The Kids Sea Camp Magic
How it all began:
Written By Peter Kockisch, 2026
My superpower
When I was a child, I was completely fascinated by space. When anyone asked me what superpower I wanted, my answer would be “flying.” The thought of gliding weightlessly through space or simply lifting off the ground to visit faraway places on Earth fueled my imagination.
I was born in the former East Germany, in a tiny village with fewer than a hundred inhabitants, truly in the middle of nowhere. Growing up in such a quiet, rural place naturally connected me to animals and nature, but even then, I dreamed of exploring the world beyond those fields. I wanted to travel to see other continents and places that lay beyond the “wall.” In 1990, when I was six years old, East Germany underwent an unexpected transformation as it reunited with the West. At that age, I was far too young to grasp the significance of what was happening or to imagine the new opportunities this change would one day bring to me.
Fast forward fifteen years, and my passion for animals and nature had only grown stronger. It led me to work with elephants at one of Germany’s most renowned zoos, in Leipzig. In Germany, apprenticeships are highly regarded, lasting three years and combining hands-on practice with theoretical learning in school. After completing mine, I received a scholarship for further education that allowed me to fulfill a long-held dream- traveling farther than I had ever been. After my five-week internship in Thailand studying Asian elephants and the communities that lived alongside them, I seized the opportunity to fulfill another childhood dream: flying. I learned to fly underwater by completing my PADI Open Water Diver certification.
On my way back to Germany, I couldn’t stop thinking about the incredible feeling of weightlessness and the deep connection I had experienced with water, nature, and wildlife. I was blown away. After a few years, that experience was still affecting me so much that I made the bold decision to quit my job working with elephants, after over a decade, to begin a new career as a dive instructor in Roatán, Honduras.
How I met Kids Sea Camp
My new chapter began with Subway Watersports (now Turquoise Divers) at Turquoise Bay Dive & Beach Resort in Roatán. After the long slowdown during COVID in 2020, business was finally picking up again. It was around this time that I first heard about Kids Sea Camp and its founder, Margo Peyton. Daren, the dive shop manager at Subway Watersports, entrusted me with organizing the upcoming Kids Sea Camp event. At this time, he also gave me an unsettling warning about the owner, noting that she could be very particular about how she wanted things done.
Months later, after getting to know each other better, Margo and I looked back on the situation with a smile and some laughter, realizing that we had both entered the relationship with very mixed feelings. I had heard stories of Margo being rigorous and strict, which was intimidating, while she had heard that I was a Tec-Diver, which somewhat unsettled her. I have to admit that Tec-Divers often don’t enjoy the best reputation. They are sometimes seen as arrogant, self-focused, and not particularly suited to working with children, largely because many have little interest in it. So, it’s fair to say there wasn’t much enthusiasm on either side about me taking responsibility for the entire Kids Sea Camp week on the dive shop’s side, at least not until the week finally began.
On the first day, I was nervous, mostly because of the heavy load of responsibility. I wasn’t the most experienced instructor at that time, and I would be working with so many children. Once I met the whole Kids Sea Camp team, all those worries disappeared, and I ended up loving every moment of the whole week. Margo and her husband, Tom, the company’s vice president, turned out to be some of the kindest people I had ever met, running a business model that is truly unique. However, at the same time, they both have a very clear vision of how every program should be conducted, following their motto: safety first, fun second.
Once I saw what a Kids Sea Camp week truly means, I fully understood why Margo sometimes has that reputation of being difficult and non-negotiable when it comes to child diver safety. Working with children in SCUBA is no joke, and it is a big responsibility that must be approached with the utmost detail and care. Margo has a flawless record and unmatched experience in the diving industry when it comes to teaching and diving with kids, and anyone who would even think to challenge that should not work with kids. From the moment the kids step into the water, every detail matters: supervision must be constant, instructor-to-student ratios kept low, and the pace of the course adjusted to each child’s needs. Margo provides detailed and clear information and instructions for ratios, depth, and level of care for students to all dive managers. Her standards are high because even the smallest mistake could have serious consequences. Even with all the responsibility, nothing compares to the joy of watching the children learning, growing, and experiencing the underwater world in a safe environment. Even more rewarding is watching their parents join them beneath the surface, sharing that magical world together as a family while creating memories that will last a lifetime. At Kids Sea Camp, newly certified divers are supervised by their instructors for the full week, even after they complete their course. Parents are welcome to join and observe how instructors dive, communicate, and position themselves with the kids in the water so that they may also learn and emulate. This helps the parents to improve their own dive skills, so that they can be good, safe dive buddies with their kids, making family dives fun and safe for all.
How Kids Sea Camp changed my life
Kids Sea Camp’s slogan promises, “Give them a week they will remember forever”, yet the magic extends far beyond the children. After my first week in Roatan, I was instantly captivated. Since then, I’ve joined Kids Sea Camp adventures across the globe, from the Cayman Islands and Belize to Bonaire and even as far away as Fiji.
Of all the experiences in recreational, technical, and cave diving I have had, my time working with Kids Sea Camp has been the most transformative for my approach to teaching. One unforgettable chapter that shaped my perspective and influenced both me and my teaching style was when Margo asked me to begin teaching Leo, an 8-year-old boy with autism. Before enrolling in his PADI Junior Open Water Diver course, Margo and I worked together for over 3 years doing the PADI Seal Team and PADI Bubblemaker programs with him at his own pace. Something that was really helpful for Leo was getting to do the PADI Seal Team program in the ocean, instead of just in the pool, as is traditionally done in the PADI Seal Team program. Kids Sea Camp Instructors receive special waivers from PADI to take PADI Seal Team students into the ocean under very specific conditions, allowing them to explore the underwater world as long as conditions remain safe and conducive to their learning. This created the perfect environment for Leo to become comfortable with diving before his PADI Open Water course.
With Kids Sea Camp, the SASY and PADI Seal Team programs are fun and safe introductions to SCUBA for kids that are not quite old enough to get certified yet- starting at the age of 5. The PADI Seal Team program consists of skill-based “AquaMissions,” conducted in a confined environment, which helped to prepare Leo perfectly for his next adventure. What began as a lesson in basic diving skills for Leo quickly became a lesson in patience, empathy, and adaptability for me.
Once Leo was ready, both mentally and physically, to begin his PADI Jr. Open Water Diver course, we started, as always, with equipment setup. Within just a few minutes, Leo was ready to move on to something else, asking if we could go play at the beach instead. I realized I would need to take a completely different approach to teaching this course than I was accustomed to with adults. This involved lots of breaks and beginning moments again, but on his timeline and not mine. When we entered the water, I was very impressed by how well Leo had retained all the skills he had learned in the PADI Seal Team program. For the more advanced skills, I adjusted my methods by breaking down each skill into smaller steps, incorporating frequent underwater games (such as treasure hunts, rock-paper-scissors, or simply letting him enjoy zero gravity), and watching some of the marine life around us. Incorporating regular breaks to keep him engaged and hydrated was also key.
We progressed slowly and steadily until we reached his biggest challenge: the fully flooded mask and the mask removal and replacement exercise. Common issues with this skill include accidentally inhaling through the nose or experiencing a burning sensation in the eyes from chlorine or saltwater. Leo struggled with the sensation and developed a mental and emotional block, which was not easy to overcome. The first time he failed the skill, we ascended together. When he became emotional, we went to play on the beach until he was ready to begin again, as per his request.
The second time we tried, he was already anticipating the feeling of the salt water in his eyes and worried about his nose. This resulted in this mental block growing, leading him to believe that he could not succeed, which made him want to quit entirely. It was heartbreaking to see him struggle so intensely over these skills. I realized my adaptive teaching methods would require some help from his parents, plus some more fine-tuning on my part.
We had a whole week of 1 on 1, which gave us lots of time to overcome these hurdles. In using some of the tips I received both from Leo’s mother and Margo, I quickly gained his trust and friendship. Throughout the week, we continued with more underwater games and reviewing easy skills he had already mastered to build his confidence each day. This helped to end each training session on a successful note. I worked on breaking the skills down into smaller components, practicing mask clearing and removal slowly on the surface before gradually moving deeper. With patience, encouragement, and plenty of positive reinforcement, Leo gradually gained confidence and ultimately performed the skills flawlessly. He was so excited that he wanted to try it again, immediately exuding pride and joy in his accomplishments.
As an instructor to children, it can be challenging to decide the best way to teach a specific skill for a positive and happy outcome with kids. We want children to feel safe, trust us, and maximize their enjoyment and sense of accomplishment every step of the way, which looks a little bit different with every child. Sometimes this means slowing down the course flow and providing 1-on-1 attention. With Leo, I wanted to build his confidence and have him perform the skills reliably and comfortably. Working patiently with him across several trips on these skills, his confidence improved, and he was excited to continue his training. He just required a little extra guidance and encouragement.
I will never forget the moment he completed his confined-water dives. We looked at each other, shouting with joy through our ScubaPro regulators, and he gave me a big underwater hug. Even now, looking back on this moment brings me pure joy. After this, we faced further challenges in the ocean, which Leo successfully overcame thanks to the trust we had built between us. Ultimately, I was confidently able to certify Leo as a Junior Scuba Diver. His family and I, as well as Margo & Tom, were immensely proud of these achievements, especially given that at times it seemed uncertain whether he could meet all the performance requirements. With the full support of Kids Sea Camp and his parents, Leo continued diving with me on several Kids Sea Camp trips as a PADI Junior Scuba Diver. With time and maturity, Leo gradually gained more confidence and ability until he was able to complete the rest of the PADI Junior Open Water course and upgrade his rating at the age of 12.
This experience showed me the power and importance of patience, flexibility, empathy, and understanding. It taught me that effective teaching isn’t solely about technical proficiency. With children and diving, it’s about fostering trust, patience, and emotional safety, enabling every diver to discover their own potential, which goes beyond the surface. I have since encountered many similar cases in which adult students were on the verge of giving up. By remembering Leo and applying similar strategies I learned with him, I was able to continue their training and guide them to become confident, happy divers who were grateful that I had not given up on them. In the end, I feel deeply grateful to Leo, who showed me that patience, trust, adaptive techniques, and persistence are powerful tools for achieving seemingly impossible goals.
Working with incredible students like Leo has shown me that safety is at the heart of every adventure, creating an environment where children can safely learn and enjoy their time in the water.
How it continues
My journey with Kids Sea Camp began as a new PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, eager to find my place in the dive industry. After being captivated by the “Kids Sea Camp magic,” my connection quickly deepened. Over time, this connection extended beyond travel, leading me to assist in the office and become part of the dedicated team that brings these unforgettable experiences to life.
Along the way, after sharing many memorable experiences with Kids Sea Camp, my relationship with Margo and Tom has grown beyond a purely professional one, evolving into a genuine friendship in which we share personal experiences and visits beyond business gatherings. I am deeply grateful to Kids Sea Camp, and to both of them, for inspiring my professional growth, nurturing my love for teaching, and showing me just how transformative these underwater experiences can be for the children, their parents, and everyone who guides them.
As a little kid fascinated by space, flying while exploring faraway places has always been my childhood dream. Working with Kids Sea Camp and flying over the ocean alongside young explorers lets me live that dream in a way I could never have imagined.
