There’s an underwater adventure waiting for your family. Scuba diving opens a whole new door to the world, a world that most people only see on TV. There’s treasure hunting in local lakes, sunken airplanes to explore in quarries, and dolphins to swim with in the Bahamas. During Spring Break vacation, Sub-Aquatic Sports & Service plans family friendly adventures to the Caribbean. So, start the adventure today! Sign your child up for one of our Scuba Diver courses and start exploring the other 80% of the world together.
‘Junior Scuba’ Certification vs. ‘Scuba’ Certification
Junior Scuba certification cards are given to any child, ages 10-14, who successfully completes our course. A ‘Junior Scuba’ status means that the child must dive with a certified adult. Depth limits are to 60ft. At the age of 15, kids receive a full ‘Scuba’ certification card and the depth limits are 130ft.
Is Your Child Ready?
Rarely do we ever spend time talking people OUT of a class, but here it is...
Most national dive agencies state that any kid from the age of 10 and up may become a certified diver. We at Sub-Aquatic Sports prefer that kids are 12 years old. Call us conservative, but your child’s health and welfare are our top priority. Many dive stores will take your money and tell you all is great. From our experience of 30+ years of teaching, consider this decision seriously. Are your kids ready? Answering this question correctly will make all the difference in the world. They will either view diving as fun and exciting or stressful and even scary. Timing is everything. So before you sign up your child for a class, ask yourself the following questions:
Does Your Kid Want to Be a Diver?
There’s a big difference between your kid wanting to dive and YOU wanting your kid to dive. If they don’t have a true desire, this course will not be fun. That is the goal of diving after all….to have fun! Remember, kids take the exact same class as adults and college students. It will not be a cake walk but nor is it impossibly hard. The learner must be motivated. So, if your child is not truly geeked about this sport, we suggest waiting a few years until they are. Until then, show them how much fun snorkeling is.
Does Your Child Think Clearly Under Stress.
Diving is deceivingly easy, especially in warm, clear Caribbean water. Even adults forget to watch their depth and become lax on safety procedures like Buddy Checks. It is critical that kids understand the importance of safety, respect the environment, and are capable of handling stressful situations. Ask yourself, if something went wrong during a dive, would my child be reactive (swim frantically to the surface) or proactive (work through the problem)?
Is this a matter of convenience?
Let’s face it, diving is only a ‘family friendly sport’ when the whole family can dive. No one wants to leave a family member sitting on the beach while they go off diving. But, is this the primary reason for certifying your kids? If so, remember if they don’t have fun on the dive, you don’t either. Our suggestion, pay for childcare until they’re ready to take the plunge.
Conclusion: We would absolutely LOVE to have your child in our class BUT only when they are ready. You know your child best. If you feel they are mentally and physically equipped for diving at the earlier age of 10 or 11, then please give us a call. We’ll help you plan the best format and schedule to assure success. If your child is not ready, be patient. A couple of years of maturity will make all the difference in the world. The whole family will be out exploring our underwater world in due time.
Kids as young as 10 can become certified divers, however, we personally feel that 12-14 is the ideal age. Why? Kids take the EXACT same class as adults and must participate in all the same pool skills and written tests. Once this is successfully done, they will receive a Junior Scuba certification, meaning they must dive with a certified adult diver.
At age 15, kids will receive a regular (adult) certification card.
Occasionally, we are asked to certify kids ages 10 - 11. As much as we enjoy the underwater world and want to share it with everyone, we feel children younger than 12 are not mentally ready to handle the sport. Scuba diving is a deceivingly easy sport and problems can arise because of that. Young children may not full appreciate the underlying dangers of the sport if proper procedures are not followed and may not be mentally capable of handling an emergency. For this reason, SASS, holds firm with our minimum age policy of 12. Call us ultra conservative, but we’ve never had a diving accident and plan never to have one. There isn’t a maximum age as long as you are in good health and we frequently certify people after retirement. Our oldest student began diving at 72.
Rarely do we ever spend time talking people OUT of a class, but here it is...
Most national dive agencies state that any kid from the age of 10 and up may become a certified diver. We at Sub-Aquatic Sports prefer that kids are 12 years old. Call us conservative, but your child’s health and welfare are our top priority. Many dive stores will take your money and tell you all is great. From our experience of 30+ years of teaching, consider this decision seriously. Are your kids ready? Answering this question correctly will make all the difference in the world. They will either view diving as fun and exciting or stressful and even scary. Timing is everything. So before you sign up your child for a class, ask yourself the following questions:
Does Your Kid Want to Be a Diver?
There’s a big difference between your kid wanting to dive and YOU wanting your kid to dive. If they don’t have a true desire, this course will not be fun. That is the goal of diving after all….to have fun! Remember, kids take the exact same class as adults and college students. It will not be a cake walk but nor is it impossibly hard. The learner must be motivated. So, if your child is not truly geeked about this sport, we suggest waiting a few years until they are. Until then, show them how much fun snorkeling is.
Does Your Child Think Clearly Under Stress.
Diving is deceivingly easy, especially in warm, clear Caribbean water. Even adults forget to watch their depth and become lax on safety procedures like Buddy Checks. It is critical that kids understand the importance of safety, respect the environment, and are capable of handling stressful situations. Ask yourself, if something went wrong during a dive, would my child be reactive (swim frantically to the surface) or proactive (work through the problem)?
Is this a matter of convenience?
Let’s face it, diving is only a ‘family friendly sport’ when the whole family can dive. No one wants to leave a family member sitting on the beach while they go off diving. But, is this the primary reason for certifying your kids? If so, remember if they don’t have fun on the dive, you don’t either. Our suggestion, pay for childcare until they’re ready to take the plunge.
Conclusion: We would absolutely LOVE to have your child in our class BUT only when they are ready. You know your child best. If you feel they are mentally and physically equipped for diving at the earlier age of 10 or 11, then please give us a call. We’ll help you plan the best format and schedule to assure success. If your child is not ready, be patient. A couple of years of maturity will make all the difference in the world. The whole family will be out exploring our underwater world in due time.
Kids as young as 10 can become certified divers, however, we personally feel that 12-14 is the ideal age. Why? Kids take the EXACT same class as adults and must participate in all the same pool skills and written tests. Once this is successfully done, they will receive a Junior Scuba certification, meaning they must dive with a certified adult diver.
At age 15, kids will receive a regular (adult) certification card.
Occasionally, we are asked to certify kids ages 10 - 11. As much as we enjoy the underwater world and want to share it with everyone, we feel children younger than 12 are not mentally ready to handle the sport. Scuba diving is a deceivingly easy sport and problems can arise because of that. Young children may not full appreciate the underlying dangers of the sport if proper procedures are not followed and may not be mentally capable of handling an emergency. For this reason, SASS, holds firm with our minimum age policy of 12. Call us ultra conservative, but we’ve never had a diving accident and plan never to have one. There isn’t a maximum age as long as you are in good health and we frequently certify people after retirement. Our oldest student began diving at 72.
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Kids Equipment Exchange Program:
You’ve gotten all your family into diving. What a perfect activity to enjoy together. But keeping your kids in good fitting scuba equipment is expensive. Unlike buying the next larger pair of shoes so that they can ‘grow into it’ scuba gear isn’t as forgiving. A good fitting wetsuit is essential for warmth and comfort. If it’s too baggy, they will be cold and won’t enjoy the dive regardless of how good it is. Properly fitting gear is also a safety issue. That is why Sub-Aquatic Sports & Service has our Kid’s Exchange Program on key pieces of equipment. This includes BC Vests and wetsuits. Both are expensive and usually too small by the next dive season.
Here’s how the program works. Each item depreciates 25% per year that you own it. For example, let’s say you buy your child a wetsuit for $200. They outgrow it by the next season so you turn it back in to SASS. We’ll give you $150 ($200 less 25%) toward the purchase of the next wetsuit. This means it only cost you $50 to keep your child in proper fitting gear. That is cheaper than renting! Your child is more comfortable during a dive thus they’re safer plus you save money. It’s a win/win deal.
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