What Age to Start Diving?

The most common question that I get asked about diving is, “How old should kids be to start diving?” My answer always is, “It depends.” The age of the child is much less significant than their level of maturity and their motivations for diving. 

 

Children mature at vastly different rates and times. I have seen many older kids in SCUBA camp and on dive boats who simply aren’t comfortable in the water, and I have seen much younger kids who have more awareness and capability than some adults. 

 

A big factor to me is awareness of the risks if diving. A key to safe diving is understanding the risks that you are taking and taking precautions that match those risks. Often children, especially younger children, have a limited concept of risk. They don’t understand how serious the outcome can be if something goes wrong during a dive. Without this awareness, they don’t understand the importance of pre-dive checks and safety procedures. 

 

It is also critical that children of any age limit their diving to depths and conditions that are appropriate. I started diving at eight in SCUBA camp but didn’t get out of the swimming pool until I was ten. I didn’t go on a boat dive until I was twelve. There are so many new experiences that SCUBA diving can sometimes be overwhelming. Matching the type and location of the dive to the capabilities and experience of a child is important. Letting them slowly build experience and skills is the best way to ensure safety.

 

Parents need to be realistic in assessing if their child is ready to dive and has the desire to learn. I see a lot of parents who push their kids into diving so that they can “dive as a family”. Often these kids either aren’t ready to dive or don’t really have a desire to dive, but they go along to please the parents. This is problematic because neither the parent or the child is ready to step back and honestly assess if the child is ready.

 

Diving can be a great activity for kids if they are ready. Diving and dive travel has been extremely formative for me and it is one of my favorite activities. This is partly true because the decision to start diving was my own because and my parents insisted on slow, steady progress, always emphasizing safety.

Underwater Camera Gear

Underwater photography can be a fantastically expensive hobby - you often see divers with setups that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. However, it doesn’t have to be. By shopping carefully and finding good used gear, it can be a reasonably affordable hobby.

I was first introduced to underwater photography using my mom’s Nikon CoolPix W300. This is the camera that got me hooked. Although it is really designed more as a “waterproof” camera rather than a diving camera, it is actually certified down to forty feet. What a great little camera!  It is so easy to use and is so forgiving. It is fully automatic and let me start to get good pictures right away. Using this camera, I learned how to frame and compose underwater shots.

After I had gone as far as I could with the Nikon, my first upgrade was to a Sealife DC2000. This was an important step for me. The DC2000 is sort of a transitional camera. It still has a fixed lens, but it is an underwater specific camera and has a 20 MP sensor and an external flash. The Sealife let me really begin experimenting with settings and, importantly, the flash allowed me to begin to capture the true colors at depth. I used this camera a number of years and had a lot of fun. 

Eventually, after a lot of practice, I decided that I really wanted to move to a digital SLR. Underwater photography with an SLR is a huge step up in both complexity and cost however. As opposed to both of my previous cameras, which were specifically designed to work underwater, an underwater SLR is simply a standard land camera placed inside of a waterproof case.

Using an SLR underwater is difficult and can be frustrating but the advantages are huge. First, the SLR allows you to add powerful external strobes. These lights dramatically improve picture quality. They completely compensate for underwater color shift, improve focusing, and can light even the most hidden subjects. Second, a digital SLR allows the photographer to manually control every setting on the camera. This can be a blessing and a curse. Initially it was tough to figure out which settings would work (there were a lot of wasted pictures). But, with practice, I learned what settings worked best and how to “dial in” the camera to capture the shot as I envisioned. The biggest advantage of using the SLR is the ability to change lenses. With fixed lens cameras you are sort of stuck with the capabilities of that lens. With an SLR though you can pick the lens that matches what you are trying to do. For panoramic shots, you can choose an ultrawide zoom lens. For detailed, close up work, you can choose a macro lens. This capability opens up a whole new world.

The SLR I chose and my current camera is a Canon 5D Mark III 22.3 MP with an Ikelite housing. It took a long time to find this setup. Quality SLR housings sell for thousands of dollars. With a limited budget, I couldn’t afford anything new. I finally found the housing, complete with two strobes, on Ebay at a reasonable price. 

The 5D Mark III is a 10+ year old design with 15 megapixels resolution. Newer models of this camera have up to 45 megapixels but cost thousands of dollars. I was able to find a really good deal on the camera (to match the housing) at a used camera store.  

A have two lenses that I use for the Canon. My main lens is a Canon EF-S 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 II USM Ultrawide. The ultrawide design and long focal length is perfect for most underwater shooting. 

The other lens that I use is a Canon 100mm f2.8 EF IS USM Macro with image stabilization. This is probably my favorite lens. Underwater macro photography is difficult. You have to get extremely close to your object, while drifting in current, trying to maintain your buoyancy, and get a shot before the subject moves. The Canon Image Stabilization (IS) lenses help a bunch and can correct for a lot of small movements, producing much sharper pictures. IS lenses definitely cost more but this is probably the one area where I think that it is worth investing.

If you are willing to take the time, it is possible to find really high-quality underwater camera gear at a reasonable price. Many underwater photographers are always looking to have the latest, highest resolution equipment. As a result, there is often used gear available on Ebay or on specialty sites like bluewaterphotostore.com. Sometimes you have to wait until the right deal shows up but, with patience, it can be done.

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Diving Equipment for Children

Most SCUBA equipment is not really designed or sized for younger divers. There are only a few brands that make kids lines at all. This is a shame as more and more teens and even pre-teens are taking up the sport. Having well fitted equipment is important for feeling safe and confident in the water. I started diving at 8 years old and got my own equipment at 10. I have some recommendations on gear for younger divers.

A good fitting BCD is probably the most important. A BC needs to be snug and have an appropriate lift capacity to be safe. An oversized or over-capacity BCD will make for a bad dive. The BCD that I started with is the Zeagle Ranger Junior. This is a kid’s specific version of the popular adult Ranger. Overall, this is a great BC. The entire unit was designed in a smaller size and addition, it is very adjustable. Because you can actually change out different sections of the BC, including the shoulder and waist straps, you can get a good fit for almost all kids and you can grow the BC with the kid. The only downside of this BC is the complicated weight release systems, called Ripcord. From a safety standpoint, I understand including this feature on a children’s BCD. To drop the weights, you just need to pull a single handle and all the weight drop out of pockets in the BCD. However, refitting the weights into the BCD and restringing the ripcord is complicated. You have to thread the wires back through the inside of the BCD and then thread them through the weight pocket closures. For normal diving this is fine but for SCUBA camps or during lessons, where you are practicing weight drops all the time, it becomes a real pain. I needed to find an adult to help me with this until I was older.

Regulators are also important to fit correctly. A heavy regulator with too large of a mouthpiece will really start to fatigue your jaw after a while. This is particularly true for children. The regulator that I use and really like is the Aqualung Mikron. This is a high-quality regulator and breaths really easily but is still super lightweight. For children it is really important to get a mouthpiece that fits. All regulators will come with a full-size adult mouthpiece. I know from experience that this can really hurt your jaw after a while. You can find kid’s mouthpieces of various sizes online. These are easy to fit to the regulator.

Another piece of equipment that warrants some attention is the mask. There are plenty of kids masks out there but most of them are designed for snorkeling, where pressure equalization isn’t required. Many kids have very small noses and it can be difficult, if not impossible, to squeeze your nose if the nose pocket on the mask doesn’t fit quite right. There is no single answer here. The only way to find a good mask is to try a bunch at the store until you find one that works. Always make sure that you can equalize well. The mask that I ended up using is the Gull Mantis Mini. This is a mask that was designed specifically for small faces and nose pockets that work even for tiny noses.

The final recommendation that I would make concerns wetsuits. Kids get cold much, much, much faster than adults. I have never been too hot underwater no matter how thick a wetsuit I have had on but I have been cold plenty of times. Kids should always use a wetsuit that is thicker than an adult would use in similar conditions. Even is tropical waters I will usually use a full 5mm wetsuit. If the water is a bit colder I will even use a 7 mm suit and a hood. Nothing will ruin a dive faster than being cold.