Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire (RRFB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and protecting Bonaire’s coral reefs since 2012. Our work focuses on comprehensive coral restoration, combining fragmentation and outplanting, breeding, monitoring, research, and community engagement to support healthier and more resilient reef ecosystems for the future.
Education and outreach are also a huge part of our mission. Through presentations, training programs, school partnerships, and community outreach, our goal is to help people better understand the importance of coral reefs and how they can have a positive impact on them!
Over the years, Kids Sea Camp and Ocean Wishes have supported RRFB by helping introduce visiting families and young divers to coral restoration efforts in Bonaire. Through countless presentations and participating in our coral adoption program, they have helped facilitate more than $13,000 in donations to RRFB!
At a time when coral reefs are declining here in the Caribbean and around the world, donations help us adapt and scale our work in real-time, allowing us to respond to a rapidly changing environment. Support is crucial to our core mission of strengthening Bonaire’s reefs and empowering more people to have a real impact on the ocean. (See more about Ocean Wishes)
Life-changing moments at Kids Sea Camp happen every day
Kids Sea Camp is one of the greatest programs I have ever participated in. The week is a wonderful, life-changing event like nothing I have ever seen. I thoroughly enjoy seeing young kids learn to dive right next to their parents and siblings. It has enriched my life greatly because, through Kids Sea Camp, I have learned amazing skills, met new friends, and grown closer to my family.
The first reason Kids Sea Camp has enriched my life is the skills I have learned each camp week. My first trip was Grand Cayman, where I learned proper diving techniques, and how vital underwater conservation is. I discovered underwater photography and first aid skills. In 2016, I became a Dive Master at Buddy Dive, Bonaire Kids Sea Camp week with Woody Tinsley. I learned about the science behind diving, what people look for in a leader, how to deal with people in distress, and I learned so many new skills and how to teach them. The knowledge I have gained at Kids Sea Camp has enriched my life.
Another reason is the friends I have met each year. Thanks to Kids Sea Camp, I have friends all over the world. I have met many amazing people at Kids Sea Camp and made more amazing memories than I can count. There are always other kids my age, and diving with other kids is so much fun. It is easy to make new friends, but I enjoy creating exciting new memories with my family and other adult divers. An example of that is when Tom Peyton and I were in Fiji, we kept all the families and kids entertained and had fun with me playing the guitar and him singing. There is even a Karaoke night on the KSC weeks. We also played volleyball every afternoon.
One of my favorite Kids Sea Camp Instructors is Woody Tinsley, he is hilarious and so much fun. Woody teaches the Zombie Apocalypse PADI course and was my Instructor for my PADI Dive Master Course. Mr. Tinsley made sure that I learned every skill perfectly. He is the kind of instructor I hope to be like one day. Woody is only one of the instructors on the great team at Kids Sea Camp. I can honestly say some of the most extraordinary people I have ever met, I met through Kids Sea Camp.
The final reason Kids Sea Camp has enriched my life is that it has helped me grow closer to my own family through travel and diving together. At our first Kids Sea Camp, my sister had never dived before and had no interest in learning. I was able to convince her to try to overcome her fear. After she was certified, she, I, and our whole family love diving and traveling with Kids Sea Camp and Margo & Tom.
“My life is forever changed and enriched because of Kids Sea Camp and I love to travel and dive and will continue to do so for many more years to come. I hope to become a dive instructor and work for Kids Sea Camp so I can become a part of enriching other people lives too. Kids Sea Camp is truly life-changing!” — James Devinney
What is even more special in my eyes is being able to dive with my little brother, Jason. He has a passion for the sport, just like the rest of our family, and there is nowhere else in the world I can think of that will teach someone his age to dive. Jason is currently a PADI Seal and gets to dive in the ocean with the Kids Sea Camp. We would have usually had to split up our family and not have been able to include Jason. At Kids Sea Camp, I get to dive with my little brother and the whole family together. So, Kids Sea Camp has enriched my life and my entire family’s lives.
Any family would clearly see how amazing Kids Sea Camp is. I think it’s one of the most fantastic family vacations in the world! It gets families to unplug and reconnect with each other through adventure and fun. It makes me grateful for my family and the smiles and memories we create together. I wish there were more people like Tom and Margo because they make the world a better place. Margo has a passion for kids, diving, and the ocean, and she loves teaching kids and family members to dive and love the ocean from the age of 5.
