Posted by Karl S. on June 30, 2003 at 08:49:04:
In Reply to: Should 10 year olds be diveing? posted by Captain Tim on June 29, 2003 at 21:58:04:
Here in Northern Cal, boat diving is normally viewed as an Advanced Open Water category of diving. So it seems strange to me to begin with that a 10 year old would be ON a dive boat in the first place. But youre right, Capt Tim, that in the retail business world, the customer is king.
Regarding whether 10 year olds should be learning to scuba dive, that is a whole different can of worms.
People come into dive stores all the time and ask the question, "Can my 10 (or 11) year old get certified?"
John Cronin must have seen the wealth of customers that answering YES to this question brings to PADI. I guess that is called "vision."
I personally see it as a nightmare.
But then personally, I myself draw the line somewhere in the teens, if not the late teens, as to when a child or youth is best equipped physically, mentally, and emotionally to learn scuba.
How many 10 year olds have learned or come to understand Boyle's Law, for instance?
The rub, of course, lies in the concept of the "family vacation." Kids dont want to be left out of the scuba activities. That is a lame excuse for justifying scuba instruction for children, who are not ready for it, but therein arises the problem.
Because the customer is king, you sometimes just have to grit your teeth.