Posted by Wayne on January 05, 2002 at 12:32:10:
In Reply to: Why diving with your daughter is NOT like solo diving.... posted by msblucow on January 04, 2002 at 23:32:54:
And I do not want to seem morose either, but life is dangerous. So many get killed in cars and yet we still drive around with the kids. My definition of being a parent is not to protect from all danger, but to assist in their development. That means risks will be taken.
I have a great photo of the 10 year old rappelling down a 100 foot high shear wall in Joshua Tree last year. Some think it looks so dangerous. She thinks it is extremely fun. And I am fairly relaxed about it. She was wearing a harness, the ropes had been checked and double checked. There was a responsible adult at the bottom of the rope who could stop her if she lost control. Done correctly, things that seem dangerous often have manageable risks.
There are some activities that really are dangerous. Skydiving is one that comes to mind. I would never do that! But recreational diving of the type that is appropriate for younger family members and newbies does not fit into that category. Sure if we lose our ability to get air, it is a problem, but there are several ways to get to the surface (five that must be put in order of precedence on PADI's final OW exam).
Back to the solo versus buddied with a 10 year old argument. You are right that it is different. It is safer for me. If I had an equipment malfunction (rare, but I suppose it could happen), I have her octo to use. I was referring to her ability to drag my body to shore while providing mouth to mouth to shore in my original comments. She cannot do that. But as I pointed out, most divers out there can't do it either. For those reading this who have not taken a rescue class, take my word for it, it is very hard and an important thing to know how to do. So I do not consider her age to be the limiting factor.
The real issue I think comes down to the diving parent's responsibility to be a competent diver who selects appropriate dives for the kid. But I also see this as no different than any other buddy team of divers. Look at the number of problems that would be avoided by simply diving with predive planning and buddy checks!
Wayne