Aquaventure Scuba Club, Bristol. "sinking to new levels of professionalism"

This is an often asked question. The first thing to say is that there is no upper limit for learning to dive. As long as you have reasonable health, can complete a short swim and tread water you can start late in life just as easy as early on.

In terms of lower limits we teach snorkeling at the age of 6yrs and upwards, just to get kids used to airway control using a snorkel and using fins. It is an excellent introduction to the underwater world and gives them an appetite as there is loads of fun and games involved.

The next stage is at the age of 8 years. Now they can actually start diving, in a pool and to a maximum depth of 2 meters. This is where it gets really interesting for the kids as they learn real dive skills, achieve neutral buoyancy and experience diving.

10 years of age is the milestone that signals the ability to take and qualify as a junior open water diver. This means they are then qualified to dive anywhere in the world, get their own qualification card and start hopefully a long and fruitful diving career. As a parent you will know your child better than anyone else. This is important as some 10 year olds have not yet reached the maturity needed to complete the course, particularly the self study section. It really helps if you can spend time and effort with your child during this aspect of the course.

A junior aged 10 or 11 years needs to dive with a qualified parent or guardian or a PADI professional (Divemaster or above) and to a maximum depth of 12 meters. Here is an extract that explains the detail

Once a junior diver attains the age of 15 years they can upgrade to full membership without additional work.

In summary it is now easier than ever to get the whole family diving, in fact the kids often pick things up quicker than their parents! It is an excellent sport to get involved in and who knows where it will lead for them? It will certainly provide them with an interest and focus out of the ordinary.

An extra option for parents is to have their son or daughter's course recorded on DVD for prosperity and have a professionally produced framed record that includes a certificate, emblem and course photo. All kids like to show the DVD to friends and have a pictur on the wall.