Family dive vacations

It’s about family bonding, shared experiences

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ST. LUCIA, KIDS SEA CAMP, SCUBA AND KIDS, night diving, Family Scuba Diving Vacations, Family Dive Adventures, Scuba Diving, Kids and scuba

Kids Sea Camp changed my life

Hello, I’m Charlie. I just wanted to share with you why Kids Sea Camp has been so important to my family and me. My mom signed my brother Gus and me up for our first family dive vacation with Kids Sea Camp when I was 12, and Gus was 11. Since then, there have been many; I had no idea how much those trips would shape my life, not just as a diver, but as a person.

From a kid to an adult diver

Over the past nearly 14 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel with Margo and Tom. Their Kids Sea Camp dive team travels to destinations such as St. Lucia, Honduras, the Cayman Islands, and Belize. What began as a kid learning to scuba dive turned into a journey of growth, confidence, and family connection. These dive adventures have stayed with me into adulthood.

As a now 23-year-old looking back, it’s almost surreal to see how much I’ve grown while still feeling the same excitement and joy every time I return to a Kids Sea Camp family dive vacation. I remember standing in front of all the families for my first closing, nervously reciting a poem I wrote about diving just to win one of the really cool prizes given to anyone who read their poem at the end of the trip. Fast forward more than a decade, and I found myself in Belize watching my younger cousins do the exact same thing, experiencing that same joy, confidence, and sense of belonging that I felt all those years ago.

More than diving, it’s family bonding

Kids Sea Camp has always meant more to me than diving ever did. It’s about family bonding, shared experiences, and learning together. Some of my family’s most meaningful memories, photos, and stories come directly from these trips. Because of Kids Sea Camp, our family didn’t just learn to dive, we grew into confident, capable divers together, thanks to truly world-class training in an environment built on safety, encouragement, and fun.

One of the most meaningful parts of that journey has been watching my mom overcome her fear of diving. Early on, diving was extremely intimidating for her; she was filled with anxiety just thinking about going underwater. Margo, at Kids Sea Camp, created a space where she could learn at her own pace, feel supported by her private instructor, and slowly build confidence alongside us.

Over time, that fear turned into comfort and confidence. Eventually, diving turned into genuine enjoyment for her. Being able to share dives with my mom, who is calm on the boat, and being with her underwater has become one of the most special parts of these trips for me. Seeing her grow to enjoy and love diving with our family is something I’ll always be grateful for, and it’s a reminder of how Kids Sea Camp brings families together in a way that lasts far beyond the week itself.

Charlie Mosley, 2026

Family Dive Vacations with Kids Sea Camp is Always Our First Choice

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Kids Sea Camp, Family Dive Adventure, kids and diving, families that love diving

I ain’t going diving

When I first started dating my husband Mark, I remember one of our first dates, picking him up from Shaw’s Cove in Laguna Beach. The waves crashed against the shore as I waited for Mark to emerge from the inky blackness of the Pacific. He was night diving, one of his many “gear-intensive” hobbies that initially intimidated me. Snowboarding, mountain biking, scuba diving—activities that seemed a world away from my own. Watching his figure rise from the depths, I remember thinking, “I will never do that.”

Kids Scuba, Family Scuba Diving Adventures, Kids Sea Camp, Margo PeytonBut never say never! Thirteen years and hundreds of dives later, we were seasoned divers exploring underwater worlds from Fiji to the Galapagos. With his passion for underwater photography, Mark had even traveled to the Bahamas to participate in shark photography expeditions, capturing incredible images of tiger sharks, hammerheads, and even the gentle giants of the sea—whale sharks.

“Give them a week; they will remember forever

In 2016, amidst the dazzling displays of dive gear and exotic destinations at the Long Beach Scuba Show, one booth stopped us. A banner proclaimed, “Give them a week; they will remember forever,” and we knew we had to find out more. It was Kids Sea Camp, and it promised family dive vacations that combined underwater exploration with cultural experiences and adventure activities. Our kids, Lucas and Lucy, were 12 and 6 then. We’d always leave them with family when we traveled, but sharing our love of diving sparked an irresistible excitement. (See the KSC gallery)

Our first Kids Sea Camp adventure took us to Buddy Dive on the beautiful island of Bonaire in 2017. The island welcomed us with water that was so clear and blue that it felt like swimming in a dream. Lucas, all of 13, enrolled in the Kids Sea Camp PADI Jr. Open Water program with other kids his age. This Junior Open Water Certification allows kids aged 10-14 to dive to 40 feet with a PADI pro or a certified parent. Seven-year-old Lucy joined the SASY program, designed for kids aged 4-7 to master snorkeling on the surface and learn about the ocean with other kids.

KSC is perfection in Bonaire

The Kids Sea Camp format was perfect. Each morning, we’d drop the kids off at their 8:00 A.M. scuba class with other kids their age, then hop on an adult-only boat for a day of diving with like-minded parents. The kids, meanwhile, were busy with all sorts of activities—blow-karting, jungle biking, kayaking, and of course, learning the fundamentals of scuba diving. In the afternoons, we’d reunite as a family, often ending the day with drinks on the beach, watching a horde of kids diving and splashing in the crystal blue water. There was something magical about seeing them put down their iPads and phones, engage with other kids, and genuinely appreciate paradise.

Bonaire ​i​s not just about diving. We visited the Donkey Sanctuary. The sanctuary cares for over 700 rescued donkeys, including a nursery. Kids Sea Camps’ visits help keep the facility open and provide food, water, and medical care to the island’s population. The kids are loaded into trucks and armed with bread and carrots to feed the curious donkeys. Nothing is funnier than watching one of your kids get a full face lick by a donkey, or better yet, lose a flip-flop to an over-ambitious creature.  We ​also enjoyed sailing on a sunset cruise aboard an authentic pirate ship, with rum punches in our hands​ and plenty of jumping off the plank upon our return.

Welcome to Roatan

We also ventured to Kids Sea Camp Roatan, Honduras. We enjoyed another incredible week of diving, zip-lining through the jungle, and visiting Gumbalimba Park. In this privately owned eco-adventure park, we interacted with iguanas, macaws, and white-faced monkeys. Lucas did his first night dive and even got to dive with reef sharks, all with private instructors and experienced kid-friendly staff. Lucy, at 8, transitioned to the PADI SEAL program, the next step to becoming a junior open water diver, which prepares kids with basic skills and buoyancy through fun Aqua missions. The kids even received free SCUBAPRO dive gear, including BCD, fins, masks, and snorkels!

We loved the safety, quality, and ease of traveling with Kids Sea Camp so much that we also took our family to Grand Cayman. One of the highlights was Stingray City, a nature preserve in 10 feet of shallow, clear water where we swam with stingrays. Grand Cayman is also home to a turtle sanctuary with over 2,000 turtles. Lucy got to interact with baby turtles in a shallow pool.

Back to Bonaire

In June, we returned to beautiful Bonaire. This time, we were able to dive together as a family—a long-awaited dream come true! Lucas joined the PADI Advanced Open Water program with other teenagers. He completed a night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, boat, photo, and shore dive to earn his PADI certification. Lucy finally became a PADI Junior open-water diver earlier in the week, so we had plenty of time to dive together as a family and with her new dive buddies. As a mother, watching your 11-year-old confidently descend to 40 feet is a heart-warming experience. Witnessing your 16-year-old diving comfortably and easily in 80 feet of water is even more so. In addition to diving, donkeys, and dock diving, Bonaire is also known for its kite and windsurfing. The kids even got to pilot land-based blow-karts and cruise around a tire-lined track. Kids Sea Camp offers a full week of engaging activities with plenty of time together and apart.

In my opinion, there’s nothing better than Caribbean sunsets, salty ocean breezes, and night skies brimming with stars. We’re blessed to share our love of the ocean with our children and take them on underwater safaris to undersea fantasy worlds. Between the scuba diving, family karaoke contests, and sandy, exhausted kids, I couldn’t ask for a better family vacation than Kids Sea Camp provides each year.

Kids Sea Camp is always our first choice

Our family continues to choose Kids Sea Camp as our #1 choice for family vacations. Lucy completed her PADI Advanced Open Water course in the Philippines. ​The whale sharks were a wow! We dove as a family in Oslob, coming face-to-face with whale sharks in calm, clear water. And how do you ​possibly top that? Palau for our very first Kids Sea Camp liveaboard trip! Outstanding! ​Manta, sharks, wild dolphins, and the Rock Islands. We’ve created memories with Kids Sea Camp to last a lifetime​ and continue each year.

By the Chapman Family

 

Kids Sea Camp is a healing family experience

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Kids Scuba, Family Scuba Diving Adventures, Kids Sea Camp, Margo Peyton, Family scuba diving

“Diving healed my family, and it happened at Kids Sea Camp,” Lilly Blakey

Lilly Blakey was only 8 when she attended her first Kids Sea Camp in Roatan in 2006. Her parents, Rob and Susan Blakey, loved diving and wanted to share that joy and love of the ocean with their three kids. Since Lilly, age 8, and her younger brother Stuart, age 5, were too young to become certified divers, their mom found the perfect family scuba vacation for them. She read about Kids Sea Camp in a dive magazine and learned that kids aged 5 to 7 could enroll in the PADI SASY program, while kids aged 8 and 9 could participate in the PADI Seal Team program. Meanwhile, their older brother, Trey, was able to get certified in the Jr. Open Water program for kids aged 10-14, so there was something for every member of the family while their mom and dad enjoyed diving.

As a PADI Seal, Lilly remembers putting on her scuba gear for the first time with her Seal buddy. She recalls having so much fun performing buddy checks and experiencing the excitement of diving. She couldn’t wait to return to Kids Sea Camp to become a certified diver once she turned 10. Two years later, her family returned for another family dive trip with Kids Sea Camp, and Lilly became a PADI Jr. Open Water diver. They also promised Stuart the same opportunity when he turned 10. Lilly recalls, “It was so cool to swim with fish and experience zero gravity for the first time. I love diving and learning about the ocean.”

Over 20 KSC trips

Lilly has participated in over 20 Kids Sea Camp family dive vacations, making repeat visits to Utila, Roatan, St. Lucia, Bonaire, and the Cayman Islands. After several trips with her family, she attended without them at age 15. (See all the places you can go.)

“My mom had so much respect and trust in Margo Peyton and the program she created that she asked Margo if it would be okay to send me along as part of the Peyton family,” she explains. “Margo’s reassuring presence helps even the timidest diver feel calm and safe underwater.”

Kids Sea Camp, Kids and diving

There was more to Lilly’s mom’s decision to send her alone than trust in Margo as an instructor. “My dad, Rob Blakey, who was the reason we all attended the first Kids Sea Camp, passed away a week after we returned home. Stuart was just 5, and I was only 10 years old, having just received my Jr. Open Water certification on that trip,” she said. “We didn’t go diving again for the next five years. My mom was devastated, but she eventually found the courage to start healing and reach out to Margo to tell her that she was ready to start diving again and promised to get Stuart certified when he turned 10.” Mrs. Blakey wanted him to have the same incredible experience as his older siblings.

The healing starts

“Margo made sure that my family went on a week that she would personally be there,” Lilly says. “While Trey and I enjoyed diving with the other certified kids, Stuart was working on his PADI Jr. Open Water certification, and Margo was helping my mom get back in the water again. My mom had only ever dove with my dad, so this was a difficult step for her. Margo held my mom’s hand and reassured her at every step. The healing had started. She dove with my mom daily until she could join us diving as a family. It meant the world to us to dive together again.” Lilly adds, “Having all of us diving together again, even without my dad, has been healing to our family.”

She earned her PADI Advanced Open Water certification during that trip, and Stuart did as well. Lilly told her mom she wanted to improve as a diver and keep diving. For the next few years, Lilly’s mom sent her on trips with Margo Peyton, along with Robbie and Jennifer Peyton, who would also attend. “I would stay for two or three weeks at a time, sharing a room with Jen,” Lilly shared. “I achieved something I wanted: to become a PADI Open Water Instructor with Jen and Zoe. We took our Instructor Development Course (IDC) at Buddy Dive Kids Sea Camp in 2017 and made it happen.”

Now, at age 27, Lilly has graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in management information systems. She has worked with Kids Sea Camp for many summers, teaching the next generation of divers.

A Safe Haven

Kids Scuba, Family Scuba Diving Adventures, Kids Sea Camp, Margo Peyton“Margo created a safe haven for kids to learn how to dive while on a family vacation. Her dream and her company have literally changed my life, and I know it’s had the same impact on so many others, including Robbie, Jen, and Zoe.” Lilly said in 2023.

Lilly respects and admires Margo Peyton because she understands how challenging it is to be a single mom and run a woman-owned business. Lilly’s family continues to dive with Kids Sea Camp; her youngest brother, Stuart, also became a PADI instructor a few summers ago in Bonaire.

This year, Lilly is getting married and looks forward to starting her own family. She is excited to get her future husband certified to dive and continue the family tradition of bringing her future kids to Kids Sea Camp, where they will enjoy the magical summer vacations she once experienced.

“Kids Sea Camp is not just for kids; it offers so much to every family member, regardless of age.” Lilly Blakely

Family finds their vacation answer with Kids Sea Camp

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Kids Sea Camp, Kids and diving, Galapagos dive vacations

“Honey, I think I found what we have been looking for!”

By Patti Snyder

In the spring of 2010, I sat at my computer late one night, searching for our next family vacation. Sam was 5, and we had recently adopted our son, Hunter, also 5, from China. My husband, Andy, and I were avid divers. While Andy’s diving background was drysuit diving in the cold ocean off the coast of Scotland, I preferred warmer waters. As avid cave divers, we loved diving in the springs in Florida, and having kids meant that cave diving was in the past for us. While we enjoyed the beach and boating, our passion was scuba diving, so we searched for the perfect family vacation.

Kids Sea Camp, Amazing vacations, family vacation

Unfortunately, we thought, kids and scuba diving would not go together very well. As I sat at my computer, hopeful, I entered various words into the search engines online: “family diving,” “kids scuba diving,” “family vacations.” Kids Sea Camp popped up, and I turned to my husband and said, “Honey, I think I found what we have been looking for!”

I read everything about Kids Sea Camp and its founder, Margo Peyton. If you Google either of those phrases, there are pages of great stories and information, and it’s all positive. (See our KSC gallery)

I called the next day, and Margo answered the phone. We spoke at length, as I had many concerns because Hunter couldn’t swim or speak English, and Sam, who has ADHD, is not one to sit through a course. Maybe it was selfish of us, but I just knew we had to go.

Margo assured me it would all work out, and we booked our first of many trips to Buddy Dive in Bonaire for June 2010. At this point, Hunter was not too enamored with the ocean, as his first water event occurred at home, when he fell into the pool and sank to the bottom. This soon was remedied with swim lessons, and by spring, he had donned a wetsuit and was playing in the waves in St. Augustine, Florida.

When we arrived at Buddy Dive, we were apprehensive. What was I thinking going off diving while my two 5-year-old kids were left with the Kids Sea Camp staff? My fears were allayed when I watched the kids feeding beautiful parrot fish off the dock. They were laughing and having the time of their life. By the end of the week, these two 5-year-olds were making new friends, learning about fish, and even managing giant strides off the dock in SASY gear. They loved their instructors and learned to set up and use their gear. We have never looked back.

Over the past eight years, our family vacations have been with Kids Sea Camp. There were challenges along the way. The hardest part for Sam was completing the book work for his Jr. Open Water class. But you put Sam in a wetsuit and scuba gear, and the little diver in him takes right over. Sam and Hunter love zero gravity, and that little kid who once sank to the bottom of the pool is now a varsity swimmer and triathlete. They want to experience life to the fullest, and nothing holds them back. We have taken them diving at Kids Sea Camp in Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Utila, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent, and, coming up this month, Belize. Our first liveaboard Kids Sea Camp in the Socorro Islands is planned for this December.

Kids Sea Camp, Kids and diving

Some of those KSC places have seen our faces more than once. Each time we go, we reconnect with families we have met and meet new ones. We have watched as our kids (and other families’ kids) have transitioned from SASY to Seals to JOW to AOW divers. We are all divers; watching our kids become divers is a bond we share.

I am the lucky one. I have three men in my life who share my passion for the sea. Not all of the places Margo researches for Kids Sea Camp pass her muster because it takes a special family-friendly place, a special family-friendly PADI dive instructor, and a special local family-owned operation for her to feel safe entrusting “her kids” in the underwater world.

Margo is a PADI instructor whose whole life is dedicated to keeping kids safe while teaching them about the ocean. All of the resorts are PADI five-star dive centers. Then there are the extras that are included, like private boats, kids’ dive gear, private instructors, and even Margo and Tom. There are other things to do, like zip-lining, chocolate tasting, spas, jungle biking, beach volleyball, fire dancers, sunset cruises, and cultural excursions.

A Kids Sea Camp vacation is more than just diving. I learned underwater sign language (yes, there is a valuable course on that), how to use sealife cameras, about coral reef restoration, and understanding our impact and role as responsible divers. Then there is the tradition of family poetry writing. Inspired by the Sealife camera prizes, Andy writes about this magical journey at each destination, the week’s highlights, and the precious moments captured in the smiles on our sons’ faces each day.

These poems express overwhelming joy, as each trip creates lifelong memories for Kids Sea Camp families. When Andy reads his poems, he is always choking back emotion and tears, as is the entire group.

You see, wreck diving off the coast of North Carolina brought us together 28 years ago, and Kids Sea Camp rekindles that with the perfect family dive vacation.