Diving with Kids – Family Tours

If you are planning to travel to Thailand with your children, you will obviously be looking for things to do that the whole family can enjoy. While you may love sunbathing on the beach, kids need a high level of activity and won’t be patient with sitting still for long. Diving in Thailand may be just the thing to keep everyone happy. You will be outdoors, in the balmy air and warm water that Thailand enjoys year round, exploring stunning locales and exotic undersea wildlife, the likes of which you certainly don’t see back home. This is the kind of good clean fun that happy family memories are made of. A little advance reading and planning will help to make sure everything goes smoothly and is a positive experience for all.

Diving Lessons

Children as young as eight can take diving lessons in Thailand. As long as they are in good health and know how to swim this is a great idea. Look for a reputable diving school with PADI certified instructors who speak a language your child is fluent in. Eight to ten year olds will have lessons in a swimming pool, to a depth of no more than six feet. And if taking lessons while you’re on a vacation sounds boring, think again. The instructors have all kinds of tricks up the sleeves of their diving suits to make the “classroom” a fun and lively place. Besides learning the basics of diving technique and safety, the young students will play Frisbee or compete in egg and spoon races – completely underwater. The over ten set will have a brief stint in the pool, then move into the sea water for some diving practice.

Family Tours

Diving tours are very popular in Thailand. With a group, you will head out to sea to explore diving sites offshore or at nearby small islands. Tours can be half- or full-day, or overnight. Judge your child’s comfort level when deciding how long a tour to opt for. It’s best to choose a kid friendly excursion, where the focus will be on family fun rather than partying. Your children may even find some friends their own age. If your children are not so enthusiastic about diving or are too young, pick a tour that will have plenty of other activities for them to enjoy, such as snorkeling, sand castle building, shell collecting and exploring. Of course, you will need to make sure that there is someone to supervise them while you dive.

Specially for Kids

Check at the place where you rent your own diving equipment to make sure they have children’s sizes in wetsuits, BCDs (buoyancy control devices), masks and fins, as well as smaller, lighter tanks. You may be surprised to find a great assortment of underwater toys also. Your kids will have a great time tossing around a torpedo (don’t worry, it’s rubber!) or swimming through hoops. If your children are too small for diving, be sure to bring along a few traditional beach toys on your boat tour. A good selection of small plastic buckets, spades, sifters, watering cans and inflatable balls will keep children from the tiniest toddler on up happily occupied for hours. Don’t forget a sturdy bag or other container to store all the shells, pebbles and other treasures from the sea that your kids will want to take home.