--- David Strike <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> My eldest, (nearly 11), grand-daughter's determined
> to take up diving as
> soon as she's "old enough"!  (She's already a keen
> snorkeller.  But even
> then she sometimes exceeds her present physical
> capabilities in terms of
> travelling distance from the shore or boat)  :-)
>
> I keep telling her that she'll be old enough when
> she's fifteen or so and
> capable of carrying - and handling - all of the gear
> by herself without any
> assistance.  Quite apart from the mental discipline
> that I believe to be
> essential when learning to dive, (and in that regard
> she's already far more
> mature than am I!<bwg>), she, like most young
> children, lacks the stamina
> and physical strength to - in an emergency - tote
> the gear over rocks, or
> carry out a lengthy surface swim back to a boat or
> shore AND render
> assistance to a distressed buddy.
>
> Neither do I tell her about the programmes that aim
> to teach kids how to
> dive by restricting them to a swimming pool.  After
> a while that'd become -
> to my way of thinking - extremely frustrating - and
> foster a belief that,
> when old enough to go, accompanied, into the open
> water, they already know
> how to dive! :-)
>
> Strike

This last class I helped with, a class of 6, had 2
eleven year old boys in it. In both cases the Dad was
a certified diver & wanted sonny boy to dive with.
They slowed the class down, both in the class & pool.
They just weren't focused enough. Neither could manage
their own gear. The smallest couldn't hardly stand up
with the gear on, & had to have Dad there to hold him
up. The instructor had a talk with Dad, & junior
didn't even try o/w.
The other one panicked on his first dive, only made it
2 feet under water. I had to drag him back to shore,
whimpering & blubbering.
At Dad's insistence he went out for the 2nd dive, with
an AI holding his hand the whole dive. He did pass the
minimum standards & was certified. <shudder>
The instructor had a talk with the shop manager, he
won't teach another class with kids in it, till he has
a chance to screen the kids.
Ed


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