“My son is nine — can he dive with me?” It’s the question parents ask me most often. They’re usually waiting for a yes or a no, but the honest answer is: it depends on what you want to walk away with.
Because a child can go underwater in Eilat from the age of eight. The full PADI program with a certification card opens at twelve — that’s Israeli law. These are two different products, and the difference matters: it shapes how long you spend in the water and what your child keeps afterwards.
My name is Dmitriy Trubarev. I’m a PADI Course Director, #978886, and I’ve been teaching in Eilat for over twenty years. Course Director is the highest rating in the PADI system — the person who trains future instructors. The number is verifiable on the PADI website.
Two Ages, Two Different Dives
| Introduction Dive | PADI Discover Scuba Diving | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | from 8 | from 12 (Israeli regulation) |
| Time in the water | 30 minutes | up to 80 minutes |
| Depth | up to 6 metres | up to 6 metres |
| Divers per instructor | one-on-one | up to four |
| Skills training | short briefing | full theory and skills practice |
| What you keep | the experience and photos | digital PADI card, credited toward Open Water |
| Price | ₪250 per person | ₪360–450 per person |
Notice the important part: both programs go to the same depth — six metres. Your child sees the same reef and the same fish. The difference is time underwater, and whether they’re being taught while they’re down there.
Ages 8 to 11 — the Introduction Dive. Thirty minutes in the water, one-on-one with me: your child breathes underwater, moves along the reef, and finds out what it actually feels like. All of the instructor’s attention goes to them alone. For a younger child that is more than enough — and often it’s exactly right.
From age 12, the full PADI Discover Scuba Diving program opens up. This is a real first lesson: theory, skills practice, a dive of up to 80 minutes, and a digital PADI confirmation that counts toward an Open Water course if your child wants one within the year.
Why exactly twelve? That’s Israeli law, not a PADI rule and not a decision of mine. In Israel the full PADI program is permitted from age twelve, and everyone operating legally here works to that limit.
The reasoning behind the law is sound. Equalising your ears at depth, managing buoyancy, and holding a sequence of steps in your head all come with age. Equipment is sized for a body, too: a regulator and BCD on a nine-year-old simply sit differently.
So if someone offers you a full certification program for a child under twelve, it’s worth asking what rules that centre works to.
There’s no upper limit at all. I’ve had a teenager and his grandmother in the same group.
Which One to Choose
If your child is under twelve, the Introduction Dive is the one. And it’s a good option: the sea, the reef, six metres, and half an hour of an instructor’s attention entirely to themselves.
If your child is twelve or older, I’ll almost always suggest the full program. The arithmetic is simple: thirty minutes against eighty — nearly three times the water time. The difference in price is about 150 shekels per person, and it buys real instruction plus a digital PADI card that later counts toward an Open Water course.
The one case where I’ll suggest the Introduction Dive to a teenager is when the shorter format suits them better right now, and we both see it.
How the Full PADI DSD Program Works, Step by Step
Introductions and theory — around half an hour. We go through how breathing underwater works, why it stays slow and continuous, how to equalise, and the hand signals we’ll use. A parent signs the medical form for a minor.
Skills in shallow water. We stand where you can put your feet down at any moment. Your child learns to breathe from the regulator, clear the mask, and find the regulator by hand.
But the main skill here is one thing: neutral buoyancy. It’s the ability to hang in the water — to hold a depth calmly and steadily, like a fish. That’s exactly what we practise in the shallows, and it’s why we spend as long there as it takes.
Buoyancy is the foundation for everything else. It determines how calm your child feels underwater and how gently they pass over the coral without touching it.
That’s where our pace comes from. Confidence underwater is a learned skill, not a personality trait. While a child is still learning to balance, confidence is only forming — and that’s completely natural. Once buoyancy arrives, confidence arrives with it, and that’s when we go deeper. If it takes an extra ten minutes, we stay an extra ten minutes.
The dive — up to 80 minutes, up to 6 metres. Six metres is the limit for DSD in Eilat, and it’s plenty: the reef starts right at the shore, and at that depth you’ll find coral, surgeonfish, wrasses, and sometimes a barracuda passing by.
Debrief and paperwork. I issue the digital PADI confirmation right after the dive — the card reaches your child the same day, with nothing left hanging.
From first handshake to goodbye, the whole thing takes about three hours.
How Safe Is It
Let me answer with specifics rather than the word “safe.”
A maximum of four people per instructor. That’s the PADI standard and I keep to it. Four is the number where I genuinely see every person for the whole dive. On an Introduction Dive I work one-on-one.
Six metres. From that depth the ascent takes seconds and goes straight up.
I stay beside you. I’m with the group the entire dive, within arm’s reach. A child’s first dive is a lesson, not a sightseeing trip.
I’m reading everyone, continuously. From the shore to the last minute underwater, I’m watching how each person in the group is doing. Children rarely put hesitation into words — you read it in their breathing, in their eyes, in how close they stay. Picking that up is part of an instructor’s job. It’s exactly why the group is four and not ten: with four, you can genuinely watch everyone.
The child sets the pace, not the program. If someone is still finding their feet in the shallows, we stay there until the confidence arrives. And it arrives through buoyancy: the moment a person learns to hang in the water and move with it rather than against it, the hesitation dissolves on its own. Whatever is still coming slowly, we return to as many times as it takes. Everyone moves together — I set the lesson to whoever needs more time.
Comfort is part of safety. Someone who’s warm and properly fitted listens better, lasts longer, and feels calmer in the water. So we size the wetsuit properly, enter the water calmly from the shore, and at every stage I make sure your child is genuinely doing well before we go on.
The decision is always the child’s. If they want to go up, we go up — calmly and immediately. That’s a normal part of the lesson.
What to Bring
All the equipment is mine, wetsuit included. From you:
- swimwear, already on
- a towel and a change of shirt
- water and a snack for afterwards
- sunscreen
- a parent’s ID to sign the medical form
A light breakfast a couple of hours before is exactly right.
What It Costs for a Family
The full PADI DSD program is priced per group rather than per head, so the more of you there are, the less each person pays:
| People | Total | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₪450 | ₪450 |
| 2 | ₪800 | ₪400 |
| 3 | ₪1,110 | ₪370 |
| 4 | ₪1,440 | ₪360 |
The Introduction Dive is ₪250 per person, at any age from eight.
Everything is included: equipment, instruction, the dive itself, and the PADI paperwork. You pay once — nothing extra on the day.
Underwater photography is ₪150 for one person, ₪200 for two, ₪250 for three, ₪300 for four. A child’s first dive happens once, and the photo from it lasts — worth deciding before you arrive.
For a full breakdown of what makes up the price and how the complete program differs from ₪199 offers, see the separate article: “Diving in Eilat for Beginners: How Much It Costs and What You Actually Pay For”.
When to Come
Eilat works year-round — the sea here stays warm through the winter. In summer the water reaches around 29°C; in winter it holds at about 22°C, which is comfortable in a wetsuit.
What to keep in mind with a child:
- In summer it’s hot on the shore, so a morning slot is better.
- In winter the reef is quieter and the water is usually clearer. To my mind, that’s the best season for a first dive.
- School holidays — book ahead. The group caps at four people and slots go quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
From what age can a child scuba dive? From 8 for an Introduction Dive. From 12 for the full PADI Discover Scuba Diving program with a digital card. The age of 12 is set by Israeli law, not by an individual dive centre.
What’s the difference between an Introduction Dive and the PADI program? Time in the water and instruction. The depth is the same for both — up to six metres. The Introduction Dive runs 30 minutes, one-on-one with the instructor. The full PADI program means theory, skills practice, a dive of up to 80 minutes, and a digital card credited toward an Open Water course within the year.
Does my child need to know how to swim? There’s no swim test on these programs, unlike the full Open Water course. Your child simply needs to feel calm in the water.
How long does it take? The full PADI program is about three hours from meeting to goodbye, including one dive of up to 80 minutes. The Introduction Dive is 30 minutes in the water.
How deep will my child go? Up to six metres on both programs. That’s the limit for programs at this level in Eilat.
What if my child wants to surface partway through? We surface. The decision stays with them.
Can the whole family go together? On the PADI DSD program, up to four people per instructor. On the Introduction Dive the instructor works with one person at a time, one-on-one.
What if my children are 9 and 13 — can they go together? Not on the DSD program: at nine, it isn’t legally available yet. But both can do the Introduction Dive, each one-on-one with an instructor. We’ll work out the timing when you book.
Is a doctor’s certificate required? Everyone from 12 up completes the standard PADI medical form, confirming there are no conditions that would prevent diving; a parent signs it for a minor. Anyone over 40 also needs a doctor’s certificate — that includes parents diving alongside their children.
How to Book
Message me on WhatsApp: +972-53-431-3418. I answer personally, not a bot. Tell me your child’s age, how many of you there will be, and the dates you’re looking at — I’ll find a time and tell you what suits you.
Or book directly: Introduction Dive or Discover Scuba Diving in Eilat.
I teach in Russian, Hebrew, and English.
Dmitriy Trubarev, PADI Course Director #978886, Eilat.
