From SASY to Divemaster with Kids Sea Camp

For as long as I can remember, I have spent every summer traveling with Kids Sea Camp. I lived in Grand Cayman with my family for the first 10 years, when I started discovering the underwater world.  My dad enrolled me in the Kids Sea Camp SASY program at age six. (surface-supplied air system). I remember running around on the beach collecting giant hermit crabs for the crab races and spending the afternoons learning about marine life and the local Cayman blue iguanas through dot painting classes with Margo Peyton and Ron Rogest. They would have us all saying,  “One dip per dot and no double dipping!”

As I got older and became more involved and interested in diving with Kids Sea Camp, I fell more in love with exploring the underwater world through photography. Margo Peyton, owner of Kids Sea Camp, and my dad introduced me to diving and encouraged me to share my story. I loved taking photos and videos of many incredible adventures with my Sealife cameras. I became a PADI Jr. Open Water diver at ten on a Yap and Palau trip with My dad, Tom, and Margo Peyton. I don’t think I was as big as the tank I used back then. My open water dive with Margo was with Manta, sharks, and giant Napoleon Wrasse.  Tom and Margo often had to hold my hands in the big currents because I was so tiny.   I thought that was so much fun then. I grew up diving in currents, so as a teenager, I had so much fun body surfing and playing in those currents as I continued diving and traveling around the world with Tom, Margo, and my family. 

 My mom, dad, and I have toured most of the KSC World, including the Galapagos, where I lost all fear of sharks and had so much fun playing with sea lions and seeing my first whale shark.  My dad and I dove into the Cathedral under Darwin’s Arch and watched Bullsharks and hundreds of Hammerheads go by.  In Fiji, I dove with my very first Tiger sharks and more bull and lemon sharks.  My mom was not with us on that trip, but when she saw the photos I was posting on my FB, she suddenly realized those were my photos,  not Dad’s, and that he had me in the water with big sharks.

Experiencing all that Kids Sea Camp had to offer from such a young age inhibited my love for the ocean and diving and made me want to be more involved in this organization and the diving world. Not only has Kids Sea Camp allowed me to travel to excellent dive sites and experience such incredible things, but it has also allowed me to meet some amazing people. 

I remember my first Kids Sea Camp, walking onto the pool in Grand Cayman and meeting another girl named Holly. We became best friends instantly and were inseparable throughout the whole two weeks. I longed for my Kid’s Sea Camp summers and meeting up with Holly; we always wanted to make sure we were on all KSC trips together, and as we advanced more and more in the diving world, our love for the ocean and our friendship grew. Holly became my dive buddy for nearly every dive I did over the years, thanks to Margo and Tom Peyton, who took us on trips. We and many other kids did multiple internships with Kids Sea Camp. As I became more involved with Kids Sea Camp, I learned a lot about SeaLife cameras from Margo and my dad. I hosted a few demonstrations, and Margo worked with me and directed me toward becoming a better underwater photographer. I have always wanted to be a part of the KSC dive team and help further her mission of teaching so many young people about the thrilling sport of scuba diving. 

Margo and Tom offered me a chance to become a PADI DM Pro in 2022 at Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire. They entirely sponsored my program; it was the best place for me to do my divemaster course. The  Buddy Dive team was outstanding as they cheered on my attempt at lugging tanks up the dock, and the coral restoration projects there made my dives much more enjoyable. What greatly added to my experience on every trip was, as always, my Kids Sea Camp instructors. I was able to learn from them and was treated like family. They forever changed my scuba diving experiences by creating moments   I will cherish forever. Being able to not only grow my love of the underwater world and scuba diving but also build such strong bonds through it has been a fantastic experience. Without Kids Sea Camp, I would have never met and made all the incredible friends I still have today.  Kids Sea Camp also made me want to keep expanding my knowledge in diving and helped me gain so much confidence underwater. I hope to continue my adventure with Kids Sea Camp and become an instructor someday.  Scuba diving has made me adventurous and courageous and given me a global view of the world.

I look forward to sharing all that I shared with the next generation.

By Sophie Purdon