Kids Sea Camp: A serendipitous discovery for scuba family
Kids Sea Camp was a serendipitous discovery for our family and a stroke of incredible luck. Over 15 years ago, while Josh and I were diving in Bonaire, we noticed the Kids Sea Camp banners hanging at Buddy Dive. Intrigued, watching kids of all ages having fun jumping off the dock and diving with their instructors and family members, we asked the resort about the program, and their summary immediately caught our attention. After researching and talking to the owner, Margo Peyton, we eagerly booked our first trip to Belize.
As a mom, I was initially nervous, but I was completely sold by the end of that week. It was the first vacation where I could truly relax, knowing that everything—from diving and meals to children’s activities and entertainment—was seamlessly cared for in a safe and fun way. I could dive without worry, returning each afternoon to find my children super happy (and exhausted). From that moment, I knew Kids Sea Camp was the perfect fit for our family. Josh and I enjoyed a real dive vacation, and our kids had an absolute blast making new friends and learning about the ocean.
Since then, we’ve made it a tradition to book at least one Kids Sea Camp trip every year, often indulging in multiple trips. Our younger kids got certified to dive through Kids Sea Camp and continued to hone their skills each year. My son Nate became a Master Diver, and my daughter Melea worked her way up to being a Dive Instructor. Josh also became an Instructor, and his passion for underwater photography blossomed, expanding to capture the mesmerizing marine life and the people we encountered.
Kids Sea Camp opened up a world of destinations for us. We’ve explored the Caribbean, diving in Belize, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Vincent, Utila, and more. As our kids grew older and more adept at diving, we embarked on more challenging adventures to extraordinary places like Palau, Fiji, the Socorro Islands, and the Galapagos.
Through Kids Sea Camp, we’ve met countless interesting and fun families who share our love of diving, family, and travel. Making friends in the diving world and watching our kids bond with their peers has given us yet another reason to continue our journeys. Melea has kept in touch with several of the girls she met at our earliest Sea Camps, including the Danks and Mulkinton girls.
Over the years, we’ve watched the company grow and evolve, just as our family has. Kids Sea Camp and Family Dive Adventures now offer more locations, trips for “Empty Nesters,” and luxurious liveaboard vacations, which we adore and love the discovery of new dive sites. Even with our kids growing up and pursuing their own adventures, Josh and I still travel with KSC, both for the great friendship we have formed with Margo and Tom Peyton and to help capture those memories to last a lifetime for other families. We continue to travel with Family Divers because, over the years, we have seen firsthand how much Margo and Tom take care of the people they travel with, and I know that the trips for me will be easy, all-inclusive, and, above all, safe.
One of our favorite parts of the trips is the Kids Sea Camp poem presentation on the last day of the journey, and our family is very competitive. So, after our first trip to Belize, my musical family (I am not musical and have no rhythm) decided to turn our poem into a song/rap to be more original. We would all work on the lyrics, and they would practice for a few nights before the contest. We had many fun memories of finishing our days in our room, practicing and plotting our win! And we won on several trips. Josh played his little guitar, Melea sang, and Nate added his unique “beepop” style. This also helped us make closer connections with other families who we saw trip after trip stepping up their game and trying to “take us down” (The Mulkintins :). This also helped us bond as a family and a team.
My family loves the idea of learning in general, working to save the ocean, and working to be safer under the water. Taking steps to further their knowledge in diving came naturally to them as the next step in the education process, and possibly teaching others to respect and love the ocean. Watching Josh and Melea become Dive Instructors was a source of immense pride.
My actual career before having kids was as a Graphic Designer, where I used the computer and Photoshop for 10 hours a day. When Josh started learning Light Room, it interested me. I saw immediately where it and Photoshop overlap. I like to control things, and because I was already familiar with the software, I pushed Josh aside and took over. Plus one perk is that on the Island it also gave me something to do each night. It’s challenging to process and turn into a slide show of all the hundreds of photos that Margo, Olivia, and Josh take each trip, and for me, it is enjoyable to edit photos. I like making the photos the best they can be in the quickest, most efficient manner for all the families, including mine, to enjoy. Josh’s photography inspired me to share all those moments and beautiful photos in the online gallery for guests to enjoy. Editing has become a passion of mine that showed up while traveling with Josh on the Kids Sea Camp trips he now runs. https://gallery.familydivers.com/
We have been married 34 years and diving has given us a hobby that we can enjoy together, especially as our kids have outgrown us. Does being happy buddies contribute to a happy couple? Absolutely! We hope someday to get our grandkids certified so that they will see the beautiful secret world under the sea, and grow to love it as much as we have. What does diving mean to Josh and I as grandparents? It means sharing a passion and a world with the next generation.
Our family continues to expand, and we’re thrilled that our three grandchildren—the youngest at only three — are already on competitive swim teams. We’re beyond excited to plan our first Kids Sea Camp trip with the next generation.
Finding Kids Sea Camp has profoundly transformed our family. Margo and her team have given us adventurous, safe, fun vacations, lifelong friends, and countless memories. I can’t recommend Kids Sea Camp enough—it’s a life-changing experience for the entire family.
For other Kids Sea Camp families whose kids are off to college and life, I’d say keep traveling with Tom and Margo and their Incredible Empty Nester trips! And for those couples with young kids looking for a family adventure: Basically, we had traveled without our kids, leaving them home so we could continue to dive, which was no fun. When we got to Bonaire and saw that banner at Buddy Dive and all those kids enjoying their day, we were so excited about bringing Melea and Nate with us from that point forward. The idea of a family trip where we could dive guilt-free and the kids would also learn to dive. If you want to enjoy traveling as a family on a scuba diving family vacation, look no further. This is the 25th year for Kids Sea Camp, and Josh and I will celebrate at Kids Sea Camp Borneo aboard The Arenui. We will also host 2 weeks in St. Lucia at Anse Chastanet in July, 2025.
Come experience a joyful adventure with us.
