Nowadays many parents are feeling disconnected with their children and find it difficult to participate in activities that both they and their children enjoy and are physically able to do. Scuba Diving is a great family bonding activity because it is open to anyone over the age of 10, and can be performed by individuals varying greatly in their physical fitness. It also improves physical fitness, burning up to 500 calories per hour, so it is a great way for families to get fit and stay fit together.
Recreational scuba diving does a good job of accommodating youthful divers. A lot of attention is now being paid to snorkeling programs, including formal training and travel, as an effective means of introducing young people and their families to the pleasures of the marine realm. Kids age 12 to 15 can also earn junior Open Water certification (just like I did in 2000!), which allows them to pursue the same diving opportunities as adult. The only restriction is that on an open-water dive, a junior diver must be accompanied by a certified adult diver. Certainly there are special physical and emotional issues that must be addressed when it comes to kids and diving. Not the least of these is the buddy relationship when the buddies are parent and child, especially if the two undertake Open Water certification training together.
The most important part of scuba diving as a family activity, is the experiences parents and their children will have together underwater that will create lifelong memories. Swimming alongside a turtle, watching a school of tropical fish on a reef, or coming up close to a whale shark will create a bond that most non-diving families will never have. Young divers will also gain a greater appreciation for the environment and will be more likely to grow into environmentally friendly adults.
Finally, the education that parents and children will gain together through hands-on experience underwater is something that simply can’t be gained through a textbook or from watching videos online. Seeing how a reef system works together, or how a predator catches it’s prey with one’s own eyes can be truly life changing. Families who experience marine life and marine systems first-hand through scuba diving have a deeper connection and understanding of the ocean and its ecosystems than non-divers.
Most families take vacations together, and often parents find themselves having to hire sitters to watch their children while they go off and enjoy their adult activities. Scuba diving vacations offer an opportunity for families to spend more time together and experience twice as much, because they can explore what is beneath the surface in addition to enjoying land-based activities.
