What age is good to start diving?

Question
Hi, what age is a good age to start diving lessons? My 6 year old loves diving and recently taught himself to do a flip in the air before landing in the pool.  We live in Nassau County, Long Island.

Answer
Beverley -

I feel that the youngest age to start diving is 8. I think 6 is a little too young but there are programs that will take kids that age. When someone your kid's age wants to dive, I tell the parents to do two things; have him or her sign up for a beginning level gymnastics class to develop the acrobatic skills you need to dive.It will also help to develop the flexible and strong body that diving requires. I also tell them to have their kid do play diving during open recreational swimming at your local pool. Learning to dive through play is fun for a kid that age where a lesson program may not be fun. It depends on the child and their attention span level. Some kids 6 or 7 get into a lesson program and all they really want to do is play. So I would wait a while and try gymnastics and recreational fun diving.

If you want to look into a program in your area, go to the Nassau County Aquatic Center and find out about the program run by George Taylor, coach of the Long Island Divers. The pool is located at the the intersection of Merrick and Stewart Ave in East Meadow. Find out when they practice and take your diver to a workout and watch to see if he/she likes it. Look to see if there are divers the same age in a lesson program. Maybe you can have your diver take a free lesson (if offered) to see if it is something you want to pursue.

Hope this helps.