“Mum, can I go scuba diving too?” 🌊 That was the excited question of a curious 10-year-old watching his parents gear up at our dive center in Tenerife. The sparkle in his eyes mirrored the ocean’s shimmer — and the answer might surprise you. Yes, children can learn to dive! But… under the right conditions and with proper training.
Whether you’re a diving parent or simply planning an unforgettable family holiday, here’s your complete guide to scuba diving for minors — from safety essentials to the best beginner courses and why Tenerife is a top destination to start your underwater journey 👇
Most diving federations, including PADI, allow children to start scuba diving from the age of 10. At this age, they can enroll in the PADI Scuba Diver course or the full Open Water Diver course with adjusted depth limits and close supervision.
For even younger children (from 8 years old), the Discover Scuba Diving experience offers a safe and fun introduction to breathing underwater 🐠
Absolutely — when done right. At Deep Ocean Diver, we apply extra safety measures for our junior divers, such as:
Using child-sized scuba gear and wetsuits
Assigning our most experienced instructors for kids’ courses (meet our team)
Keeping group sizes small
Choosing calm and shallow dive spots, ideal for learning like Radazul 🌴
Our instructors are certified professionals, trained to work with children and make the experience both safe and fun. Learn more about our added safety protocols
Tenerife offers crystal-clear waters, pleasant temperatures all year round, and low currents — making it perfect for junior scuba training. Dive sites like El Médano and Costa Adeje feature gentle slopes and vibrant marine life, keeping young divers engaged 🐢🐙
Families can enjoy guided dives together with certified kids through our guided dive programs, creating unforgettable memories.
Here’s a breakdown of recommended programs:
🐣 Discover Scuba Diving (8+): First underwater experience in shallow waters
🐬 Scuba Diver Course (10+): Partial certification for supervised dives
🧜♂️ Open Water Diver (10+): Full entry-level certification with depth restrictions
The progression allows young divers to develop confidence gradually and at their own pace 🤿
From friendly angelsharks to colorful tropical fish, Tenerife’s waters are home to fascinating creatures — and many are visible at shallow depths ideal for beginners. Want to know what animals your child might encounter? Take a look at our article on marine life in Tenerife 🐡🌈
Definitely! Scuba diving:
Encourages responsibility
Builds confidence through skill progression
Teaches environmental respect
Enhances concentration and teamwork
Many parents are amazed at how diving can positively impact their children’s personal growth 🧠💪
What is the minimum age for scuba diving with PADI?
→ 8 years old for Discover Scuba Diving, 10 for certification courses.
Can kids dive alone?
→ No, children must dive with a certified adult or instructor.
How deep can a child dive?
→ 12 meters max for Scuba Diver and Open Water Junior certifications.
What documents are needed for minors?
→ Parental consent and health questionnaire.
Our team offers a personalized diving experience tailored to children’s needs. From calm training sites to high-quality gear and individualized attention, our programs focus on safety, learning, and fun 🎉
Don’t just take our word for it — discover the advantages of diving with DOD or learn more about our friendly and experienced instructors.
Whether it’s their first try dive or a full certification course, we’re here to guide you step by step. Spots are limited — contact us today or book your child’s adventure and make unforgettable memories 🌈👨👩👦👦
📣 See what our Clients say
EXCELENTE A base de 167 reseñas Tom S11/06/2024Verificada Great Day of Diving We were pleasantly surprised with a second day in Tenerife during our cruise. This gave us the opportunity to experience the diving here. We were picked up at the cruise port and taken to the dive shop. The fitting and equipment were top notch. The dive sites were surprisingly close to the port. During the last dive we were rewarded when David found a seahorse, one of only a handful I've seen. The shipwreck was very nice, with good visibility, and great marine life all around. Sooo many garden eels. We had a great time on a beautiful day with friendly, professional dive staff. I would highly recommend Deep Ocean Diver if you are going to dive in Tenerife. Coastal1831506743713/05/2024Verificada Professional and fun guides We absolutely loved our boat dives with David. The underwater landscapes and marine life in this area is fun to watch. We'd definitely come back! Stephen Crome20/03/2024Verificada Awesome shop! I had an excellent shore dive today. Our guide was very professional and made sure we were safe at all times. He found all kinds of cool things including two octopus. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. JMs23/02/2024Verificada Perfect for families, great logistics 3 days trip with my 3 kids: fantastic experience. I particularly appreciated the logistics (very well managed including crisp communication from first contact), the expert guide and the whole installation (bus, dive center and nice comfortable boat) Philippe P10/10/2023Verificada Good Experience Friendly staff and nice dives. We were really pleased with our experience. Visibility was great and we saw many octopuses! Jas09/06/2023Verificada Amazing Amazing guys at the dive Center, had a reaaally amazing dive with Simon a day before, and really nice zodiac dives as well, thanks a lot!!! Jassin Andreea K15/07/2022Verificada Amazing Amazing experience! Victor and Laura were really professional, patient and helpful. Highly recommend. JOANNE M11/03/2022Verificada Absolutely top notch! We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids ages 10 and 12) that travelled to Tenerife in March 2022, and both our kids did their PADI open water course over a 4-day period. My husband and I both have our advanced open water certificates and have dealt with dive shops all around the world, and we can honestly say these guys (and gals!) are top notch!The kids spent most of their time with Victor as their instructor, and he was absolutely fantastic. So much enthusiasm, support, patience, encouragement and a genuine interest in making them succeed and love the sport, while also ensuring they demonstrated all the necessary knowledge and skills. This was such an amazing introduction to diving - I can't thank Victor enough. The kids were so happy and proud to have got their open water certificate but also very sad that they diving days with Victor were coming to an end. It's extremely rare (and special) that someone makes such an impression on them, so you should take that as a HUGE complement! They were extremely complementary of everyone they dealt with at the store (including the boat captain)- thanks to you all!! My kids don't speak Spanish but the instructors are fully bilingual and able to teach them in English. Thanks for such an amazing experience and creating what I expect will be a life-long love of diving! (They are already begging to do their advanced open water as soon as possible). My husband also did his nitrox course with Deep Ocean Diver as well, it also was great. I would highly recommend this place to others and will definitely dive with them again next time we are in Tenerife. Thanks for such a fabulous week! Adrian G29/12/2021Verificada perfect I went to Deep Ocean Diver to get the Open water training and it's been just perfect. The instructors were super professional and skilled, and at the same time so friendly and willing to make the training a fun and valuable moment. I even ended up doing the Advanced certification, and the whole team was so kind to arrange the schedule to fit with my availabilities.You can really feel that you're getting a good training and that it's not rushed, they really take the time for you to understand, practice and enjoy. And you got plenty of good advice from your instructors.five stars! Igor S09/05/2021Verificada Couldn't choose better The main reason I chose to come to Tenerife is because I wanted to get a PADI certification, therefore I looked for the best diving school in the area and organized my whole vacation around it.Well, I couldn't do better.The guys are great. Victor and Arnau were the best instructors I could ever ask for. It's not easy to make a proper training about something that is so serious and technical, and still keep it fun and never boring, but they have been amazingly up to the task. David, although he was never in the water with us, made me feel his presence by throughly planning my next steps on a daily basis, just what one would expect from a leader. 10/10 guys! Also Radazul is a perfect place to pick an accomodation, quiet, nice, not too expensive and pretty strategical to move across Tenerife. All in all, I really couldn't have made a better choice. :)
Centro Comercial, C. Juan Sebastián El Cano, 15, Planta 1 Local 2, Radazul
4.9 568 reviews
ADDRESSCalle El Cano 15. Radazul Bajo.
CC Radazul. Floor 1. Shops 1 and 2
38109 El Rosario, Tenerife, Canary Islands. FREE PARKING FOR CUSTOMERS
CONTACT info@deepoceandiver.es
(+34) 600 84 16 92
DIVE SHOP HOURS Monday to Friday: 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
DIVE CENTER HOURS Tuesday to Sunday: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Closed for lunch from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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