Stepping Back In with 3 Kids

[b1gcountry]

This is sort of a dive log and sort of a request for your experiences diving with kids. Feel free to share your own stories or advice, I really dont mind going off topic...

Background:
My last dive was almost 9 years ago when my middle son turned 2yo. It was frustrating trying to dive with 2 kids and I just dropped this portion of my life after kathy got pregnant with my daughter. I was in st louis with no local diving, and I did mostly cave and great lakes wrecks. Diving those 'occasionally' is outside my risk tolerance.

After a Florida vacation and snorkeling from the beach, the kids are a little excited for scuba and snorkeling. We ordered some snorkeling fins for the kids and went to an outdoor pool with the gear yesterday. My daughter (7yo) is easily the most excited and she probably swam 12 laps in the 25m pool with me. The middle one did ok, but wasn't as proficient with the fins, plus he liked going down the slides and other fun parts if the pool. My oldest is very hard to motivate. He has some issues with ADHD, autism spectrum and anxiety. We worked it out and I have him notice that this would happen, which gave him a chance to mentally prepare to go to the pool. Leaving the house can sometimes be a challenge with him.

So I'm trying to get them proficient in the water and excited enough to co-exist with us so we can go on a dive vacation. The hardest part will be my oldest (13yo).

He did pretty well at the pool and swam 3 or 4 laps with his fins and snorkel. They also do swim classes every week.

 

[MB NZ]

I haven't been very active over the last 8 years or so due to parenthood. My son probably has ADHD, although a formal diagnosis is pending. Up until this year, my last proper dive trip was in 2016. Apart from that, I've done some occasional local dives. Nothing very inspiring. My dives per year fell from around a hundred to one in the worst year! It just happened, I didn't really think too much about it at the time. My son is very comfortable in the water and has just done Bubblemaker which he loved, so maybe that will go somewhere if he does Junior Open Water when he's old enough. Ironically, I will go from solo diver to diving with the person I feel most responsibility towards! I have no advice, I can only empathise.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @b1gcountry

What are your goals? Do you want to go on vacation and be able to dive by yourself? Does your wife dive and want to dive with you? Do you want to go snorkel with everyone in the family? Do you think some or all of your kids would eventually like to learn to dive and dive as a family?

We have some things in common, life has a way of making some activities very difficult. If you want, you can eventually get them back. I was certified in 1970 as a 16 year old. I dived for 10 years, mostly shore diving in Southern California. In 1980, I finished medical school, got married, moved up to Portland, OR for postgraduate training. We had 2 children and moved to PA in 1988. I did not dive for 17 years.

Both my kids were very good swimmers and comfortable in the water. We took several vacations that included snorkeling. As my son approached 12 years old, he wanted to learn to dive. I was recertified with my son in 1997 and we dived together on vacation while my wife and daughter continued to snorkel. When my daughter approached 12 years old, she also wanted to dive and talked my wife into getting certified with her.

My son and I have dived together since 1997 and we have all dived together since 2002. As my kids became adults it has become harder and harder to get together to dive but my wife and I dive together frequently, and I do some of my more adventurous diving alone. My son is now 38 years old, we last dived together in Bonaire in 2019. My daughter is 33 years old and we dived with her in Bonaire in 2022. Diving became a great family activity that we are still able to enjoy together.

I wish you and your family the very best in your pursuit of snorkeling and diving adventures.

All four of us in Bonaire, 2019:

My wife and me, with our daughter and her boyfriend in Bonaire, 2022:

 

[b1gcountry]

Hi @b1gcountry

What are your goals? Do you want to go on vacation and be able to dive by yourself? Does your wife dive and want to dive with you? Do you want to go snorkel with everyone in the family? Do you think some or all of your kids would eventually like to learn to dive and dive as a family?

That is very similar to my diving timeline. I am around 16 years younger than you though.

I don't know what goals are reasonable...
I guess my basic goal is to enjoy diving again. My wife dives (used to, but she stopped when I did) . Getting the kids involved would be nice. My daughter already wants to be my dive buddy. Until this year, I wasn't even sure there kits would handle an airport as a family.

My oldest would probably prefer staying home to traveling. He's 12 now. He isn't the adventurous type.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Hi @b1gcountry

What are your goals? Do you want to go on vacation and be able to dive by yourself? Does your wife dive and want to dive with you? Do you want to go snorkel with everyone in the family? Do you think some or all of your kids would eventually like to learn to dive and dive as a family?

We have some things in common, life has a way of making some activities very difficult. If you want, you can eventually get them back. I was certified in 1970 as a 16 year old. I dived for 10 years, mostly shore diving in Southern California. In 1980, I finished medical school, got married, moved up to Portland, OR for postgraduate training. We had 2 children and moved to PA in 1988. I did not dive for 17 years.

Both my kids were very good swimmers and comfortable in the water. We took several vacations that included snorkeling. As my son approached 12 years old, he wanted to learn to dive. I was recertified with my son in 1997 and we dived together on vacation while my wife and daughter continued to snorkel. When my daughter approached 12 years old, she also wanted to dive and talked my wife into getting certified with her.

My son and I have dived together since 1997 and we have all dived together since 2002. As my kids became adults it has become harder and harder to get together to dive but my wife and I dive together frequently, and I do some of my more adventurous diving alone. My son is now 38 years old, we last dived together in Bonaire in 2019. My daughter is 33 years old and we dived with her in Bonaire in 2022. Diving became a great family activity that we are still able to enjoy together.

I wish you and your family the very best in your pursuit of snorkeling and diving adventures.

All four of us in Bonaire, 2019:
View attachment 796957

My wife and me, with our daughter and her boyfriend in Bonaire, 2022:
View attachment 796959

Awesome! But I gotta ask. In the photo from 2019, why is your son wearing his mask on his forehead while on a dive??!!

 

[scubadada]

Awesome! But I gotta ask. In the photo from 2019, why is your son wearing his mask on his forehead while on a dive??!!

Because some children never grow up . That can be a good thing, I am still a child in many ways, like my awe for the oceans. I think many of us share that.

 

[Brett Hatch]

Awesome! But I gotta ask. In the photo from 2019, why is your son wearing his mask on his forehead while on a dive??!!

Mask On Forehead -- clearly, he is in great distress, borderline panicking.

@b1gcountry I don't have any advice, we're in different parts of our lives and diving careers. But, I am interested to see how it shakes out, and look forward to updates as they come along. Best of luck.

 

[scubadada]

Mask On Forehead -- clearly, he is in great distress, borderline panicking.

Ha, the direct opposite, he doesn't have a care in the world

 

[b1gcountry]

Ha, the direct opposite, he doesn't have a care in the world

He wanted to be seen!

 

[b1gcountry]

Mask On Forehead -- clearly, he is in great distress, borderline panicking.

@b1gcountry I don't have any advice, we're in different parts of our lives and diving careers. But, I am interested to see how it shakes out, and look forward to updates as they come along. Best of luck.

I appreciate the comment!

I'll probably keep this going a little with updates...

Two of our future plans are
*sign them up for a seal team weekend
* bring them snorkeling with manatees on spring break.