knowledge
MY CHILDREN
ARE NOT EVEN 10 YET,
BUT THEY ARE ALREADY DIVING... Text Dobrochna Didłuch CN Deco
Photos CN Deco
We go on vacations together, spend a lot of time by the water, regularly visit the swimming pool. I dive, and so would like my child. Are you familiar with this situation? Since September, I've received dozens of calls from parents looking for joint diving activities in the pool.
T
he basic Junior Open Water diving course is for children from the age of 10, but we know our child and we are aware that they can dive even at an earlier age. We can observe how eager they are to be in water, how they can swim, and how they pull themselves out of the water when their lips become purple and they shiver with cold. In this article, I'd like to describe our water options before the minimum age for a diving course, considering that we've already completed swimming lessons and pool play. I'll outline a few programs for children's diving lessons in the pool, presenting a sketch of such activities, so that you can envision these sessions and consciously choose them or convince someone still undecided. In previous articles, I covered the precise selection of equipment, describing separately each swimming element. Now I'll briefly describe the ABC equipment and wetsuit. The mask should be chosen according to the shape of the face, and
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it's crucial that it's a small mask dedicated to children. Even if my mask is good and doesn't let water in, my child might have trouble clearing it because its capacity is too large for a single exhale through the nose to easily clear it. The snorkel must have a small mouthpiece, and depending on your child's dental situation, you can choose the mouthpiece shape. At this age, a child might be missing a tooth, or it might be loose, and therefore a poorly chosen mouthpiece could cause discomfort. Fins should match the width of the feet. It's advisable to avoid strap fins, as they are hard and might strain the legs unnecessarily. The wetsuit should be fitted, and from experience, I know that the ease with which children put it on matters a lot. I recommend those with short legs and sleeves. Since the sessions are held in a pool, such a wetsuit should be sufficient for a water temperature of around 27 degrees Celsius. However, if you know your child gets cold easily, it's worth looking for a long wetsuit. Looking at my boys, I see how they can change sizes two or three times a year, and if I had to buy two wet-