My son and I got certified together, he was 10 going on 11, I asked for the DM to spend little extra time with him making sure he understood all the training. We spent the first yr diving clear springs to help build his confidence. Never over 30 ft depts., so there was no issue with him having to help dad. We just completed our advance open water and have now done some ocean dives. He has become very confident and I consider him a safe diver. I carry a white slate and I require him to play tic tac toe with me for our safety stop on every dive, even though we did not need them, just to create the habit. Now he is fixing to be 14 and we are now working on our NITOX class. I think it all depends on the child and their understanding. This has been one of the best father son events we share today and glad we have been able to enjoy this sport together. I will say though I do spend my time diving watching ever move he makes, I could not live with the fact if something was to happen to him, so I do enjoy the adult dive trips where I can spend more time enjoying the dive.