[Mr T.]

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

http://www.diverforum.co.uk/talkforums/wrecktalk/posts/2044.html

 

[Mdemon]

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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]

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<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]

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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&dive.shtml

 

[Mr T.]

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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]

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<font color='#0000FF'>I think it depends on the individual youngster, some are very mature and capable at 14, some are not,  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]

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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. <18 yr olds) who have not yet stopped growing.

Matt

 

[Dr Stevil]

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<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]

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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]

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<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  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

 

[MATTBIN]

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Quote[/b] ]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).

Absolutely agree Steve, which is why I took my boy diving from the age of 14 (he's 16 now), archery, air rifles, anything to stop the street corner culture. My daughter did that, despite our attempts to persuade her to do other things instead, and we still havent got her straight!
Kids!

Matt

 

[Jules]

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<font color='#736AFF'>I think you can all guess my thoughts on this. I wouldnt take my kids diving if I didnt think they had the sense and maturity to do it sensibly. It has certainly been good for their self esteem and far better than glue , alcohol, tobacco, mindless computer games, vandalising the local playground etc.
Everything in life has risks. Everyweek a kid in the local paper is hospitalised or worse by getting knocked off his bike.

Since she took up diving bethi (12) has got into tropical fish keeping so the education goes on and on. Not just has she learned all the science for her open water but now she is testing the tanks for Ph and ammonia etc. and learning how to adjust it . She is genuinely interested in the natural world.she would like to work with Dolphins when she is older. I love the fact that she doesnt think there is anything she cant do if she wants.
It is also something we do together and shared wonderful experience gives us another  bond.  
I would never take them on a dive I considered not suitable and always very careful about who they buddy. We have been very lucky and never had any shortage of nice experienced divers who would go diving with us.  In warm water it's obviously better and easier than in the uk. Small people chill quicker. I also never encourage them to do anything they dont want to do. Matt (will be 14 in August)  is doing his rescue diver with me this weekend at Vivian and he is a natural diver. All the guides we have had on holiday comment that he is better than a lot of adult divers. In Egypt last year the Divemaster had some fairly newbie divers in the group and had to surface to sort out someone's bouyancy. He signalled to Matt before he left that Matt had to watch the others. Matt got them all knelt down on the sand, ok-ed them all in turn, checked their air and generally kept them all happy and together until the guide got back.  I think that you must decide if the child is up to it bfore you let them dive. But I beleive mine have really benefitted from it.
Jules

 

[Ian Murray]

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You might find this interesting reading

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

Plus lots of other good stuff

http://www.mindspring.com/~divegeek/home.htm

Regards, Ian.

 

[Gibby]

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I did my BSAC Ocean diving training recently and on the course there was a 12 year old lad. His diving wasn't a problem although I did have reservations regarding his attention span during the theory (classroom and pool) and how much of the safety info he was actually taking in and understanding.

For the CBL part of our training his BC certainly struggled to get both of us to the surface

 

[Dr Stevil]

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<font color='#0000FF'>That's very interesting considering that BSACs minimum age limit for Ocean Diver is Fourteen
care to expand either on here or off-line?
Chee-az
Steve

 

[MATTBIN]

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Julia
I think you are right, it depends on the child, one of the reasons I left Bsac, there were many, was the branch's attitude to my son. He's now a strapping big lad that "I" would have difficulty getting to the surface and detests the atmosphere in Bsac (good move by that Branch?). He too is looking to do 'something' in the natural world and has given up eating fish since diving with them. Possibly over the top but at least he is aware that they dont just turn up in the freezer by magic. We too bond when we dive and I find I treat him much more as an equal during and after the dive, which indeed he is.

Matt

 

[Diving Dude]

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Quote[/b] (MATTBIN @ June 03 2003,14:08)]archery, air rifles, anything to stop the street corner culture.

What, you shoot them to keep them away.

 

[Dr Stevil]

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<font color='#0000FF'>Best fing for 'em I say,   'ere put that in your Maccie D wiv extra fries and download it onto yer minidisc  

now when I were a lad....

 

[Chris Hall]

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PADI has depth limitations & as a PADI Instructor I would stick to the standards. I don't have pockets deep enough to cover the cost if something goes wrong.

There have been problems in the past in Egypt with local unqualified DM & OWSI working on boats & in Centres.

Be careful and above all, BE SAFE!

 

[Jules]

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Quote[/b] (MATTBIN @ June 03 2003,17:33)]We too bond when we dive and I find I treat him much more as an equal during and after the dive, which indeed he is.

<font color='#736AFF'>Thats it exactly! couldnt have put it better myself!