Where to Dive with Jr. Divers

[SquidSpotter]

The time has finally arrived! We are going diving with our kids, which has been a dream of ours since we got married. We are not, however, in a very great location for diving, except for the local (cold, not-pretty) quarry dives, so we are going to have to take some trips. I want to take a dive vacation with the kids, but want to be sure that wherever we go will be able to handle jr. divers. We are looking at US / Bahamas / Caribbean, and would love to stay at a dedicated dive resort or at a resort that has dive packages. I've been doing some online shopping, but wonder if anyone has any great experience and / or suggestions that might help us narrow it down.

We are looking hard at Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan, Honduras, or someplace in the Bahamas (don't know where, though). Any help is appreciated.

Kelly

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I would recommend Bonaire first and foremost for Jr divers. Easy dives, hard bottoms, little to no current. There are some places I would definitely tell you to stay away from for various reasons but don't want to start a war here. PM me if you want to know the places I'd suggest you not go and why. I'd recommend Divi Flamingo on Bonaire. Boat dives, shore dives, and the house reef is about 30 yds off the dock.

---------- Post added June 15th, 2015 at 04:21 PM ----------

Best thing about Bonaire is they let you dive when you want to dive and how you want. No DM or guides required but you can get em if you want.

 

[maj2]

I would recommend Bonaire first and foremost for Jr divers. Easy dives, hard bottoms, little to no current. There are some places I would definitely tell you to stay away from for various reasons but don't want to start a war here. PM me if you want to know the places I'd suggest you not go and why. I'd recommend Divi Flamingo on Bonaire. Boat dives, shore dives, and the house reef is about 30 yds off the dock.

Good to know!

I am in a similar position with my daughter who started diving last summer.

Our local dive shop has started doing trips around Jr Divers and their families during the school spring break. They have enough families diving now that they had pretty good turnout for a live-aboard in Bahamas (AquaCat) that was booked to cater primarily to Jr Divers. Looks like March 2016 will be Bonaire.

My wife does not dive, so have so far not looked at exclusive dive vacations. Rather, we have had one family vacation with diving and a couple more coming this summer.

UNEXSO in Grand Bahama was GREAT with my daughter last November. Diving was pretty much right at the max depth for a Jr Open Water diver though.

Will be diving with Native Spirit in Grenada at the end of July, and then have the Epcot DiveQuest at DisneyWorld coming up in the first week of September.

 

[boulderjohn]

It depends upon what you mean by a junior diver. If you are talking about 10-11 year olds, the PADI certification does not allow depths greater than 40 feet. If they are 12-15, that limit does not apply.

If you are looking for a hard bottom for a 10-11 year old, it is hard to beat Key Largo. With many of the dive sites there, you will need a good shovel to get to 40 feet.

 

[diver 85]

AKR would be nice----also(& this is where we brought our 3--@ different times of course--for their 1st dives after certification @ ages of 12 YO) Grand Cayman.....That was back in the 80's & if I were doing it now it'd be Little Cayman(they AND you too would love their valet diving)..

 

[gbf]

I'll second Bonaire. When my girls were junior-aged I told them if they'd do the work to get certified I'd take them to Bonaire and teach them to dive.

And so we did, multiple trips. The good news is nearly any of the dive resorts on Bonaire have very easy entry into very shallow and clear water, with plenty to see in the 10-30' range. As my girls progressed, and they did quickly, we progressed down the slope into 30-40'.

Even now, 10+ years later, we rarely exceed 60'...

 

[SquidSpotter]

AKR would nice----also(& this is where we brought our 3--@ different times of course--for their 1st dives after certification @ ages of 12 YO) Grand Cayman.....That was back in the 80's & if I were doing it now it'd be Little Cayman(they AND you too would love their valet diving)..

What is AKR--Anthony's Key Resort?

Also, my daughter is 10, son is 13, will be 14. That may help in the discussion.

 

[pdhenry]

Key Largo.

 

[KathyV]

The time has finally arrived! We are going diving with our kids, which has been a dream of ours since we got married. We are not, however, in a very great location for diving, except for the local (cold, not-pretty) quarry dives, so we are going to have to take some trips. I want to take a dive vacation with the kids, but want to be sure that wherever we go will be able to handle jr. divers. We are looking at US / Bahamas / Caribbean, and would love to stay at a dedicated dive resort or at a resort that has dive packages. I've been doing some online shopping, but wonder if anyone has any great experience and / or suggestions that might help us narrow it down. We are looking hard at Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan, Honduras, or someplace in the Bahamas (don't know where, though). Any help is appreciated. Kelly

There was a recent discussion about this topic at the link below. A parent looking for a warm water destination to take his kids for checkout dives. He decided to go to Aruba because the reefs are shallow and there were lots of reasonably priced flights and many resort options.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...-destinations-checkout-dives.html#post7364400

Also, here's a group that runs trips for families:
Family Dive Adventures

Good luck!

 

[CptTightPants21]

There was a recent discussion about this topic at the link below. A parent looking for a warm water destination to take his kids for checkout dives. He decided to go to Aruba because the reefs are shallow and there were lots of reasonably priced flights.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...-destinations-checkout-dives.html#post7364400

Also, here's a group that runs trips for families:
Family Dive Adventures

Good luck!

I was about to mention Aruba and I am glad it was mentioned.

How old are your children and what level of confidence do you have in their diving?

Compared to a place like Cozumel, Aruba is probably average diving, but I think has a lot to offer for your situation.

1) Plenty of things to do topside for non divers
2) If you stay at the Marriott or the west side of the island you can literally see your dive sites
3) Aruba has a wide variety of dives--shallow reefs in the 25-45 range, nice ship wrecks in the 50-90 range.

A lot of the nice ship wrecks that have good swim throughs are in the 70-80ft range. If you are comfortable taking your kids to that depth, then Aruba is a real nice beginner dive location. The dives aren't hard and there is no fishing line or anything like that, but you need to have confidence that your kids can handle it. I know when I first started, seeing wrecks was the only thing that really drove me and cultivated my interest in the sport. If you are not comfortable with your kids at 80ft, then go some place like Bonaire or Key Largo where depth isn't an issue.

It is something you have to gauge. I don't have kids, but I wouldn't have a problem with my 12 year old doing any one of the Aruba wrecks provided they were comfortable in the water and had a mature attitude when it comes to diving.