Can Kids Scuba Dive? What Parents Need to Know
It's a question many adventurous parents ask: "Can my child get scuba certified?" The short answer is yes! But, it's not a simple "one size fits all" situation. Roatan Divers follows strict PADI guidelines that introduce children to the underwater world in a safe, controlled, and fun way.
While your kid can't go on a full-fledged dive trip at 8 years old, they can start exploring the basics of scuba diving through Bubblemaker experiences, and at 10 years old, your child can get PADI Junior Open Water Certified. Read below for a breakdown of how kids can scuba dive in Roatan.
Age-Specific Programs & Certifications
Roatan Divers is a PADI 5 Star IDC and EcoCenter, and we follow PADI’s tiered programs designed for different age groups. These programs progress from shallow, confined water experiences to full open water certification with specific limitations.
Ages 8-9: PADI Bubblemaker or Seal Team Program
The Bubblemaker Experience is a fun and exciting PADI program designed for children aged 8 and older. It offers a safe and supervised introduction to scuba diving, allowing kids to try real scuba gear, breathe underwater, and explore in shallow water, all under the close guidance of a certified instructor and limited to 2 metres/6 feet maximum depth.
This is not a certification course, but rather a memorable first diving experience that sparks curiosity and builds confidence in a playful, controlled environment.
This is conducted in a swimming pool in many areas, but thanks to Roatan Divers’ location in the shallow, tranquil Half Moon Bay, we’re able to conduct Bubblemaker experiences right off the beach! Young divers will learn the basics of using scuba gear under the direct supervision of our PADI Instructors.
This is a fun, low-pressure way for kids to get comfortable with the gear and breathing underwater. Mom and Dad can enjoy their fun dives while the kiddos are under the expert care of our dive instructors!
PADI Seal Team is an action-packed scuba program designed for young adventurers aged 8 and up who are ready to go beyond the basics of breathing underwater. Unlike a one-time experience like Bubblemaker, the Seal Team program is structured, progressive, and skill-building, making it ideal for kids who want to dive deeper into the underwater world.
The program is split into two parts:
AquaMissions 1 to 5: These core sessions teach basic scuba diving skills such as mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy control, and underwater communication. Completing these missions earns kids the official PADI Seal Team recognition.
Specialty AquaMissions: Once the core skills are mastered, kids can continue with fun, themed missions like wreck diving, navigation, night diving, and environmental awareness, working toward becoming a PADI Master Seal Team Member.
All dives take place only in a pool under the direct supervision of a certified PADI professional, ensuring a safe and supportive environment, respecting some depth limits:
For AquaMission 1 : limited to 2 metres/6 feet maximum depth
After AquaMission 1: limited to 4 metres/12 feet maximum depth
The PADI Seal Team is perfect for young divers who love the water, want to have fun, and enjoy learning through exciting underwater challenges!
Ages 10-14: PADI Junior Open Water Diver Course
This is where kids can earn a full-fledged certification! During the PADI Junior Open Water Diver course, children learn the same skills as the adult course so they’re ready to go fundiving with the whole family. There are some key differences and restrictions, though:
Depth limits:
10- and 11-Year-Olds: limited to a maximum depth of 40 feet (12 meters)
12- to 14-Year-Olds: Maximum 18 metres/60 feet for Junior Open Water Divers. Maximum 21 metres/70 feet for continuing education.
Supervision after certification:
10- and 11-Year-Olds: Must dive with a parent/guardian
12- to 14-Year-Olds: Junior divers must always dive with a certified adult
Class size: The student-to-instructor ratio is lower for younger kids to ensure they get more personalized attention.
Age 15+: PADI Open Water Course
Once a diver turns 15, their Junior Open Water Diver certification will be upgraded automatically to a standard Open Water Diver certification with no additional training required. They'll also be able to dive to the standard adult depth of 60 feet (18 meters) with a dive buddy.
Where Can Kids Dive in Roatan?
Dive Site Overheat, Roatan, Honduras
Junior Open Water Divers will love exploring Roatan’s diverse dive sites! Our location on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef means that our dive sites are almost all less than 10 minutes from our dive shop, with many under 2 minutes away. This means your kids won’t have time to get bored or restless on the way! Most dive sites start and end over a shallow coral platform, which means kids can enjoy a swimming safety stop. This is ideal for their inquisitive, playful diving style! Here are a few of our favorite kid-friendly dive sites:
Mandy’s Eel Garden has a shallow, white sand bottom at the beginning of the dive, with a shallow swim-through playfully nicknamed “the nostrils.” From here, kids can enjoy a shallow wall, or stay along the platform. There is a high chance of seeing eagle rays, turtles, green moray eels, and flounders in this area.
Butcher’s Bank is great for kids who love small stuff and sandy patch treasures, Butcher’s Bank is your paradise! This dive site has relatively shallow sand full of pipefish, flounder, soles, tube-dwelling anemones, and more. As you start swimming outwards towards the wall, you will explore a beautiful platform of corals where turtle sightings are likely.
Blue Channel is one of Roatan’s most famous dive sites because of its diversity. This dive site offers swim-throughs, reef, a shallow sandy “bowl of fish,” and if you’re lucky, your kids will get to see a bait ball! The bowl is home to hundreds and hundreds of upside-down jellyfish, southern stingrays, and eagle rays, and all the hidden treasures you would expect to find in turtle grass.
Overheat is a vibrant and varied dive site off Roatan, featuring shallow coral gardens, sandy patches, and deeper walls. With great visibility, gentle currents, and abundant marine life, like turtles and groupers, it’s perfect for beginners.
Next Steps After Completing the Open Water Course
The learning doesn’t have to stop after the Open Water Course! Take a look at these courses tailor-made for young divers:
Junior Advanced Open Water is for those 12 and up who want to go deeper and learn how to think like a diver. In addition to Deep and Navigation dives, your kiddo will get to choose 3 additional adventure dives to keep learning, playing, and exploring
Peak Performance Buoyancy is two dives dedicated to mastering buoyancy through play and experimentation.
Fish ID is a fun way to learn more about the cool fish we’re diving with!
Underwater Naturalist teaches children about the marine environment, above and beyond what is taught in Fish ID
Underwater Navigator Ever wondered if you could do an underwater obstacle course? In our Navigator Specialty, you’ll do just that! This is a fun way to learn a valuable safety skill, and the whole family will enjoy!
Reserve Online
Roatan Divers is strategically located in the West End, and you will need about 10 to 15 minutes of navigation to reach all these dive sites.
We have our own dock and 4 fast boats to accommodate our divers at every level and interest, but spots fill up fast. Be sure to book your trip in just a few clicks via our online reservations portal. You can let us know any courses you’re interested in and how long you plan to stay, and we will design the rest!
Roatan Divers is proud to offer a boutique diving experience to our clients, and we have been awarded a 2025 TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award. Still not sure about booking with us? Please feel free to check out our nearly 1,800 TripAdvisor reviews, or reach out directly to ask your specific questions.
