At What Age Can Children Start Scuba Diving?
When I first thought about writing this blog, I assumed the answer to the question of when children can start scuba diving would be fairly straightforward. However, after conducting some research, I discovered that the answer is more complex than I initially imagined. Experts have a wide range of views on the subject, with many factors to consider regarding what age children can begin scuba diving.
Most concerns focus on whether a child is physically, psychologically, and developmentally prepared to handle the challenges of scuba diving. Diving requires a certain level of maturity, responsibility, and awareness that may not be present in every young child. Therefore, additional supervision and care are essential when working with junior divers.
PADI’s Age Limit
Initially, I thought the simple answer would be 10 years old. PADI, one of the most recognized scuba diving organizations, has set the minimum age for their Discover Scuba Diving experience and entry-level certification, the PADI Open Water Course, at 10 years. Additionally, many insurance policies, including ours, align with this age requirement. For 10- to 11-year-olds, PADI has specific safety requirements, mainly concerning supervision and depth limitations, to ensure the safety of young divers.
PADI has been certifying divers for over 50 years and possesses extensive resources and historical data to guide its training and safety standards. Their experience and dedication to diver safety suggest that setting the age limit at 10 years is reasonable and safe. However, every child is different, and assessing a child’s readiness is crucial before starting scuba training.
The WRSTC (World Recreational Scuba Training Council) and the RSTC (Recreational Scuba Training Council) are organizations that unify recognized scuba training bodies worldwide. They share information and data regarding safety, setting training regulations to maintain a unified standard. Interestingly, the WRSTC and RSTC have left the minimum age decision up to the individual training organizations. Other main training organizations have established their minimum ages as follows: SSI, NAUI, BESAC, and SDI at 10 years, while CMAS allows children to start at 8 years.
My Experience
As an instructor with nearly 15 years of experience in the scuba diving industry, I’ve taught over a hundred students aged 10 and 11 without any incidents. Teaching children to scuba dive has been incredibly rewarding, both for me as an instructor and for the young divers. Some of my most memorable teaching moments have been with children, as their enthusiasm and curiosity make the learning experience truly enjoyable.
The Benefits of Children Scuba Diving
There are many benefits to children learning to scuba dive. Diving helps children understand the importance of oceans and marine life. The educational aspect is one of the greatest rewards, as children learn about marine creatures, especially sharks, and the impact of pollution. This knowledge fosters a desire to protect the oceans, turning today’s children into tomorrow’s ocean ambassadors.
Scuba diving also offers the opportunity to share family activities, creating unforgettable memories. We have had the privilege of seeing three generations of families dive together, and it is hard to imagine a more enriching family experience.
Furthermore, diving teaches children responsibility, both for themselves and their dive buddies. It also introduces them to basic concepts of physics, physiology, and natural science, providing them with a deeper understanding of the world around them. This knowledge and experience help children develop valuable life skills while having fun exploring the underwater world.
While there are various opinions on when children can start scuba diving, PADI and other leading organizations have set a standard minimum age of 10 years. With proper guidance and safety measures, scuba diving can be a highly rewarding activity for children, offering numerous benefits that extend beyond the dive itself.
Divers Alert Network (DAN)
DAN (Divers Alert Network) are the world authority on scuba diving medical issues. They have a very interesting page dedicated to the minimum age for scuba diving.
The Divers Alert Network updated its recommendations in 2023 after a study of dive accidents involving minors. The updated recommendations are that Junior Divers should;
- Have a dedicated adult buddy within arms reach at all times, a buddy system of two adults and a child would be more prudent.
- The buddy should be someone who knows the junior diver which will help notice subtle cues of stress or discomfort — someone such as a parent or other close relative or guardian.
Those who dive with children should be aware of and understand the unique behavioural characteristics of this age group to help prevent situations that could lead to serious injuries. With proper training and supervision, we can effectively manage the inherent risks involved when a minor joins their family in exploring the underwater world.
DAN (Divers Alert Network) Recommendations for Children and Diving, Updated 2023
Natalie Gibb on tripsavvey.com also writes an informative blog.
https://www.tripsavvy.com/is-scuba-diving-safe-for-kids-2963213
Common Concerns With Junior Divers
Does the Child Want to Dive?
Dr. Simon Mitchell speaking for DAN states that this is the most important factor. He states:
“The most important thing is that the child wants to dive. It is also vitally important that the parents are supportive and wholly involved in the decision to allow diving, acting as informed risk-acceptors on the child’s behalf.”
As a dive professional that would be my minimum requirement. I interview the junior divers when I meet them. Not an interrogation, but a few simple questions to understand the child’s reason for doing the course.
Medical Concerns
Unfortunately, there has never been and most likely never will be in-depth hyperbaric testing on children regarding DCS. As Gibb states this would be unethical and therefore most medical concerns are untested and thus, create debate about what may or may not happen. Because there is no concrete evidence this does not mean that some concerns should not be addressed.
DAN do ask the question about decompression stress and long-term bone development. Although there is no evidence of this, it is a concern by some experts.
Ears, Eustachian Tubes and Equalising
The topic of ears and equalization is an interesting one. There may be some issues with the Eustachian Tubes in children may be underdeveloped and make it difficult to equalize on descent. The inability to equalize is a regular issue with adults and during any dive that there are problems with equalizing the dive should be aborted. This would be no different with young children. A knowledgeable, professional and caring scuba diving instructor and accompanying parent should be able to control this.
Also on the ears, one article did mention, although very rare, some scuba diving ear injuries can lead to permanent ear injuries and questioned the ethical morals of placing a child at risk of permanent ear damage.
The Mental Maturity of the Child.
To quote DAN;
“Children often lack the mental maturity to understand and manage invisible risks, and they can behave unpredictably in stressful circumstances. Adherence to plans can be a problem for those who are easily distracted.”
The article also mentions, a lessened ability to problem solve and being easily distracted. King in her article makes the following statement;
“If a child is likely to have a nonchalant attitude about diving safety, it may be best to keep him out of the water.”
The mental maturity of a child should be addressed. From my personal instructor and dive shop owner perspective, my concerns are best waned if the child comes from a scuba diving family. The family already know the dangers of scuba diving and they best know their child. Although scuba diving parents’ approval is highly accepted, normal dive shop managerial and scuba instructor concerns should still be addressed.
My concerns are normally addressed in this manner. I rarely accept any child (10 – 15) to do a beginner activity without adult supervision. I consider this mandatory. If the child is young and is doing a PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience, a parent must accompany them to the pool session and on the boat the following day.
If the child is doing the PADI Open Water Course, the parent must accompany them through the classroom activities, be active in those activities accompany them to the confined pool session. Our preference, if the parent is not a diver that they accompany the child on the boat for the dives as well.
This becomes like a rolling assessment of the child’s ability to be mature enough to complete the activities. It is also very important, if not more important that the parent understands all of the theory and dangers of scuba diving even if they are not a diver.
The Ability To Understand Dive Theory
The ability to understand dive theory is important for both the dive experience (PADI DSD) and the dive certification (PADI OWC). It is important to understand that with the PADI Open Water Course there is no junior theory or underwater skill set. The course is the same for a 10-year-old as it is for a 40-year-old. The instructor (or the parent) can reword some information to make it easier to understand however it will be a requirement for the child to pass all theory exams, plus practical tests just as an adult would.
Level of Fitness
Although scuba diving can be quite stress-free on the body, there does need to be a certain amount of physical and medical fitness required.
Again this is not only for children but for adult divers as well.
Although children normally pass the medical check quite easily, DAN does mention in their article that;
”Childhood asthma underscores how pulmonary function is still evolving in young people, and any risk of air trapping is a serious concern when breathing compressed gas.”
If the child is experiencing any sort of asthma then the likely medical opinion would be not to dive.
The ability to swim is a requirement for the PADI Open Water Course, and some level of confidence in the water should be a high consideration even for the PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience.
Ethical Concerns.
Gibb does raise an ethical point. Here is her view:
“Can a child truly understand the risk he or she is taking when he or she goes diving? Children may not understand their own vulnerability until it is too late. Even if a child says that he or she understands that they can die, become crippled, or be paralyzed for life as a result of a diving accident, do they truly comprehend what that means? In most cases it is unlikely. Is it ethical to expose a child to a risk that he or she does not comprehend and can therefore not accept?”
Summary
It appears that all of the experts agree that it is possible for a 10-year-old to scuba dive as long as certain considerations are addressed. These are pretty standard among the experts.
- Does the child have the desire to dive?
- Does the child have the educational maturity to learn to dive?
- Does the child have the psychological maturity to dive?
- Is the child physically mature enough to dive?
- Is the child medically fit to dive?
Each child should be address on a case by case situation. There will be some 10 year olds that can dive and some that cannot. To be fair, these common rules should be applied to all divers wanting to learn to dive.
Before committing to allowing these considerations should be discussed honestly between the dive centre, parents and dive instructor. If the child cannot, it is not an issue, they still have plenty of time to prepare for the future.
