Dive Training Blogs
Diving and Children: Children and the Family
PADI MSDT Maryse Dare continues her Scubaverse blog with part three about family diving…
Children can benefit from diving, but the whole family can too. In some instances there will be children who learn to dive but their parents cannot; in other cases the children are learning because their parents have learned in the past. In this post we are exploring the family as a whole. The benefits of diving together are immeasurable. Diving develops communication skills and builds relationships. It is an opportunity to spend time together where the medium is water and diving creates shared experiences and makes memories.
Refreshers
Where a parent hasn’t dived for a while a refresher is always recommended. We are currently completing two refreshers over the period of a few months. We split the session into two; in one half the child dives with her parents. This has the benefit that they learn about each other as divers. In the other sessions she dives with the other children. By spreading out the refresher the parents are essentially repeating their confined dives of the open water skills, plus a few other skills usually completed in open water. They are also getting to learn more about their daughter’s dive ability to enhance their experiences when diving abroad.
Family Friendly UK Trips
There are lots of trips that children can join in with. Plymouth is an example of a location where there are plenty of shallow dives that children can access. Another example is the Farne Islands. These are two super trips that can incorporate the whole family. There is no reason why you cannot have a usual trip mixing a whole range of children. Sure, adults may have to watch their language and make more appropriate jokes than we otherwise may make on a trip, but the boats are generally big enough to allow a bit of space. There is also the option of chartering a boat and taking it out early with the family in the morning and a few of the club, then coming back and leaving the family to enjoy some other activities whilst you go back out for some deeper sites. The Mountbatten Centre in Plymouth lends itself to this as they offer lots of other water experiences such as kayaking. Gary Kelham is the skipper of Top Gun and is open to working flexibly.
Family Friendly Holidays
There are lots of opportunities for families to dive abroad together too. One example is Lanzarote which has some accessible and shallow dives. There is also lots to do on the surface which always helps too! One aspect we have explored is running a trip where we offer different accommodation so we are meeting on the boat only. We have also looked at offering the option to travel with our instructor to complete courses which is something Aquanauts is already doing successfully.
Younger Children
Where there are younger children in the family then perhaps they can try snorkelling and complete their skin diver certificate? They can develop skills and confidence that will include them in the water during training sessions, and when the family are on holiday.
Try Dives
Where there is a parent in the family who does not yet dive, offering a half price try dive will allow them to see what their child is experiencing. Even if it is a one-off experience it may give them a greater insight, and allow them to discuss their child’s diving in a different way.
There are many ways to welcome families into diving. By including the entire family there may be greater opportunities that they find to dive, and so we keep more divers in the water.
You can follow Maryse and her Dive Club / School at www.oceandiver.co.uk and www.facebook.com/OceanDiver.co.uk.
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) has recently launched their new Professional Development Excellence Award in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), celebrating PADI Five Star Instructor Development Centers (IDC) that are championing creating more PADI Professionals, at all levels, during the previous calendar year.
“While becoming a PADI Five Star IDC Center is a prized accreditation amongst members, this exclusive rating comes with the responsibility of training the next generation of divers to become PADI Instructors,” explains Dave Murray, Managing Director for PADI EMEA.
“PADI’s commitment to a continuing education philosophy encourages divers to realise their dreams of a career as a PADI Pro, teaching others to do what they love – to scuba dive. This new recognition award distinguishes productive PADI Five Star IDC stores for the time and effort they dedicate to marketing and conducting the professional training needed to grow the scuba diving industry.”
PADI’s EMEA Professional Development Excellence Award recognises members for reaching specific milestones based on the number of PADI Pro certifications they issue annually. It also provides an extra layer of credentials in their “Pro Development Status” to potential Divemaster and IDC candidates, along with any other prospective Pro-level customers and prospective employees.
The first awards were distributed earlier this year, with 12 PADI Five Star IDC Centers receiving the Platinum Award. This means that they have issued a minimum of 100 PADI Professional certifications from Divemaster to IDC Staff Instructor, which include 30 Core Professional certifications and 70 Continuing Education Instructor level certifications.
The 2025 PADI EMEA Professional Development Excellence Award is already underway and renewed PADI EMEA Five Star IDC Dive Centers and Resorts are automatically eligible. Stores that reach the recognition levels during 2024 will receive their award in the first quarter of 2025.
For more information about the award and to see the full list of award recipients visit here.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the largest purpose-driven diving organization with a global network of 6,600 dive centers and resorts, 128,000 professional members, and more than 30 million certified divers to date. Committed to our blue planet, PADI makes the wonder of the underwater world accessible to all, empowering people around the world to experience, explore and take meaningful action, as Ocean TorchbearersTM, to protect the world beneath the surface. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, setting the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a passionate lifestyle. For divers by divers, PADI is obsessed with transforming lives and, with its global foundation, PADI AWARETM, creating positive ocean change. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM www.padi.com
RAID’s Performance Diver program is part of the training agency’s unique ‘tune-up’ options for divers at all levels, from basic to technical. Its appeal to newer divers who did not get all they wanted from their open water course (perhaps with a non-RAID dive centre) has always been strong. But it’s a winning option for someone who has been inactive for a while as well.
The skills taught in this course have been designed by some of the most respected dive professionals in the industry. They have condensed years of in-water experience into a great program that’s fuelled by great ideas and solid knowledge. Something useful in all sorts of conditions and all sorts of gear configurations. In short, a range of skills you will use on every dive: buoyancy, trim, situational awareness, gear selection and management, contingency planning… having fun and staying safe.
You can find out more about RAID’s Performance Diver program here.
And with the agency’s renewed focus in 2024 on breath-hold programs, July is a good time to read about the benefits of RAID’s range of Freediving courses.
Freediving is such an exhilarating and beautiful sport that allows you to connect with the underwater world in a unique way.
The thrill of diving deep down, holding your breath, and exploring the depths with just a single breath is truly an unforgettable experience.
It requires focus, control, and a deep respect for the ocean. The sense of freedom and tranquility you can find while freediving is unlike any other.
Have you ever tried freediving or are you interested in learning more about it? You do not have to be a scuba diver to start… not at all!
And if you are already a diver, RAID can help you discover a whole new way to look at a familiar world.
You can find out more about RAID’s Freediving courses here.
To find out more about RAID and the agency’s diver training programs, visit diveraid.com.
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