Invicta Divers SCUBA Diving School Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. How old do I have to be to learn to SCUBA Dive ?

A. 10 is the minimum age to gain your first PADI SCUBA Diving qualification, the PADI Junior Open Water Diver.

As a Junior Open Water Diver aged 10-11, you'll be qualified to dive down to 12 metres, and you must be accompanied by a PADI Professional (Instructor or Divemaster) and/or your own parent who is qualified as a PADI Open Water Diver or above.
From age 10 onwards, you can go on to experience Adventure Dives, which are themed dives and theory focussing on one specific aspect of SCUBA Diving and become a PADI Junior Adventure Diver.

When you turn 12, you will be qualified to dive down to 12 metres, and you must be accompanied by a PADI Professional and/or an Adult qualified as a PADI Open Water Diver or above.

From age 12, you can go on to be a Junior Advanced Open Water Diver.   This will qualify you to dive down to 21 metres, and you must be accompanied by a PADI Professional and/or an Adult who is qualified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or above.
You will have a wider range of Adventure Dives and Specialty Courses available to you.   Adventure Dives are themed "taster" dives to give you an experience in a specific aspect of SCUBA diving, while Specialty Courses give you an additional SCUBA Diving qualification which demonstrates that you have mastered that aspect of SCUBA Diving.
From 12, you can also go on to become a PADI Rescue Diver, equipped with the skills and knowledge to anticipate, prevent or deal with incidents and emergencies, not only underwater but on the surface and even at home too !

When you turn 15, your depth limit will increase to 18 metres.   You'll be able to buddy up with your friends who are at least 15 and qualified as PADI Open Water Divers or above.
At 15, if you were already a Junior Advanced Open Water DIver, or you go on to become an Advanced Open Water DIver, you'll be qualified to dive down to 30 metres.   You'll be able to buddy up with your friends who are at least 15 and qualified as Advanced Open Water Divers or above.

When you turn 18, you'll be old enough to train to become a PADI Professional (first as a Divemaster and then maybe on to be an Instructor yourself !).   You'll also be able to buddy with younger Junior Open Water Divers aged 12 and above.

With all Junior students, we individually assess your attention-span, maturity and responsibility and exercise discretion about engaging in SCUBA activities.

No matter how young or how old SCUBA Divers are, or how qualified they are, they often like to dive in groups and with more experienced and more qualified divers.   This can add to the level of fun and the level of comfort during a dive.

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