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    Programs and Services

    How we dive and who can dive

    Kids Sea Camp Inc. offers a full range of dive-related programs and services. The flagship program is Kids Sea Camp, which has been operating for over 24 years and has contributed to over 8,100+ diver certifications. In addition, Family Dive Adventures, a Kids Sea Camp Inc. division, offers customized dive travel planning for individual families and groups that want to travel any time of year. Our dive programs and services are considered the best for families worldwide.

    What is Kids Sea Camp? Kids Sea Camp is a family scuba diving vacation for like-minded families that want more than just a vacation. It brings together adults from ages 18 to 80 and kids from ages 4 to 17 from around the world, with two common threads: their love for the ocean and diving and their love of family.

    In 2000, Margo created Kids Sea Camp as a way to cater to families wanting to share their vacation experiences or with other like-minded families. There was a huge need to assist families in the scuba diving community, and Margo wanted to fill that need. She realized many parents and grandparents wanted to take dive vacations with their families. They wanted beautiful destinations where the kids would be safe, have fun, and be able to create memories that would last a lifetime. Kids Sea Camp provides all of this, and we offer safe environments where families learn to dive and experience the underwater world together, a fun place to build friendships and bonds with other families worldwide.

    A list of Kids Sea Camp Dive Programs and Services

    Facts and information: Kids Sea Camp is a sponsored PADI diving event. KSC will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. Kids Sea Camp and Family Dive Adventures is the fastest-growing dive event for families. It is considered an industry leader in dive training and family dive vacations. Approximately 1,600 divers from around the world travel with us each year to different destinations. Our group size generally ranges from 20-50 kids to 25-60 adults.

    Kids Sea Camp is a dive training and educational family event at select PADI resort destinations. Resorts and operators must meet specific requirements and standards for families to dive and learn in a safe environment that is well within the guidelines and mandates set by PADI. All instructors and Dive Masters are PADI certified, rescue trained, and have active teaching status.

    Exclusive itineraries, super service, fantastic adventure, and expert training.

    The adventure lasts seven nights and includes six days of diving and activities. Generally, arrival is on Saturday, and departure is the following Saturday. Liveaboard weeks may differ. Please check with one of our professional dive staff for detailed information.

    Meals: Kids have breakfast with parents, lunch with dive staff, and dinner with parents, except for pizza/movie night when parents or teens participate in the night dive. Again, this may differ with liveaboards.

    Family Day: Thursday or Friday is when all divers dive as a family, but this also differs in some locations. Adults can dive with kids any day of the week, with guided shore dives in select locations or even daily afternoon dives.

    The resort/dive operator provides staffing for the events.  Kids Sea Camp hires the resort and dive operator staff, who support KSC family weeks. 100% of the programs are run by dive operators and hotel staff, not Kids Sea Camp staff. The dive operator staff required includes PADI active dive master and instructor staff who will work with kids daily while involved with dive programs, typically while parents are out diving.

    Our ratios for instructors and kids are generally two kids per instructor in a course for kids up to 12. 12+ ratios are based on PADI standards, such as one instructor with four kids in a class and one instructor for every five kids not in a course.

    Kids Sea Camp teaches kids to be responsible, safe, and confident divers. We create adventures for families of all ages, sizes, and cultural backgrounds. Here, families can come together and embark on journeys to places they may never have imagined and in ways they could have only imagined. Parents and kids can dive safely at Kids Sea Camp and spend time together and apart.

    Kids Sea Camp family weeks offer all PADI dive programs for kids. 15 of the PADI courses are ACA accredited (college credits)

    Padi programs are now offered online through eLearning. Go to PADI.com and click on eLearning to start your diving certification course. Get the book work and tests out of the way, and we will do the rest when you arrive. Click on Kids Sea Camp as your dive store.

    • Jr. Open Water Certification: Ages 10+ (scuba diving training for kids 10 and up) and our Teen Ocean Discovery program (advanced programs for certified divers, working on continued education and certifications).
    • SEAL TEAM: aspiring young divers ages 8+ (the first stage of scuba diving, experienced in an enclosed shallow environment)

      The PADI Seal Team is for young divers

      looking for action-packed fun in a pool by doing exciting scuba aqua missions. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to dive with flashlights, take digital pictures underwater, or float effortlessly like an astronaut? AquaMissions introduces you to wreck, navigation, buoyancy, underwater photography, environmental awareness, and more. Here’s your chance to do some cool stuff in the pool, meet friends, and share in the adventure of the underwater world. The best part of the Specialty AquaMissions is that they reinforce safe diving skills while the kids have fun. PADI Seals get to sample a wide variety of dives. In addition, it provides parents with a structured program that lets their children develop skills, learn about the aquatic environment, and have a lot of good, clean fun. This is also an excellent way to introduce kids to scuba diving before a JOW certification. The PADI Seal Team program is broken into two parts. The first part, Seal Team, consisting of AquaMissions 1 – 5, teaches kids the basics of diving – things like buoyancy control, mask clearing, regulator recovery, etc. Each young diver will attend two Seal Team sessions to complete all 5 AquaMissions. After building a solid foundation of scuba skills, kids move on to part two – the Master Seal Team. The Master Seal Team is full of specialty AquaMissions, usually lasting about an hour. After attending 10 Specialty AquaMissions, the young diver earns their Master Seal Team certification.PADI Seal Team Helps children learn responsibility.Teaching

      Teaching children about the aquatic environment is a fun experience conducted by certified, trained PADI Professionals.

    • SASY: Kids ages 5-7 (snorkeling), PADI Training programs from SASY age 5-7 (For more information on SASY click here) 
    • JR. Advanced Open Water: Age 12-14
    • Open Water Certification: This is for young adults ages 15+, and a host of specialties are offered for kids who are certified divers aged 10-17. 
    • Rescue, Dive Master: All PADI specialties (Adults and Kids)

    The Kids Sea Camp Family Diver!

    PADI has approved its first Kids Sea Diver Specialty course. The certification developed by PADI and KSC founder Margo Peyton is designed to make families that dive together become better dive buddies.

    Kids Sea Camp Diver, Dive Training, Margo Peyton, Programs and Services

    The certification assists parents and other adult family members who want to update and refresh some of the introductory skills divers learned during previous dive training. The program provides education for those wishing to become more aware of environmental issues and concerns impacting the regions they are currently diving into.

    A KSC reboot, by going through the course, a new Kids Sea Camp Diver will show mastery in both divings and be a well-trained and confident parent and child buddy team. Divers will have training and education in environmental stewardship and watermanship. There will be an emphasis throughout the course on safety, teamwork, and conservation.

    The goals of the Kids Sea Camp Diver distinctive specialty training

    • Reinforcement of the “Good Buddy” principles and practices for adults and kids diving together.
    • Refresh divers with basic signs and skills learned in open water courses and updated skills and technique changes since their certification.
    • Educate parents and adults about the benefits of continuing education in diving.
    • Encourage interest in leadership roles that promote responsible diving and safer dive planning.
    • Discuss local eco-issues and concerns, customs and traditions, and how this has impacted the local environments—examples: overfishing, land run-off, plastic introduction, and depletion of marine animals.
    • Identify local environmental issues, discuss solutions, and create awareness.

    After 23 years of helping and caring for your families and the ocean, we are encouraged that PADI has seen value in our goal to update and educate families to become better ambassadors of our underwater world.

    Other PADI Specialties – Taste the fun and adventure

    In addition to PADI dive courses, we offer marine art painting with local artists, guest speakers, and presenters. Marine conservation topics are scheduled throughout the week. Photo and video clinics and free demo cameras with SeaLife, featuring the newest line of digital underwater cameras, are available with some packages. Poetry is also a part of our family time at the end of each week. Parents present a family poem and may receive prizes. Photo contests and sponsor-supported treasure hunts are also part of our Kids Sea Camp program weeks.

    Outreach programs with local kids: Contact us for training grants at 1-803-419-2556

    Other Programs and Services

    • Private Group or family travel planning, custom-designed to meet specific needs: reunions, weddings, holidays, and anything a client can dream of.
    • Creativity workshops, motivational speakers, marine art programs, career day presentations
    • Corporate incentive family weeks
    • Custom-designed private dive training programs for groups or individuals: Open Water through IDC can be arranged
    • Inspirational and dive team-building workshops
    • Parent training courses, Parent/child training courses(PADI)
    • Staff development: Working with and teaching kids, building your kids, and family programs. (how too)
    • Leadership and management training when working with kids.

    Our partnered PADI dive operators encourage parents to be responsible and confident divers while diving with their children. Students are given multiple activities during Kids Sea Camp, and the staff’s enthusiasm is dedicated to teaching new and fun facts about the oceans. The learning takes place both in a classroom environment and with hands-on programs that teach age-appropriate curriculums.

    Curriculum: We will examine the similarities and differences between fish and marine mammals, discussing the shape, color, and texture of various marine life. We will identify space, color, and movement underwater while distinguishing the differences between animals with and without bones. Discussion topics include function morphology and the marine habitat’s dazzling color, light, and motion.

    We will answer questions and review best practices such as: What do sea creatures feed on? Are all animals friendly? What must animals do to survive? How can we help? And what can you do to protect the oceans and its environment? 

    Students will experience unforgettable moments in direct contact with animal replicas, such as dried bones and skin. Various fun activities and games aid in educational messages about the ocean.

    Kids Age 5+  Programs and Services

    The wonderful world of invertebrates: Kids learn about anemones, jellyfish, and corals. Students learn how anemones fight off dehydration and what those weird tentacles are for.

    The fantastic world of marine mammals: Youth learn about how these once-land animals adapted to an aquatic environment and their mysterious and elaborate forms of communication. Did you know sea otters are the only marine mammals using tools? Did you know that sea turtles come out of the sea to lay their eggs?

    Ocean Explorers: Participants learn about the oceans and how they were formed. They meet the animals that dwell in the ocean and learn how animals that live in the open water hide. They see why pollution is so dangerous and understand how to identify an animal by looking at its dead remains on a beach.

    Kids Age 10+ Programs and Services

    Learn all about different animals and how they adapt to their environment. Compare shape, color, and external features; a habitat’s temperature, sounds, and smells are fundamental while identifying their main characteristics, habitat and organism diversity; types of movement, rays, sharks, turtles, and more; Types of coating; variety in shape; different environments; diversity feeding and behaviors; reproduction; adaptation to environment. How do species behave when their environment changes? How do species develop and change with human interaction? What can we do to conserve the oceans? Kids learn about the diversity of sharks and rays in a fun way. Their multiple shapes, teeth, skin, reproduction, and even incidents with humans are all approached in interactive and positive ways.

    Animal exploitation: We’ll explore how and why some ocean animals are being exploited and we’ll help kids learn what they can do to assist in conservation efforts.

    Come play mathematics with us—it’s fun! Scuba math is part of our daily routines, and we don’t even realize it. We use it to measure how much air our tanks hold, how bodies are affected at different depths, how much time we can dive at certain depths, and how long a turtle can hold its breath.

    Teens 12+ Programs and Services

    The diversity of relationships between man and ocean: We will uncover how human need impacts our oceans. Teens will learn about food chains and food webs.

    Predators vs. prey: Participants will gain an understanding of predators’ importance, their role in maintaining ecosystem balance, and their sneaky strategies for capturing their prey!

    Energy transfers along the food chain: We’ll discuss food chain predator/prey relationships and topic titles such as “To hunt or to be hunted:” Man and marine life; reproduction and survival of the species; the multitude of marine animals; our responsibility to the ocean; and Man’s interventions on the delicate balance of nature.

    Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Kids Sea Camp for more information at 1-803-419-2556

    Family Dive Adventures is a division of Kids Sea Camp Inc.