SHOW THEM A DIFFERENT LIFE
...Under the Water! ‘’You need to stick your butt out more’’...
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his was the advice given by my very patient instructor on my very first scuba diving lesson. In an attempt to prove that I could put on a weight belt underwater, I found myself slowly rolling over on my side semi-submerged and thrashing around awkwardly like a half-dead fish. Clearly I didn’t stick my butt out enough. I was recently given the opportunity to obtain my PADI Open Water diving certificate. Having experienced some amazing snorkelling last year in French Polynesia, this sounded like a great adventure and I quickly put my hand up to shout, ‘’Yes, pick me!’’ But afterwards, the doubt crept it. You see, I am dangerously close to 40 and I lost most of my hair to an auto-immune disease last year. On top of that, I haven’t looked good in a bathing suit for eight years. I was very aware that I was going to be a bald, chubby woman in a too-tight wet suit.
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I needn’t have worried, I ended up having a great time and my first dive out of the pool and in the ocean was even better. Afterwards, I commented to my husband that I wished the kids were old enough to do this with us. Do you know what I discovered? Kids can learn to Scuba Dive much younger than I thought. Children as young as 8 years old can scuba dive in a pool at their PADI Dive Center or Resort as part of PADI’s Bubblemaker and Seal Team experiences. Kids 10 and up can enroll in the Junior Open Water Diver course, allowing them to gain their certification at the same time as their parents. How cool is that! Family dive vacations are becoming increasingly popular. According to a 2018 study by the Family Travel Association, the number one reason parents are likely to travel with their family is to have them discover new places and have new experiences as a family. There are lots of locations that are ideal for new divers, with plenty of topside family activities!
