Diving with Non Diving Kids

[PhD4JC]

I am a single diving mom with a 10 (soon to be 11) year old son.
I have logged most of my dives in St. Kitts, West Indies where lives most of my family.

However, I seldom get to dive anyplace else because I have the responsibility of my son.

I do not have any local (Atlanta) family or people I would leave my child with for extended periods of time.

He is my shadow and goes with me pretty much everywhere I go (except the 2 weeks he is at sleep away camp).

I am a member of a dive club, but interestingly have never dived with them due to my childcare issues.

When I book a vacation (last summer we went to Kauai), I look for childcare/child camps, however, they dont usually open before the early morning dives and often close before afternoon dives return.

I know my son is technically old enough to get certified. However, though he snorkles, he is not interested in diving and in my opinion is not nearly mature enough for the responsibility.

In Kauai, for the first time, I booked him as a nondiving passenger. Which worked (barely).

I am looking for two things:

1. Recommendations on how to log more dives with my non diving kid.

2. Recommendations for kid-friendly diving destinations, where he and I can both be happy.

(And of course, if you could recommend a prospective diving husband/serious boyfriend, that would be kewl as well )

Thanks Much.

[mm2002]

Sorry, but a diving husband/boyfriend isn't going to help any. My wife and I have the same problem...........Who's going to watch the kids?
Our best bet has been shore diving, where we can take along a friend to watch the yunguns, but that requires some sort of incentive for the "babysitter". Usually a $20 will take care of that, but that also adds to the cost of the dives!

[ladyfish]

Here's what we did:

Kids Sea Camp Family Scuba Dive Vacation Travel Packages

It was a great program that had lots of fun stuff for the kids to do while you were diving. Actually, they keep the kids so busy, you'll probably want to spend more time with them than they want to spend with you!

Both my boys went twice. First time my older son was 9 and the younger 7. 9 year old did Seal Team (scuba in a pool with a certified instructor). Second time my older son was 12 and got certified and my 10 year old did Seal Team and loved it.

There are other places that offer kids activities. Check out Bonaire, Roatan (Anthony's Key), and Cozumel. They all offer programs where the kids do great activities while you dive, then you can do things together after diving.

Good luck!

[CompuDude]

Beaches is a Caribbean-based all-inclusive resort for families with children, and offer many activities where you can leave the kids. (Sandals is the same group, but no kids allowed and couples only.) They have locations scattered throughout the Caribbean.

They offer scuba diving for free as part of the package, although they're hardly a stellar dive op. Still, it may be worth looking into.

We found pretty good value at the Sandals in Jamaica, but remember, it's a vacation first, diving second, not the other way around.

[cutter77]

Now I dive mainly with my kids but when they were little we would trade off babysitting with other dive oriented friends (usually a week at a time). Never had any problems with that arrangement.

[ScubaGir1]

Does he have any friends that would watch him on a Saturday or Sunday? Or even do some sort of trade...you watch him and one of his friends for a weekend, and they return the favor?

[ixrayu]

We take either Gary's mom, my mom or the lady that works for Gary (who is like family) with us on any vacation that we think we might want to dive. We are still considering Bonaire for Evan's graduation, so if we do we'll pay for my mil to go along and watch Hannah. Your trips cost more that way but at least someone you trust is watching your child.

[PhD4JC]

Actually, a diving friend would help because in a lot of places they have unlimited shore dives (Curacao), so I could dive during the kids activities at the resort/hotel but that only works if you have a trusted buddy to dive with.

Originally Posted by mm2002

Sorry, but a diving husband/boyfriend isn't going to help any. My wife and I have the same problem...........Who's going to watch the kids?
Our best bet has been shore diving, where we can take along a friend to watch the yunguns, but that requires some sort of incentive for the "babysitter". Usually a $20 will take care of that, but that also adds to the cost of the dives!

[WAHMof2]

Hubby is right, a friend is exactly what you need. The dive buddy thing is another story.

[TX SCUBA FAMILY]

Originally Posted by ladyfish

Here's what we did:

Kids Sea Camp Family Scuba Dive Vacation Travel Packages

It was a great program that had lots of fun stuff for the kids to do while you were diving. Actually, they keep the kids so busy, you'll probably want to spend more time with them than they want to spend with you!

Both my boys went twice. First time my older son was 9 and the younger 7. 9 year old did Seal Team (scuba in a pool with a certified instructor). Second time my older son was 12 and got certified and my 10 year old did Seal Team and loved it.

There are other places that offer kids activities. Check out Bonaire, Roatan (Anthony's Key), and Cozumel. They all offer programs where the kids do great activities while you dive, then you can do things together after diving.

Good luck!

Thanks for the link. I did not know there were programs like that. What a neat way for you and the kids to have fun.
Kim