Youngest Diver to Dive Thistlegorm????

[Mr T.]

Just posted on D-net?? Anyone here able/willing to make a comment?

http://www.diverforum.co.uk/talkforu...osts/2044.html

[Mdemon]

If he was trained up for it, why not?  It's an easy dive with the right gear, and I suspect he will have had the dive guide with him.  Don't know that anyone's keeping tabs on how young the divers are though.

I sense you disapprove.

[Jules]

<font color='#736AFF'>we have just booked to do a liveaboard from sharm in August and I understand that the Thistlegorme will be on the itinery. Since Bethi will be doing her PADI AOW on the trip then maybe we could sort it for her to do it with her instructor? In which case she will be 12 and a half....
We will see how it goes..
jules

[ladybug]

if it were my kids.... snorkel and mask until at least 16!!
never mind the thistelgorm.

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lpt/kids.htm

http://www.scubadiving.com/training/medicine/age&amp;dive.shtml

[Mr T.]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Mdemon @ June 02 2003,22:56)]I sense you disapprove.

Far from it, I just wanted to know if we knew of one younger or had any similar experiences of their kid's diving. And if others wanted to comment on the sanity or otherwise of such a report then...........

[Dr Stevil]

<font color='#0000FF'>I think it depends on the individual youngster, some are very mature and capable at 14, some are not, &nbsp;age is a very relative criteria to base judgements on. I think one-to-one with an experienced and responsible adult diver it's ok.
In the Red sea just before Xmas, one guy was diving with his 12 year old son (not on the wreck though), seemed like a safe enough diver under those kind of conditions.
All I can say is I wish I'd had parents like these kids have!

Chee-az
Steve

[MATTBIN]

What is the depth of the Thistlegorm, as I understood it JUNIOR AOW has a depth limit of 18m?
I would accept this as a prudent depth on compressed gas until the effects have been proven on young growing bones, I include children (i.e. &lt;18 yr olds) who have not yet stopped growing.

Matt

[Dr Stevil]

<font color='#0000FF'>Max depth is around 30.
As for effects of pressure on growing bones, I'm not sure that there is much data on that, but can it be any worse than doing cross-country running or getting pummelled playing rugby? It's got to be less damaging than what those young female gymnasts go thru and that is deemed (seemingly) perfectly acceptable by sports medic types.

On a related note, Frida neet ah was ganning t'the toon forra be-aa wi me mates, as I got on the Metro (our tube train) two young girls were getting off the train, aged about 13 or 14, both half-cut and clutching cans of  Stella and White lightening    And these weren't the only drunken kiddies around be any means.

Getting pished or diving the Thistlegorm, hmmm.... I know what I'd prefer my kids to be doing (if I had any that is)

Steve

[MATTBIN]

As I understand it Steve there is some data that indicates the ends of growing bones can be affected (damaged?) by the use of compressed gas. Whilst at a Bsac club the DO suggested 15/18m was very deep for a young body and that should be a maximum until growing had stopped. Of course this would also be dependent on number of dives per year etc.
Yes I'd sooner my kids were diving than getting hammered on Stella (especially Stella) but I wouldnt then say that 60m was better than getting hammered occasionally, its all about degrees of risk.

Matt

[Dr Stevil]

<font color='#0000FF'>Errrr.... actually Matt I was intending to suggest the opposite, a controlled diving experience in the proper company with all the educational benefits that scuba provides re the theory training, as compared to hanging around train stations, three sheets to the wind, smoking and other stuff too (I've seen the debris left behind the next morning).

My gut feeling is that a young person would have to be doing an awful lot of diving before we see long-bone necrosis or other &nbsp;developmental problems, having said that, it could be time to hit the databases and see what (if anything) has been published on the subject.

Chee-z
Steve