Training for Kids in Lanzarote

Donna wrote:
> He said 'If you were diving with your children, or they diving with
> anyone else, would they (meaning the children) be effective in helping
> you if you should get into difficulties and would they, if necessary, be
> able to bring you to the surface or would they just panic ?

Well surely isn't this it true of any student? If you're diving
with an OW or AOW they are not trained to do much more than pass
you an octo. There are big, smart, strong newbies and my main
worry is they are so much bigger than I am if they panic I can't
easily grab them and sort it out. With a 12 year old I'm sure I
could.

I used to take my son bike racing with me and he knew the drills
and got on with the job. On one occasion, when he was about 11,
by the time I had removed myself from the clutches of the medical
people he had not only recovered the bike from the marshals, fixed
the main parts but even borrowed the missing bit of one of the
other competitors.

Admittedly we didn't discover diving until he was 16 but I'd trust
him anywhere in the water and would have done before.

nigelH
Two Spaces on the UKRS Plymouth trip 1/2/3 May
http://www.nigelhewitt.co.uk/trips/2004.html

Donna wrote:
> Yes Nigel, to a certain extent I agree with that logic. However, a 9 or
> 12 year old child would surely not have the strength to grab a panicky
> diver and do whatever is necessary and stay calm themselves?

I would not expect to train a child in rescue skills. I would only
expect them to dive with a competant 'minder'. It should need to be
somebody who emits the vibe: *Oh dear. My regulator seems to have
gone wrong. Do you mind if I borrow your octopus? I'm sorry but
we'll have to cut this dive short. Pity I know.*

> Also, I'm
> not so sure, despite the fact the child would be OW trained, that they
> would remember the drills they were taught in a situation where they
> were in trouble. A knee jerk reaction to a panic would be to bolt for
> the surface - would they remember to breathe out all the way up if
> they lost their reg??

The more frightening thing is that a child's natural reaction is
to freeze. Haven't you had that crossing a road with one on each
hand and a car suddenly appears? I think they are 'trying' to be
invisible to the preadator while you throw stones at it and drive
it away. Otherwize they desperately plug in what they were taught.
The danger is they miss identify the problem and try the wrong
solution.

Sorry. Father of two syndrome. The only thing that bothers me about
children diving is the possible problems with growing tissue under
pressure. I'm not sure I'd want to take a child deep on air. Nitrox
maybe deeper than air. The current recomendations where we go from
*no chance* to *treat as adult* as the clock ticks midnight on a
birthday is just silly (and BSAC putting it to a vote on the idea
not just the procedural matter of removing age from their articles
of association was dereliction of common sense).

Ho hum...
nigelH

Right again I guess - told you I was over protective :)

I guess at the end of the day it depends entirely on whether the parent
is comfortable with the idea of putting their child in a potentially
dangerous situation. Maybe I'm looking for siutaions that may never
happen but......

Thanks for your input - it's good to hear it from another viewoint. I
still think I'll stick to them snorkelling :D


--
Donna

'Always be the best you can be'
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I've read all the messages and, quite honestly, all made useful
points. Donna yours raised a point I'd not thought about - my safety.
As it happens because they are 2 of them we tend (all but 1 dive) to
dive as a four - with another well trained adult. I wasn't willing to
dive with two kids on my own and have to make the "which will I save"
choice. The Padi rules state that they have to dive with a guardian
or a "professional".

I believe 10 is the minimum age for PADI Open Water scuba traing but 8
for another type of underwater training (don't know the details - just
that it wasn't what we wanted)..

As for kit - they've been diving with a 5 litre tank and still use
less bar than my 12L or twin 7's.

Underwater the weight is not an issue and we get them out of kit asap.

I respect your call re danger but living in London mine are in
potential danger every day from traffic, pollution, people. In my
house they are in danger from me and the electrics (major building
works). It's all a case of choice and trying to let them enjoy life.

Trev



On Thu, 4 Mar 2004 08:21:58 -0600, Donna
<Donna.12ll3m@forums.deeperblue.net> wrote:

>
>Right again I guess - told you I was over protective :)
>
>I guess at the end of the day it depends entirely on whether the parent
>is comfortable with the idea of putting their child in a potentially
>dangerous situation. Maybe I'm looking for siutaions that may never
>happen but......
>
>Thanks for your input - it's good to hear it from another viewoint. I
>still think I'll stick to them snorkelling :D

Rocket Robertson
The slowest Pool Player

"Donna" <Donna.12lagb@forums.deeperblue.net> wrote in message
news:Donna.12lagb@forums.deeperblue.net...
> He said 'If you were diving with your children, or they diving with
> anyone else, would they (meaning the children) be effective in helping
> you if you should get into difficulties and would they, if necessary, be
> able to bring you to the surface or would they just panic ?

While you know them (and still don't trust them), think about it from the
other side of things.
If you were an instructor, would you want to do an OW course for a
10-year-old diver when you know NOTHING about the child and cannot predict
how they will react?
Thought not.
Would you be willing to trust anybody who says that they would do it?

Alun Harford

"Nigel Hewitt" <news@REMOVETHISnigelhewitt.net> wrote in message
news:6d176f34ad8a768123257f700ad48269@news.teranew s.com...
snip
>
> Sorry. Father of two syndrome. The only thing that bothers me about
> children diving is the possible problems with growing tissue under
> pressure. I'm not sure I'd want to take a child deep on air. Nitrox
> maybe deeper than air. The current recomendations where we go from
> *no chance* to *treat as adult* as the clock ticks midnight on a
> birthday is just silly (and BSAC putting it to a vote on the idea
> not just the procedural matter of removing age from their articles
> of association was dereliction of common sense).
>
> Ho hum...
> nigelH
>
I agree that there can never be an age when children suddenly become
responcible adults, in practice this may vary from 10 y.o. to never. I do
however believe the trend to lower the minimum diving age over the
last 10 years has been financially motivated, by the major agencies. The
possible
medical ramifications on growing tisues, should be considered by any parent.
Certain agencies have made questionable changes in their training critiria,
and normally it's inspired by financial gain, but that's another story.
At the end of the day it is like anything else, a choice to be made by the
individual concerned. I just cannot believe a 10 y.o. is mature enough
to make that choice, and would not like to make the wrong choice for
them.
Cheers
Richard.

I think you've just hit the nail on the head as far as my concerns go
Richard. I don't think my children want to learn to dive because its
something they really want to do, I think they want to learn because I
do it. They've seen all the pretty pictures/photo's and want to be part
of it, as any child would. But, they're not mature enough to understand
the dangers that they could could face. Therefore they cannot make a
'mature' decision. I'm not saying I never want them to enjoy diving, I
just don't think they're ready for it yet. At the moment, we have great
fun on holiday snorkelling and I can point things out to them - they're
still enjoying themselves and staying relatively safe.

Trev - I think the training you're referring to for an 8 year old is
Bubblemaker - its purely pool based just getting them used to kit and
skills etc.

Donna :)


--
Donna

'Always be the best you can be'
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http://www.scubalanzarote.co.uk/

greetz,

Michel

"Kieran O'Leary" <olos@eircom.net> wrote in message
news:VJj1c.5365$rb.64191@news.indigo.ie...
> Hi Group,
>
>
> I am going on Holidays with my kids (9 & 11) on 14th March. Staying in
Playa
> Blanca (Have Car)
>
> Does anyone know of training centres on Lanzarote that can introduce my
kids
> to the basics of diving (Pool or sea)
>
>
> Thanks for help in advance
>
>
>
> Kieran O' Leary
>
>