The joy of becoming a scuba diver and a family of scuba divers.
By Jennifer Yee
Not long ago (2015, to be exact), my sister, Reagan, asked me if I wanted to go scuba diving in Fiji with her and my nieces, Lauren and Lucy. “Of course, I immediately said it’s Fiji; who wouldn’t want to do that”? Little did I know how that trip would change my life and my views on traveling, the world, different cultures, and the beautiful people that I would meet along the way.
We arrived in Fiji, not knowing anyone else, and realized quickly that we had no clue what we had gotten ourselves into. From the moment we arrived, we were surrounded by the Kid Sea Camp Company (KSC) and a group of like-minded people who shared not just a common interest in travel and an undeniable passion for not just scuba diving but diving with their kids. It felt as though I had stepped into a vibrant tapestry of kind people who were friendly, welcoming, creative, and inspiring. Each person we met brought out a camaraderie I didn’t know we could be a part of. By the end of the trip, what surprised me most was how quickly I formed deep connections with the Kids Sea Camp staff and other KSC families. We talked about the next KSC trip and making sure the kids would be meeting regularly, not just to pursue our passion for diving but to nurture the friendships they had begun to cultivate on that very first trip. It was as if we had just created a new family, but really, this new family, the one that we had joined, was the KSC family —one bound not by blood but by shared passions.
Ten years later and ten years of the world’s best family dive trips all over the world and what I remember the most are the friends that have become family, the kids that I watched grow into beautiful, kind, caring, and generous humans, and the company that made it all possible. KSC has created the joy of diving for me. (See gallery)
You see, Kids Sea Camp is about diving, connections (karaoke, volleyball, basketball, food, volunteering, laughing, crying), cultures, and education. These kids (and adults) have emerged into cultures, people, the ocean and marine life, and different communities. It’s an education that evolves beyond the classroom, where the classroom is the ocean, the reefs, the animals, and the respect for something so powerful yet peaceful. I remember every dive and learning the marine life, but honestly, more important to me is that I remember the before, in-between, and after every dive where you were laughing together over shared challenges, celebrating different achievements, and even brainstorming ways to get together again. “Family” is what Kids Sea Camp has created as a family outside of our “immediate” family. I look forward to our future gatherings, knowing I have a supportive network of people who inspire and challenge me to grow.
It’s incredible how a simple passion can lead to such meaningful relationships.
As an early Kids Sea Camper, “I didn’t have my own children,” and my wife did not dive. I was learning to dive on trips with my sister and nieces, and I loved that I quickly became “Aunt Jen” to most of the kids. I have genuinely enjoyed watching each of them grow and still have connections with each of them. Now that my wife and I have our child (he just turned 3), the excitement of sharing our dive passion with him is something we talk about all the time.
It’s like holding a treasure chest, filled with all the joy and fulfillment diving has brought you, and wanting nothing more than to see your little one dive in and discover the same magic you just spent watching other kids enjoy over the last 10 years. He is already talking about seeing sharks one day and having his cousins Lauren and Lucy and Uncle Brian and Aunt Reagan take him underwater. I can’t help but think about these moments and how the excitement that I have shared with all the other kids up to this point will now be shared with my child. To be able to take him on the Kids Sea Camp journey, one that is more than diving, one where he will someday be my dive buddy, one that is nurturing his curiosity, one with a company where I know he will be taught what is important, to respect the ocean and others, and most importantly taught in the safest environment, with the safest and most respected company in the industry working with children. It’s like he will be getting an additional education through experiences with different cultures, races, and values, which is one of the most important gifts we can give him.
I will close with this. Kids Sea Camp “gives families a week they will remember forever.” It is a business that cares for and provides a service for all different types of families, and this is one of the reasons my family, my wife, and our son will continue to be a part of their family for as long as we can. The joy of diving starts and ends with Kids Sea Camp.
