Is it necessary to be at least 18 to learn to dive. Your individual circumstances will determine the answer. Junior certification can be completed by children who wish to dive deeper. Adult certification can be pursued by both teens and adults. Both courses require you to be at least fifteen years old and have a minimum of a few years experience. Below are the required physical and medical requirements to be certified at each level.
You must be at least 18 to scuba dive.
The recreational scubatraining council recommends that people younger than 15 years old should not scubadive. However, children as young eighteen can learn to scuba diver and take training. The effects of scuba dive on children is still not well-studied and may vary from one person to another. Qualified instructors should be trained to teach children.
You don't have to be at least 18 to learn to dive. PADI is one of the schools that will teach kids as young as ten years old. Kids under the age 10 are generally considered junior level divers. Once they reach the appropriate age, they will be upgraded to the adult level. The British Sub-Aqua Club offers training for young people, but they must also be at least 12 to take part in any programs.
Physical and medical requirements
Certain conditions can make it challenging for someone to safely dive. Divers with chronic or severe conditions, such as diabetes or medication, may have difficulty diving safely. Regular exercise is necessary for diving. Pregnant women should not attempt scuba diving. Before you dive, make sure to talk to your doctor about any of the above conditions. Find out more about the requirements for scuba diving.
To begin, you'll need to fill out the Recreational Scuba Training Council's medical questionnaire. This organization is located in North America. You can obtain this form from many sources. The RSTC will decide if the potential diver requires a medical exam after completing the questionnaire. The answer to the medical questions does not automatically disqualify a person from diving. However, it indicates that they might have a pre-existing condition that could affect their safety.
Courses available
Scuba diving requires that you be at least eight years of age. Depending on where you are, this age can be a lot lower or higher. If you're still unsure about whether you're old enough, check out the PADI Bubblemaker program, designed for kids. They learn the basics of diving like pressure and buoyancy. They can also practice their skills in the pool. They can go as deep as 12 feet during this training.
At least eight years of age is required to become a fully certified diver. While most agencies offer courses to children as young as 8, they won't give you the certification to dive in open-water. PADI has programs for younger divers such as the Seal Team and Bubblemaker. While this may not seem like the best program for beginners, it is a great way of getting a taster of the experience.
Certification requirements
Although scuba diving certifications are non-expiring, you'll need an instructor's card if you wish to teach scuba or start your own business. Reputable dive centers will ask you about your certification, dive history, and number of dives. A refresher course may be necessary if you haven’t dived in six or more months. Although the certificate is not valid for expiration, it's a good idea to take a refresher course each now and again to stay current on all the rules and regulations.
You must have five types of diving knowledge to be able to obtain your scuba certification. The first two components are the classroom and the second an open-water dive. Each dive will represent an emergency situation in which you must be able to quickly return to the surface. This portion of the course is similar to getting a driver’s license. For open-water diving, you must pass both knowledge and exam.