Places to Dive w/ Newly Certified 11 y.o Daughter?

I am in need of creative suggestions from you all. I am looking for a diving vacation spot to take my newly certified 11 y.o. daughter. She started snorkeling at a remote 30' site off Isla Mujeres at the age of 6; got Jr. Open Water cert. on her first trip after turning 10 (albeit her fourth trip to Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan); has been out on a dive with Stan Waterman . . . Let us simply say she has high standards for aquatic adventures. So, any suggestions for other Carribean or Central America facilities & locations that are (1) in that same general price point as AKR (granted it would be hard to match the $700 p.p. price for AKR's all inclusive package with mass quantities of spectacular diving, but I also don't want to break the bank), (2) relatively accessible air connections, (3) family-oriented, and (4) sites easily embraced by a new diver, and (5) preferably an all inclusive package (11 y.o.'s are not known for being culinarily adventurous). As much as I like the Galindas (and they really are wonderful folks), I would like to introduce my daughter to other locales beside Roatan. Any ideas?

Without a doubt the easiest, most consistently good, calm, clear warm, great for kids diving is off Bonaire. From Buddy's or Lion's Dive or Capt Dons or several others you can just wade into calm clear waters with little or no current onto a beautiful reef that starts with patches in ten feet of water, is solid reef by 30' and slopes on down to over 130'. Since it's mostly shore diving, you set your own schedule, sites etc.
Highly recommended for youngsters.
I took a bunch of kids to Akumal last spring, diving with Villa de Rosa - they're geared more toward tech stuff in the cenotes, but they do have a boat with an excellent crew and there are plenty of excellent shallow drift dive sites nearby. That would get my vote for second place.
Rick

Just got back from a family holiday at Buddy's in Bonaire. I have two sons 15 and 12 years old both newly certified. We had a fantastic time there, the staff bent over backwards to make sure the kids were safe and having a good time. I was very nervous because of the many comments made, on this board and others, by senior divers not wanting young divers on boats. We didn't experience any negative feed back at Buddy's.

Diving was interesting off of Buddy's dock. We saw turtles, morrays, lobster etc. Kids loved it. They also have a resident Tarpon, Charlie, that appears most every night.

It is so hard to find common interests with your kids, for us diving has really fit the bill. Hope you have the same experience.

Ed B

Hi Allen and welcome to the board. They beat me to it, Bonaire. It's perfect for all divers. You can boat dive if you like, dive right off the dock at the resort or drive up the beach to shore dive. The diving is easy, the people are great and a wide varity of food is avalible. We stay at Buddy Dive as well, www.buddydive.com . Their "Dive and Drive" package is hard to beat. I would not be to concerned about looking for an all inclusive. There are a lot of great places to eat on Bonaire, every thing from local food to KFC and Subway.

Where ever you go, keep her shallow and limit her diving to just enough to keep her skills current. There is no research to tell us if diving is harmful to developing bones. I would not want to take a chance, however remote, with my child's health.

DSSW,

WWW™

Just got back, some pics posted at: http://www.murraystate.edu/secsv/bonaire/bonairepics2.htm

My daughter is 15, was certified before I was, did all the boat dives we booked and has 50 logged dives now - Bahamas, quarries, Cozumel, Bonaire, there were some younger divers who stayed with dock dives.

We stayed at the Divi Flamingo, highly recommend it, nice house reef, easy entry from dock down steps or giant stride. Wall starts around 30-40 feet, LOTS to see at that depth and somewhat shallower, in fact, on a sunny day, the best diving IMHO. Boat dives would be okay in most instances, just be sure the boat hasn't swung over deep water. I also suggest watching depth and ascent rates.

The health issue I have seen discussed other than a safety/judgement/young age issue, regards bone end growth plates. No real research, just a theoretical argument that microbubbles could cause some scarring and growth impediment. You might consult with your pediatrician or check the net for a pediatrician with dive medicine training and consult with them.

If she uses a small tank, be sure to check in advance that they are available. Divi Flamingo had 50's and 63's in abundance.

Best wishes for safe diving,

Bill