How Old Do You Have To Be To Scuba Dive?

Scuba diving can be a great family adventure. Children have that natural curiosity that gives them the desire to explore. And a great environmental understanding that encourages them to take care of the surroundings.

Once your child has learned the correct way to dive and discover the beautiful underwater world – and its marine life – they’ll feel a sense of responsibility for keeping it clean and safe. So, how old do you have to be to scuba dive? Read on…

Too Young to Dive?

Most driving instructors will allow children to start taking diving lessons at the age of 10. However, some experienced divers believe that getting children into the water earlier teaches important safety lessons. And helps to create a more careful and attentive diver.

Scuba diving courses can be offered to children as young as eight. Not every child of this age wants to dive, so the decision must be an individual one. Careful supervision must be maintained whenever your child is swimming, snorkelling, or performing diving abilities. Scuba diving can be dangerous so you need to take advice from the professionals.

What Courses Are Available?

The Try-Dive

There’s a range of children’s scuba courses to try. The shortest is a “try dive” where children are taught the basics to stay safe. These include hand signals, and ear equalisation techniques where the nose is pinched closed, and you gently breathe out against the nostrils. This is often accompanied by a pop and fullness in the ear. And takes a little getting used to.

Multi-day Options

Young children will benefit from multi-day courses that are broken up into short classes. They teach scuba diving skills and the theory of diving in simple easy-to-understand stages.

Classes may focus on individual pieces of equipment such as the buoyancy compensator or mask clearing exercises – all carried out in a highly-controlled environment with water no deeper than 12 feet.

Certification Courses

Scuba diving certification courses are accessible for children aged 10 and over. Successfully completing the course will involve reading skills, a sufficient attention span to listen and learn from an instructor, and the confidence to question anything that feels uncomfortable. This junior certification has limitations such as always diving with a scuba certified adult. And never descending beyond 40 feet.

Children aged 12 to 14 can enrol on junior versions of adult courses. These include Open Water, Advanced certifications, and other speciality courses. Depth and supervision restrictions remain but they’re not quite as severe. Most depths are limited to 60 feet and every dive must be with a certified adult.
When children reach 15 any junior certifications will need to be upgraded.

Too Old to Dive?

How old to scuba dive is dependant on both physical and mental abilities. Older divers are defined as being over the age of 50. And potential limitations on diving include age-related issues that could risk underwater safety. Such as shortness of breath or blurred vision.

Dive courses are designed to suit all ages. Older students will need to answer a medical questionnaire to confirm cholesterol levels, family history of heart problems. And lifestyle factors. Pre-existing medical conditions may prevent you from diving without a GP’s written consent.

Completing the swim tests will indicate that you’re capable of diving up to the age of 90! Problems of slow metabolism can be solved by wearing thicker dive suits. And poor vision can be corrected with prescription masks. Diving is becoming increasingly popular with the older generation due to the weightlessness of the water aiding with the relief of painful joints.

Explore and Discover with the Professionals

Go scuba diving in Playa del Carmen with Koox. Non-experienced divers can take a Discovery Dive and then carry on to get Open Water Diver certification. From aged 10 to a healthy 80 you’ll enjoy the experience of a lifetime. And learn all about respecting the environment at the same time.