Key takeaways
- Twelve is the minimum age for the introductory scuba dive; it does not apply to the boat, breakfast, lunch or snorkelling.
- Anyone under 16 who dives must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, on the same boat, on the same day.
- A 16 or 17 year old can dive with prior written parental consent and liability forms signed by a parent or guardian.
- Certain medical conditions and medications may prevent diving; call the operator before you travel if you are unsure.
The age limit is for the dive, not the day
Twelve is the minimum age for the introductory scuba dive included in this trip. That limit applies to the dive itself, not to the boat, the two reef sites, breakfast, lunch or the presentation from the resident marine biologist.
Snorkelling carries no age limit and is unlimited across the day, including at the second reef site. Anyone too young to do the introductory dive can still spend the whole day in the water, kitted out to snorkel instead.
It is worth being precise about this because the two get confused easily. A family with an eleven year old and a fifteen year old can still book the same trip together; the eleven year old snorkels, the fifteen year old can dive, and both are on the same boat for the same day.
Under 16s dive with a parent or guardian
Anyone under 16 who wants to do the introductory scuba dive must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. That covers a diver of 12, 13, 14 or 15; the adult takes part alongside them, on the same boat, on the same day.
The requirement sits on top of the age limit itself, not instead of it. A 12 year old still needs to be 12 to dive at all, and still needs a parent or guardian with them once they are.
Sort this out before you arrive rather than at the marina. Check-in is at 7:30am and the boat departs at 8:00am sharp, which leaves little time to resolve who is accompanying which child once everyone is already at the dock.
Snorkellers in the water at the second reef site while others complete the scuba dive.
16 and 17 year olds need written consent
A 16 or 17 year old can do the introductory dive without a parent or guardian on board, but only with prior written parental consent arranged before the trip.
Liability forms for a 16 or 17 year old must be signed by a parent or guardian, not by the teenager travelling alone. Sort this out before travel day rather than at the marina, since the forms need a parent or guardian's signature that cannot be supplied on the spot by the teenager themselves.
This is a narrower rule than the one for under 16s. A 16 or 17 year old does not need an adult physically on the boat for the dive itself, only the paperwork completed and signed in advance of travel.
Certified divers show proof, not age
None of the age rules above apply to a diver who already holds a recreational scuba certification; the introductory dive is only for beginners without one. A certified diver brings proof of that certification and shows it before boarding, whatever their age.
Recreational certifications are issued by training agencies and do not expire. Divers who have not been in the water for a long time are often asked to refresh their skills, so bring your certification card even if it has been years since your last dive.
The included dive is one certified dive or one introductory dive, not both, and a guide for certified divers is not included. Additional dives beyond the one included are not included either, so plan on a single dive for the day regardless of which kind you do.
12
Twelve is the minimum age for the introductory scuba dive on this trip; it does not apply to the boat, breakfast, lunch or snorkelling at all.
What an introductory dive actually is
An introductory dive, sometimes called a resort dive, is a short supervised dive for someone with no qualification. It is done with an instructor, after a briefing, in shallow water.
It is not a course and it does not produce a certification. Someone doing it for the first time is not learning to dive so much as being taken diving, with an instructor managing the equipment and the pace throughout.
Flying too soon after any dive, introductory or certified, carries a real risk of decompression illness. Divers are generally advised to leave a surface interval before boarding a flight, so build that gap into your travel plans before you book a flight home or onward.
Certain medical conditions and medications can rule out diving
Certain medical conditions and medications may prevent someone from diving. If you have a health question or take regular medication, call the operator before you travel rather than raise it for the first time at the marina on the morning of the trip.
This trip is not suitable for people with mobility impairments, heart problems, respiratory issues or epilepsy. That applies to the day as a whole, not only to the scuba diving.
The operator also asks every guest to call 24 hours before travel to reconfirm. Use that call to ask about any condition or medication you are unsure of, well before you are standing on the dock.
If you don't dive, snorkelling is unlimited
Snorkelling is unlimited across the day and included at both reef sites. Anyone who isn't doing the scuba dive still spends the whole day in the water, kitted out to snorkel instead of dive, at the first reef site and the second.
Breakfast, lunch, the marine biologist's presentation and the catamaran trip out and back are the same for everyone on board, whether they spend their time diving or snorkelling.
