Scuba Diving Jr. Advanced Certification

 

Boogs turned 12 in April, which meant he was able to take a class to receive his next level of scuba certification. Kids can get their Jr. Open Water Certification at age 10, which Boogs did when he turned 10. The Jr. Open Water Certification allowed for Boogs to dive to 40 feet. He has been on about 25 lake and ocean dives since he got certified two years ago.  He spent one weekend last month, taking his class for Jr. Advanced Open Water Certification. This advanced certification allows him to dive to 60 feet. I find it interesting that the Jr. scuba class materials are exactly the same as the materials used for adults. For adults, Open Water means diving to 60 feet and Advanced Open Water means diving up to 120 feet. Boogs and I spent the three weeks before his class working through the advanced diver manual. I had to make sure Boogs really understood all of the information, completed the quizzes, and was carefully paying attention to safety information.

My husband went with Boogs to Lake Travis for the class. Once my husband got there, he called me to gather all of his scuba equipment because he could not stand waiting on the shore while he could be diving. He ran into a friend at the lake and was able to borrow an air tank. The second day of the class, my husband and his friend joined Boogs on the boat. They went on their own dives while dive master Mike worked with Boogs.

Boogs taking a giant stride into Lake Travis.

My husband taking a giant stride into Lake Travis.

Mike said Boogs is a better diver than many of the adults he has worked with. Boogs listens carefully, works through the proper dive checklist, follows directions, and is very focused while diving.

Boogs had to complete 5 dives: peak performance bouyancy, navigation, deep, boat, and search & recovery. The only thing Boogs had any trouble with was tying knots underwater. The water was so cold, Boogs said his fingers were a bit numb. He liked the search & recovery dive the best. He found several pairs of sunglasses, a necklace, an Apple Watch, and a couple of other things.

With Mike wearing some of the sunglasses they found.

Daddy and Boogs with some more recovered items.

Boogs and Daddy found a little turtle on the shore near the boat.

Boogs said he had a great time, he learned a lot, and nearly froze to death. He is happy to have completed his next level of scuba certification. Last summer, Boogs told me part of his life plan is to take a gap year after high school graduation, before going to college. He plans to travel around the world to scuba dive in as many places as possible. He plans to work on dives boats as he travels to pay for his expenses. Boogs has to wait until he is 15 to upgrade his certification and no longer be considered a Jr. diver. He wants to get his Master Diver Certification before he begins his world travels.

This summer, we are taking a family dive trip to Bonaire. It is a small island municipality of the Netherlands that lies about 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela. We have never been to South America and are looking forward to our next diving adventure. 

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