Training with Kids Sea Camp was the only choice
Becoming the world’s first-ever Jr. Dive Master has been on my radar for a few years, but then COVID hit. And if there’s one thing everyone can agree on, 2020 has been a different year.
Had I been writing this story one year ago, it would not be a shock to most that I am sitting on an airplane, with my in-flight snacks and a drink, typing away on my laptop about my dive vacation in St. Lucia. Yet this year, most people will glare at me with shock in their eyes,s stating the same thing. I took a risk this summer, wandering from my Bermuda home to St Lucia to join yet another Kids Sea Camp (KSC) dive vacation at Anse Chastanet. I was eager to become the world’s first-ever Jr. Dive Master.
It all started in Curacao
her very first Kids Sea Camp.
My KSC journey started with Curacao in 2006, at just 4 years old. From then on, I spent each year gallivanting with my diving family around the world and exploring the ocean; I had no grasp then of what I wanted to do when I grew up. As in 2010, my family and I followed KSC around most of the Caribbean, fueling my parents’ love for scuba diving and keeping my brother and me curious about different destinations and cultures. At this point, I was certain I wanted to be a dentist, doctor, or veterinarian; I had very little interest in scuba diving as a career. Dominica, Cayman Islands, Roatan, Bonaire, St. Vincent, back again to Palau, it was in meeting so many inspiring dive professionals that my mindset began to change. I now had an idea of what I wanted to do when I grew up.
2017 was the year I developed a stronger bond with my KSC family, Margo and Tom Peyton (owners of KSC). I was a 15-year-old, Master Scuba diver with 300+ dives. My family had our yearly KSC trip planned to the Galápagos, where we dove on a liveaboard with some of the world’s most amazing creatures. One night at dinner, my parents asked me if I was interested in any other KSC trips that year, and I responded as any kid would: yes, I would love to! At the time, I hadn’t gathered that they meant I would be going by myself. As a shy kid, sheltered by my extroverted brother, the idea of traveling without my family felt like a total reach. I’m glad I took that opportunity for what I thought would be a lonely KSC week.
Margo Peyton has a calming voice
Arriving in St. Lucia in 2018, I was full of fear, worst-case scenarios going through my head, but only when I saw Margo did this feeling subside. She told me that night I would be part of the team and helping out as a training student for Max Lavinsky and Jacob Schafer, who were completing their PADI Dive Master certifications that week. Though I was just a diving student, I was fortunate to experience the Dive Master program at such a young age, gaining a grasp of the concepts and training. I realized how much I truly loved scuba diving; my parents weren’t there, so I knew it wasn’t their passion; it came from within. I had taken a risk and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Fast forward 3 years to 2020, I have traveled all over the world with Margo, Tom, and my KSC family, seeing whale sharks in the Philippines, sunken wrecks in Palau, and gained valuable lessons in all aspects of travel and life. Margo invited me to attend a few dive shows, where I spoke with people from different sectors of the Scuba industry. This was where I heard about the creation of the PADI Jr. Dive Master program, which would allow divers aged 15 to pre-train for the professional side of scuba diving and be able to assist dive professionals. This program launched in 2020, and I was the very first pilot student for PADI. Margo took me back to where it all started for me, St Lucia.
Trusitng Kids Sea Camp
I am now on my way home, certified by Margo Peyton, my KSC mom, as PADI’s first-ever Jr. Dive Master, and I couldn’t be more grateful. KSC taught me to look at my life from a different perspective and to follow my heart. I’m taking a gap year to focus on my scuba-diving career. By the time you are reading this, I will be back in St. Lucia for KSC Thanksgiving, will be 18 years old, and a PADI Dive Master, working toward becoming a PADI instructor. So you see, traveling during a worldwide pandemic was a risk I was willing to take. I trust my KSC family to keep me safe, and we wear our masks! St. Lucia will always hold a fond place in my heart, it’s where I found my passion and career path.
Story by Holly Wakely, the first-ever Junior Dive Master at Kids Sea Camp
Even in the unpredictable times we are living through, he chose, thanks to Kids Sea Camp, to pursue a PADI diving certification. Birthday gifts in the form of gift cards to our local dive shop, Undersea Divers in Danvers, MA, came in from friends and family. Being in early May, we were unsure when the shop could offer certification classes again, but we had hope. Come July, classes started back up, and Jake signed up for mid-August pool and ocean dives. The week before the pool sessions, Jake tackled the PADI e-learning head-on, most of it refreshed from his Seal Teamwork the prior year.
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.
“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.
