Teaching the kids to scuba dive can be surprisingly expensive or difficult to plan, but not in Dahab!
Affordable prices, the relaxed pace, beautiful shore diving for Mom and Dad, great accommodation options and a genuine family-friendly culture make Dahab ideal for kids doing their PADI Junior Open Water course
For the most part, learning to dive is exactly the same for a 10 year old as an adult. Children will learn scuba diving theory, practice underwater skills in confined water and do Open Water dives.
The theory includes things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best equipment and what to consider when planning dives. There is a manual to read, a video to watch (which also demonstrates underwater skills), short quizzes and a final exam. Junior Divers benefit a lot from the eLearning and Touch versions of the manual which integrate reading, video and interactive quizzes – worth the upgrade but they’ll probably need your device with them in Dahab.
Confined Water means calm shallow pool-like conditions. This is where Dahab has a big advantage, because we have these conditions in the lovely Red Sea at Lighthouse reef. Kids learn how to set up their gear, get water out of their mask without surfacing and emergency skills like sharing air. And they’ll enjoy the Red Sea fish life right from their first step in the water.
This is where you have fun putting it all together, diving and exploring the coral reef. There are 4 Open Water dives, by the end of which kids will feel comfortable, safe and in control of their scuba diving. This is the most fun part of the course because they have fun enjoying beautiful diving in the Red Sea.
Over the years, we’ve trained many Junior Open Water Divers (including our own children), and there are some small differences to keep in mind:
The PADI Open Water Diver manual is written for an average reading level of 12 years, with lots of pictures and diagrams, but 200 pages is a lot for any under 15 year old! Plus there are unavoidable technical terms in scuba diving. The great news is that PADI’s excellent digital learning tools are now available for junior divers 10+ yrs. We’ll send you a pdf download code in advance, or you can upgrade to the eLearning or Touch versions of the manual which integrate video, voice and text with interactive quizzes (personally, we love this option!).
It needs to be small! No worries, we have XS and XXS equipment for even the tiniest divers. We also have smaller 10 litre tanks, which aren’t as heavy or cumbersome, and we’ll teach them how to kit up in water to lighten the load.
Junior divers (any smaller person) gets cold more quickly in the water. If you’re coming in summer or autumn, no problem. If you’re coming winter or spring (December-March, water temperature 21-23c) we might advise you to buy a hood or vest for your child – inexpensive and available in Dahab.
Junior Divers have slightly shallower depth limits (12m for 10-11 yr olds), and must dive with a fully-certified adult. From 12 yrs, they can dive to the full 18m. At 15 years, Junior Open Water divers automatically become Open Water. No extra course or card required. Or do the Advanced course and get a new certification :)!
Any under 18 year old must have a parent or legal guardian sign PADI paperwork allowing them to dive. If your child is arriving with a school group, friend or relative, we can email these in advance.
and finally, Junior Divers learn fast – don’t be surprised when they master skills faster than you!
PADI Junior Open Water Diver is for children 10-14 years old. Good health, reasonable fitness and comfort in the water.
PADI eLearning or Touch App is excellent for junior divers. It integrates reading with video and interactive quizzes, which makes dive theory a lot more visual and fun! It costs a bit more, but it gets a lot of the ‘homework’ out of the way before your holiday 🙂
PADI Open Water takes 4-5 days - normally 5 days for Junior Divers:
| Day 1 |
|
| Day 2 - 4 |
|
| Day 5 |
|
Read more about scuba diving in Dahab
