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How Old Do You Have to Be to Scuba Dive?

How Old Do You Have to Be to Scuba Dive?

Written by Charly Stringer
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Published on July 26, 2023
child scuba diving

Do you have a young person in your life who would love to learn how to scuba dive? Scuba diving is fun for both adults and children, and children often have a confidence that many adults don’t, which makes them brave when it comes to learning new sports. But of course, we want kids to stay safe and that’s why we have age restrictions for scuba diving. Here, we are going to talk about age restrictions in scuba diving, and the options out there for you to make the right decision for your aqua-baby.

How old do you have to be to scuba dive?

Different scuba diving agencies vary in their restrictions, but for the most part, the minimum age to try out scuba equipment in the water with an instructor is eight years old, However, this is not a certification course and only offers the chance to give it a go diving at a very shallow depth (maximum 2 meters or 6.5 feet).

To get a scuba diving certification, the minimum age is typically 10 years old, and although it is the same course as for adults, depth restrictions are enforced so that children cannot go deeper than 12 meters or 40 feet (as opposed to 18 meters or 60 feet for ages 12 and up).

child scuba diving
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Diving for Children and for Adults: Scuba Diving Age Restrictions

So let’s break it down more specifically.

PADI Bubblemaker Program

The PADI Bubblemaker program is for 8- and 9-year-olds with an interest in scuba diving. A scuba diving professional will show them the scuba equipment that they will be using. This includes a small tank, buoyancy control device (BCD), and mask, and sometimes a small mouthpiece for regulators, too. The instructor will take them in a swimming pool or in confined water to a maximum depth of 2 meters or 6.5 feet. They learn how to equalize their ears and communicate with basic hand signals before entering the water. No prior experience needed for this program.

PADI Seal Team

The PADI Seal Team is for 8-year-olds and older who want to take part in “Aquamissions” in a swimming pool. A dive professional will show the kids the dive equipment, explain hand signals and equalization, and then they will set them challenges to attempt, including mask clearing and creature identification.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

The Discover Scuba Diving program is for 10-year-olds and older who want to try scuba diving without committing to a full certification course. You will not receive a certification during this program, but you will get a taste of what diving is all about. Your instructor will show you the equipment, explain the dive site, talk about some basic skills you’ll complete under shallow water, and talk about dive physiology, equalization, and hand signals. When you hit the water, you will have time to get comfortable before diving to a maximum of 12 meters or 40 feet deep, with your instructor very close to you the whole time.

Junior Open Water

The Junior Open Water course from PADI or SDI is for 10- to 12-year-olds who want to get a diving certification. This course includes a mixture of theory sessions (with an exam), confined water dives, and open water dives, as well as completing skills (clearing the mask, rescue scenarios, etc) along the way. This course usually takes around three days to complete. The maximum depth you will go to during the course (and be certified to dive to afterwards) is 12 meters or 40 feet deep.

Open Water Diver

The Open Water Diver course is the same as the Junior Open Water course, but is for divers 12 and up. The only difference is that 12 year olds and over can be certified to a maximum depth of 18 meters or 60 feet deep. However, once a Junior Open Water diver turns 15 years old, they will become an Open Water Diver automatically.

Advanced Open Water & Junior Advanced Open Water

The next step after completing your Open Water course is to move on to the Advanced Open Water course, which includes a selection of five specialty dives. One of these dives must be a deep dive (over 18 meters or 60 feet deep) and you also have to complete a navigation dive. The remainder of the dives can be chosen but might depend on what’s available at the dive center.

Restrictions are in place for 12- to 15-year-olds who can only go to a maximum of 21 meters or 69 feet deep during the deep dive and will have to stick to this depth after they are certified until they reach 15 years old. Finally, 15-year-old divers and older will be certified to dive to 30 meters or 98 feet deep.

Further courses and specialties are available after becoming an Advanced Open Water Diver if you’d like to continue learning.

Risks of scuba diving for kids

It is unclear whether scuba diving is more dangerous to children than to adults. This is because research has not been done on children to know the exact dangers of pressure and decompression sickness. All diving research has been done using adults. There are arguments that children’s bodies, in particular their lungs, are not fully developed yet, which could make diving more dangerous. This is why age restrictions are in place for scuba diving courses and programs to keep children in shallower waters to ensure their safety. Younger children might also struggle to fully understand the consequences behind dangerous scuba diving practice.

child scuba diving
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the youngest age you can go scuba diving?

Eight years old is the youngest age you can go scuba diving.

What is the cost of scuba diving?

The cost of scuba diving depends on the country or area that you are diving in. For example you might expect to pay around $270 for an Open Water Course in Asia, but in the USA or Europe you might pay more towards $500.

Charly Stringer

Charly Stringer

Charly Stringer is a scuba diver based in Dahab, Egypt. She is a scuba diving and freediving instructor, as well as a digital creator,