In French, diving means swimming under water. This lesson opens life to everyone from a new side. Scuba diving is a recreation and sport, it is a constant discovery and a healthy lifestyle, it is an opportunity to learn a lot of new and exciting things. If we compare the underwater world with space, then its main advantage is accessibility for humans. Diving under water, the diver enters a completely different dimension with its own rules and laws, secrets and mysteries.
Diving in Moscow: theory and practice
According to historical data, the first mention of scuba diving dates back to the 17th century. Since then, this sport has been constantly improved. The process of learning to dive is quite simple thanks to modern methods and equipment, but it requires certain knowledge and skills, which require a lot of time and effort to master.
Anyone can learn scuba diving skills. Experts believe that you can start training at about 10-12 years old. Diving schools in Moscow offer individual and group lessons for different age groups. As a rule, classes begin with theory. Only having mastered the necessary theoretical knowledge, you can move on to practice. Practical classes are held in the pool. This is a convenient and safe option, especially for beginners.
Scuba diving is available for both children and adults. Often, whole families come to diving centers and scuba diving sections in Moscow. Such joint activities bring children and parents together, and common interests make their leisure time pleasant and comfortable.
Scuba diving training in Moscow for beginners and experienced divers
Attending classes in diving sections for beginners, future divers, first of all, get acquainted with the rules of safe behavior, on the strict observance of which a person's life sometimes depends. To feel comfortable and calm underwater, you need to understand all the nuances and subtleties of this sport. Only having the necessary stock of theoretical and practical knowledge behind you, you can go on a real underwater journey.
And although diving is still considered an elite form of recreation today, diving in Moscow is available to everyone!
Diving for children. Children's diving. Information for parents:
Teaching children to scuba dive is somewhat different from teaching an adult. The task of the instructor is to explain rather complex things to the child in a simple and accessible language. Oddly enough, children master the theoretical part of education faster than adults. This is because the brain of a child is better tuned to assimilate new material than that of an adult. The child goes to school, and every day he discovers things that are fantastic in scale. For example, yesterday he learned what the world ocean is, what the law of Archimedes is, and indeed what a person is. The only difference between the process of learning to dive and teaching mathematics or physics at school is that the instructor includes elements of the game and the relative freedom of the child in this process (up to certain limits, of course). The child should have the feeling that, despite the seriousness of the material being studied, this is, after all, a rest. However, during the training process, the instructor will set the child up for a serious approach to this lesson. The practical part of the training in the water will be accompanied and under the obligatory supervision of an instructor. The child will be taught to scuba dive, but in the future, an adult will have to organize, plan and control the conduct of these dives. No matter how responsible and careful the young scuba diver is, the child still has a limited measure of responsibility for his actions, and therefore the entire responsibility for the dive lies with the adults accompanying him. The best option would be if these dives are always carried out by certified instructors. In the future, when the young diver will grow up, he will be able to take an additional course and become an independent scuba diver.
Features of the psychology and physiology of children impose certain restrictions on their ability to dive:
In most cases, children freeze quickly, even in warm water. And they don't like to admit it. It is more difficult for children to move around in a thick neoprene suit and heavy fins. Features of the development of the cardiopulmonary system lead to problems during prolonged loads. Children may be prone to overestimate their strengths or underestimate danger. Children may not fully understand the basics of safe behavior underwater. Children succumb more easily to group pressure, especially from parents. Children may strive to complete the task "at any cost" without considering the consequences
Bubblemaker Course
bubblemaker up to 2 meters - one dive, designed specifically for children boys and girls from 8 to 10 years old. There are no requirements or restrictions. In shallow water, under the guidance of a qualified instructor and in special children's equipment, they take their first steps in diving and learn to breathe underwater. The depth, as a rule, does not exceed 1-2 meters, the dive time is 20 - 30 minutes, this is usually either pool Kata, Ao Sane (, photo gallery) on our house reef . The dive center is right on the beach. You need to walk 30 meters to the water.on our house reef . Upon completion of the dive, a beautiful diploma is issued.
Discover Scuba Diver - Trial Dive
Discover Scuba Diver diving for children from 10 full years - trial dive up to 12 meters. In just 1 day, your child will become a real diver and receive their first congratulatory certificate! During the dive, he will learn to independently prepare and use equipment. Master the basic skills of scuba diving. After a trial dive, the child will be able to continue their education and, if desired, improve their skills to the level Junior Open Water Diver PADI or Junior Diver NDL. This takes 2 more days. The first two dives take place in Kata pool, or dive from the beach Ao Sane (, photo gallery) on our house reef . Racha Yai ()- on diving sites
Junior Open Water Diver course
Junior Open Water Diver PADI or Junior Diver NDL up to 12 meters, diving for children from 10 full years. Your child will learn how to dive correctly and safely. He will be able to work in a team, both in the classroom and underwater, learn what it means to be a buddy, learn first aid techniques, master all the skills of the Open Water Diver course. Our dive center has special small scuba gear for our most important divers. Our instructors have extensive experience in teaching children. In general, everything is like in adults, and even better! After successfully passing the open water exam, your child will receive a certificate - Junior Open Water Diver or Junior Diver NDL, which gives the right to dive in open water accompanied by adults to a depth of 12 meters. And most importantly, your child will learn to assess their strengths, to cope with problems on their own. That is, he will take an important step in life. The first two dives are on the first two dives are on the Kata pool, or dive from the beach Ao Sane Ao Sane (, photo gallery) on our house reef . The dive center is right on the beach. You have to walk 30 meters to the water. The beach has a cafe, shower, toilet, sunshades. Further on the second day, the dives take place from the ship on the island of the island Racha Yai ()- on diving sites Bungalow Bay , Bay 1 or Siam Bay
Junior Advanced Open Water Diver Course
Junior Advanced Open Water Diver or Junior Universal Diver NDL up to 21 meters, diving for children from 12 full years. If your child is already a certified diver, loves to dive and does not want to stop there - a special program for children PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver will open up new horizons for him. Within two days, he will make five exciting adventure dives, where he will learn to navigate well by compass, dive to a depth of 21 meters, learn a lot of interesting things about underwater inhabitants, and receive a certificate of an experienced young diver. The first two dives take place on the island of Racha Yai , or from shore on our house reef. The first two dives are from the beach Ao Sane (, photo gallery) on our house reef . The dive center is right on the beach. You have to walk 30 meters to the water. The beach has a cafe, shower, toilet, sunshades. Either from the island Racha Yai ()- on diving sites Bungalow Bay , Bay 1 or Siam Bay, then on the second day, dives take place from the ship on the island of Racha Noi or Phi Phi
Junior Rescue Diver course
Junior Rescue Diver PADI or Junior Rescue Diver NDL- diving for children from 12 full years. One of the most interesting courses. Your child will learn to anticipate and avoid most diving emergencies and learn the skills to rescue divers on the surface and underwater.
The course program includes the following sections: Rescue and stress in divers. Prevention and stress relief. Providing first aid during diving. Actions in extreme situations. Providing assistance in water and on land. Panic diver. Action plan in case of loss of a diver. Resurrection of an unconscious diver. Artificial respiration on the surface of the water. Medical assistance in case of accidents related to pressure. Diving accident scenarios. The course takes 4-5 days. As part of the course, we try to cover all aspects of rescuing people at sea.
It is no secret that it is difficult for modern parents busy with their own problems to go beyond the existing stereotypes of both their own lifestyle and their family. And the topic of joint recreation, common interests and hobbies is often one of the most difficult.
Safety
Another important question is how safe this activity is for children. In today's world, where any activity involves the presence of potential danger (and diving is no exception), the task of parents is not to completely isolate the child, but to teach him to cope with difficulties and minimize risk. Both of these aspects are built into the program of every PADI course for children, so following simple rules makes diving a safe activity. In the list of 25 sports, compiled in descending order of their degree of injury, diving occupies one of the last places. Basketball, football and cycling lead the list, the result of an analysis of data from medical institutions, and bottom are diving, bowling, squash and billiards.
Physiology and psychology of children's diving
When swimming in fins, the main load falls on the legs and spine of the child. But this load is distributed dynamically, evenly. In normal swimming, the main load falls on the arms, and scuba diving contributes to the even development of the muscles of the legs and back. The experience of Russian and foreign trainers shows that many children who came to them with scoliosis and other defects of the spine and musculoskeletal system got rid of these problems in a few years of training.
Diving for children takes place at depths that provide maximum safety (2 meters for children 8 years old, 12 meters - up to 12 years old, 18 meters - up to 14 years old), while children under 12 years old must dive in open water accompanied by adults or professional divers .
Having a submariner's certificate for children and parents opens up a lot of opportunities for family vacations, both in Russia and abroad. Parental care will provide children with psychological comfort, because watching mom and dad in a carefree and relaxed atmosphere of relaxation and joint diving, the child is imbued with a sense of family well-being and emotional stability.
Considering that 70.8% of the Earth's surface is under water, your family will have a great opportunity to explore this vast underwater world for their own pleasure. How interesting your diving and family vacation will be - depends only on you! Scuba diving - the romance of underwater adventures and completely new experiences!
The cost of training courses is on the page of our website at the link.
A few more video clips with children diving in our POTOK diving center:
Parents who have already had the opportunity to admire one day, as a rule, have a desire to attach their child to such a miracle. This is not surprising. After all, it is the children who want to convey all the most amazing and amazing things that happen in the life of a parent.
However, you can’t just buy your child equipment and take it with you during the next dive. It is essential that the young diver is properly trained. And it is better that this does not take place in one day (as happens in many resorts). It is desirable that the child takes a course of training that will help him fully prepare for diving.
In order for a minor diver to be ready to dive, it is important to choose the right school for him.
Contrary to popular belief that it is too dangerous for children, children's diving still exists. But it is important that parents place high demands on the respective schools.
The main criteria in choosing an institution
Before enrolling your child in a diving class, you should test the institution against the following criteria:
- equipment and environment;
- system;
- the age of the students;
- experience of instructors;
- tuition price.
Equipment and environment
Equipment
It is desirable that the school provides you with everything. At the same time, the institution must ensure that it provides verification and preparation of equipment. So you can be sure that during the dives your child uses only serviceable equipment, with which each instructor knows how to work correctly.
Dive site
Some schools loop children's diving around the pool alone. It is easy to guess that by honing diving skills in a closed tank, the child will not gain enough experience for a real dive.
Therefore, it is desirable that the school program provides for field training.
System
Today, children's diving, as well as an adult, can be different. The learning methods differ depending on the systems used. There are many of them. However, three are the most famous (they are recognized everywhere, so a child with immersion in a foreign country).
- CMAS;
- NAUI;
- PADI.
CMAS
This training system is recommended by the World Confederation of Underwater Activities (Confederation Mondiale des Activites Subaquatiques). It was developed by the most famous explorer of the underwater world, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. It includes several stages on which training is based:
- Introdiving. First, the student is given the opportunity to carry out an introductory dive. This is done so that the client can feel how the body behaves in the water, to adapt to the so-called soaring. Such diving is carried out under the guidance of an instructor.
- One star. Further, a person gets the opportunity to dive under water with a mask and snorkel. He cannot go to great depths, because of this the air flow will be lost. This helps the diver to learn how to swim using fins, perform underwater maneuvers, and get used to breathing through the mouth.
- One star. Further, the student begins to receive in-depth knowledge of diving and acquire appropriate skills. This course includes 12 theoretical and practical lessons.
The certificate issued after such training has no statute of limitations.
- Two stars. Such training can only be completed by a diver who has reached the age of fifteen. He will be told in more detail about physical laws, will help to hone the necessary sports skills. Moreover, this course also includes lessons on first aid to the victim.
Practical classes are held in different conditions - in different weather, visibility, in different places.
- Three stars. Not everyone deserves a third star in diving. It is better to acquire a three-star certificate initially for those people who are self-confident, can be leaders in a group, and are ready to take responsibility for others. Upon receiving this star, a person receives all the knowledge and skills that his instructor possesses.
NAUI
This system is recommended by the National Association of Underwater Instructions. According to the stages of training, this system practically does not differ from CMAS. However, NAUI training is more common in North American regions. In Russia, it is not easy to find centers that teach according to this system.
PADI
The student comes to the first exam after listening to five lectures and attending five classes.
The training steps are also almost indistinguishable from the CMAS system. Only the names of the degrees of diver skill differ:
- Scuba Diver (swimming underwater in the pool);
- Open Water Diver (ability);
- Adventure Diver (diver with advanced open water diving skills);
- Advanced Open Water Diver (learning to dive in open water with prevailing practice and almost no theory. Children over the age of 12 are allowed);
- Rescue Diver (gives you the opportunity to be the leader in the group and teach others).
Age
Of course, before choosing one or another school, you need to make sure that a child of your age will be accepted there. Although the lower certifications are available to children and have virtually no age restrictions, some schools are not prepared to take custody of a very young diver.
As practice shows, in Moscow the minimum age of diving children reaches 5–8 years. In regions, the age bar may be higher.
Experience
Feel free to check the professional documents of the specialist who will teach your child to dive. He must have a certificate from an organization that corresponds to the training system, and a level that allows him to train others.
That is, if this is a CMAS instructor, then he must have a ***CMAS level. If this is a PADI system specialist, then - PADI Rescue Diver.
Price
When you are ready to send your child to school, make sure you can afford it. Some schools (especially those located in resort areas) present parents with unreasonably high bills for the education of their children.
As a rule, a diving school for children sets prices that are practically the same as adults.
Depending on the region, the cost can vary from $50 to $1,000 per course.
Preparation for school
Most of the institutions that teach children the art of scuba diving do not require any training. Some even teach young athletes to swim from scratch.
But many parents still prefer to play it safe and buy their child a diving suit that only he would wear. Finding a children's diving suit is not as easy as an adult, but still possible.
Moreover, you can find various models created specifically for girls and boys. Children's costume, by the way, is cheaper than an adult. However, it often becomes a little thicker.
Do not forget that it is the suit that helps the child get the most out of diving. Without it, a young swimmer can freeze. Because of this, he will either spend very little time in the water, or get sick.
In addition, the suit protects the surface of the body from burns, bruises and many other injuries.
Therefore, if your school does not provide a suit for every student, make sure to purchase one. It is better not to rely on chance and not send the child to dive in a bathing suit or swimming trunks.
The suit, as a rule, stretches well, so the child does not grow out of it so quickly. At the same time, he does not wear out for a long time.
Do not forget that when sending a child to a diving school, you do not shift all responsibility for him to the specialists of the institution. You yourself must soberly assess the risks of playing this sport and not violate the rules that you will be told about at the parent meeting.
Keep an eye on your baby's health, don't try to falsify medical certificates to deceive the instructor, keep an eye on your little athlete's sleep and diet, ask about what equipment he works with.
Then soon your child will keep the parents company in the study of underwater depths.
If you have experience in teaching children to scuba dive, write about the nuances of this process in the comments.
Diving attracts not only adults, but also children. Of course, this requires special children's equipment. For children, a special small-sized scuba gear is produced. "Balloon block" "MICRO", developed jointly by specialists from Techno Tor and PRO DIVING CLUB by order of the technical committee of the Confederation of Underwater Activities of Russia.
The microblock is designed to store the breathing mixture and provide it during short-term work in polluted air, for scuba diving, as an alternative, for short-term search operations at a depth of not more than five meters and for teaching children from 8 to 12 years old to dive at a depth of not more than 5 meters .
The block consists of 2 steel cylinders with a volume of 1.3-2 liters, attached to an aluminum back, is characterized by a working pressure of 200 kg/cm 2 and a test hydraulic pressure of 300 kg/cm 2 , a temperature range of -50ºС +60ºС and a breathing time of 15-20 minutes for adults, 35-40 minutes for children (at working pressure and at a depth of 5 meters).
Cylinders are manufactured in accordance with GOST 949-73, they are connected to each other using HP tubes with one valve into a single air circuit. Cylinders are placed on a rigid back with a neck up or down (attached with a clamp). For fastening to the body, a neoprene pad (5 mm), two adjustable shoulder straps with one-piece plastic buckles, a detachable adjustable waist strap and an adjustable crotch strap with a connector for connecting to the waist are provided.
In the neck there is a conical thread, with a regulator, to work as a breathing apparatus, the unit is connected using a DIN connection. There are no devices for controlling the air mixture flow in the cylinder block, monitoring is carried out visually, using a remote pressure gauge of the regulator (its hose passes under the left shoulder strap). Between the cylinders there is a handle for carrying the block and insuring children under water.
