Are you kidding?  Unbelievable.

I honestly hope not.  What you cover in Open Water certification is a pretty
minimalistic set of skills and knowledge for diving.  The things you learn
are important whether you are in 20 feet or 120 feet.  just my $0.02.

Hey John.
Yes there is.
There is a Junior rating for kids 10 to 15. The training is the same as what
a 16+ year old gets with a few provisions. I know you mentioned a reduced
training requirement but that's not possible, they have to do all teh same
skills and pass all the same exams.
There are some special considerations for 10 and 11 year olds like
Instructor to Student ratios for example are limited when there are juniors
in the class, and there are maximum depths (40 ft) that kick in as well. 10
and 11 year olds must only dive with a parent or guardian once they are
certified. 12 to 15 year olds can dive with only certified divers 18 years
of age or older.
When they become of age 15, it's a simple application process to upgrade
their certification to the normal open water diver. If more than a year has
passed, a scuba review is required to upgrade their level.

I have a feeling that you already know everything that I've told you, but I
figured getting it from an ancutal instructor might help regardless. BTW,
what city are you in?

By the way - while it's nice that they are a champion swimmer with regards
to their comfort level inthe water - it really has no bearing on their
ability to dive.

Why do you want to kill the kid?

jnash1@worldbank.org (john) entertained us with:

I sure hope not.  At the end of the day, he is just as underwater as the adult.
Why deny him training?

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

No way that I would've let my now 16 y/o dive without the classroom
instruction. He's now signing up for his AOW and is a much better diver than
I. As a parent (and his dive buddy), I want him to be as prepared, equipped
with the knowledge, and experienced as he can be! Panic doesnt care how old
you are!!!!!!!!!!!

My babes (9 & 11) became Scuba Rangers (Junior Openwater) @ 8 & 10 and
dive with me and their grandparents all the time.  I learned to dive @ 7
and have been diving ever since....even though it is highly regulated
here in Queensland, Australia! Many of their friends now also dive and
they take trips with the LDS's instructors (and parents) to the Great
Barrier Reef without any dramas.  It is a real pleasure to see the looks
of amazement on their faces and the things they write on their slates
when they see the marine life and they have told me quite often that it
beats any PS2 or XBox game hands down!!

Have fun :-)

John:

My 11 years old kind was certified with a all adults gruop and have no
problems doing it. He have all clases and readings with the adults and made
all dives with them (he was 10 then). Now He is an very active diver with me
and I see no diference between him and our adults buddies. I only have all
precautions with him. Let your kid have his complete OW course, he will
enjoy it and will be prepared for all needed. Trust the kid he will do it
well.

Javier Gonzalez
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

You must really hate your kid.

Brian
Edmonton, Alberta

Yeah, you can teach the kid to dive yourself and use your own C-card to get
air fills or rent tanks... As long as you're not diving off a boat where the
trip is some sort of organized dive trip (e.g. if you dive your local lake
or quarry, dive from your own boat, or dive from a boat that you charter as
strictly transport to a site at which you choose to dive), you will be
fine... Even if you are going to Cozumel, you can charter one of the 6-pack
boats for just your family and have it entirely to yourself and do whatever
you want... Last time I was down there, I chartered a boat for around $180
and Grace, Kaitlyn, and I went out... Grace didn't have her C-card yet (she
had had a cold when the OW dives were done and couldn't equalize), but once
on the boat, it was a simple matter of getting her in the water because the
guys just asked how many tanks we would be needing... Kaitlyn stayed on the
surface with the boat and found out why one should not stick one's fingers
in the water when the boat crew is throwing small pieces of bread out to the
fish (hint -- small white fingers look remarkably like small pieces of white
bread on the surface of the water)...