Kids Sea Camp Family Dive Adventure weeks Grand Cayman with Cobalt Coast
A beautiful week filled with photography, sea scooters, Sasy, PADI Seal Team, Jr. Open Water, Advanced Open Water, diving on the Kittiwake and Stingray City, real Cayman Islands pirates to sword fight with on the beach and a turtle to release. Anything & Everything (FIRST PLACE WINNER!) We’ll try anything With Kids Sea Camp, anything ‘Cos it means everything you see Will you paint your face? Anything Have a hermit crab race? Anything Crack a treasure case? Anything Steal a Pirate Vase? (You betcha mate!) We’d do anything for good dives, anything And we’ll go anywhere with you. Would you try Cancun? Anything Maybe Truk Lagoon? Anything How ‘bout Fiji soon? Anything Even Timbuctoon? (And back again) We’d risk life and limb To keep on in the swim Yes we’d do anything Anything? Anything for you Would you sing a song? Anything Though your voice is wrong? Anything And your lines are long? Anything And your lyrics pong? (I’m here aren’t I?) Yes we’d do anything For you dear anything Yes, we’d do anything, anything for you! By: The Snyder/Hopkins FamilyA POEM (SECOND PLACE WINNER) I landed in heaven with Cameron and Dani, Five days have gone by, though it seems not that many. We’ve made some new friends and had a great time, Now I’ll share them with you, in painfully bad rhyme. We met Christian the comic and his tall friend Rajim, With Shelley and Steve, they’re a helluva team. We scratched Mojo the dog and Stepped on tuffy the cat, chased groupers and turtles, and the occasional gnat. I learned when I don’t know the answer, or a word may escape me, No need to search Google, I just need to ask Jamie. We released Hunter the turtle to his new home in the sea, fell in love with two angels named Helen and Jenny. We saw Bonnie’s Arch and the U.S.S. Kittiwake, Got stingray facials, and ate carrot cake. We dove from the boats and we dove from the shore, And drank Ironshore Bock and smoothies galore. Cobalt Coast is delightful, Arie’s soup is sublime, Plus we ate enough French fries to last a lifetime. To all our new friends we must soon say goodbye, We’ll board our plane and to home, we will fly. And to Kids Sea Camp, you will see us again, If not by next summer, then as soon as we can. By: Tom DeLuca
The Erickson Family Thanksgiving! (Third place winner!) An email from Margo Had us packing our cargo Thanksgiving in the sun What could be more fun? When we got to Cayman We thought it might start rainin’ Kids started comin’ The entertainer was hummin’ Our youngest got certified Mom & Dad nearly cried The oldest learned to use Nitrox And we all listened to interesting talks We dove in Stingray City Those who didn’t, I pity Next was the wreck, Kittiwake, Surely it was not a fake! We released Hunter, the turtle Hoping he faces not a single hurdle Painting with Margo and Tom Now that was “the bomb” At the garden was a huge iguana So happy it was not hot as a sauna Diving with fish galore And much, much more! Tomorrow we’re off to the wave park Oh, did I say we saw a shark? Please don’t shed a tear Just say see you next year! By: The Erickson’s
Thanksgiving in Cayman Once upon a winter night, We arrived in Cayman, what a sight! It didn’t take long to meet new friends I’ll be so sad when this week ends Breakfast, then our 2-tank dive Post-dive smoothies made us feel alive Napping on the beach then diving on the reef Man, it’s the life! Every night upon the shore We played card games requiring explanations galore Little ones shot their water guns While their parents read in the sun Teaching Carly slang like “ya’ll” and “bless her heart” I know that together or far apart There will be memories we won’t forget You know the kind where we say, “Facebook it!” Thanks to the staff at Divetech Kittiwake was the only day with a wreck Thanks to all the staff For helping us read our dive computer graph Most of all Thanks to Margo, If not for her there wouldn’t be Cayman tags on our cargo When I said I’ll miss everyone from this week My mom said, “No fear, Just say, see you next year!” By: Sydney Erickson
Gobble, gobble, cluck, cluck The free roaming chickens On Grand Cayman Just got plucked Bubble, bubble, hiss, hiss Arie’s Thanksgiving turkey Is something that we would not miss Eight years and countin’ And we can’t wait for more Margo, Tom, Robbie & Jen Always have something in store Fish there are many Turkey just one But memories and friendship Will never be done By: The Fiest Family Grand Cayman Thanksgiving with Kids Sea Camp and Margo Peyton There once was a host named Arie Whose hospitality was always so “starry” His greetings were heartfelt His food tightened our belts And Kids Sea Camp was really his party By: Bob Schmidt
Dressing the Turkey We are about to carve the turkey When we see such a fright My three-year-old baby sister Has dressed it with delight She put a red bow on it She put it in a dress She gave it little tapping shoes It’s really such a mess She gave it her winter gloves So it wouldn’t get cold She gave it dad’s pilot pin Now it looks very bold But she thinks it’s missing something She looks where it should have a face Then she goes and gets something She took her doll’s head and put it in that place! By: Jordan Weber
Some families are into football They cheer loudly for their team Some families like movies And stories that play across the screen Still, others are into music And some are into books Others count their status By the number of envious looks Other families set their clocks By the chime of the dinner bell And something family gatherings Are another level of —— And then there are those like us Who hear the calling of the sea Whose hearts rise with the tide Happy to be with our family The ocean in its beauty Cerulean and Cayman blue beckons us to join, it sings a hypnotic tune It says, “Gather your children together, And bring them to me. I’ll show them the wondrous beauty. They will imprint on me.” The ocean has it all There is never a dull moment Deciding ‘air’ or ‘Nitrox’ Is our only time of torment Watching our kids learning Each skill we celebrate And when they master buoyancy Well, we always knew that they were great And when it’s time to go We say, “Until we meet again” The ocean will always call us back To our family and our friends By: Denise Weber
As the sun sets on Cayman I say that I am a very lucky man To see a splendid array of fish Which at the start was my only wish Margo, Tom, Nancy and Arie Welcomed us with warm hospitality Gave us an ocean, a pool, a Cobalt Coast Now they are truly a splendid host As little Romain learns scuba diving We find it hard to believe he’s really growing As the ocean takes him further and further Valerie and I grow prouder and prouder Now that Romain is certified Our family together is ready to dive Ready to explore the underwater Drift down, dream and discover Thanks for the adventure Kids Sea Camp Thanks for making our son a champ Hard to believe he’ll soon be a teen But our love for him will always be seen By: Gary Hufbauer
