Pt.1 – The Journey To The Master Seal
Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.com
Photography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com
Anyone with children will know that if you want to maintain interests such as diving, it’s not easy. You’ve really got to want to do it and find a way to incorporate it into an already busy life. Our way has been to involve our son Zac in what we’ve been doing. Kids love being taken on adventures; we would see where they might lead us…
The First Time In The Sea, Corsica
Since Zac was a baby, aged around 3 months, we started taking him to the swimming pool. Being comfortable and confident in the water was an important life skill, and besides, we might tempt him to dive with us later on.
In 2003 we visited Corsica for a week. It was here that Zac had his first experience of the sea, in flat calm water under blue skies. As I shot some images, it was amusing to see his chubby little “drumsticks” kicking away whilst Amanda held him. This was the true beginning of his diving journey.
Swimming Pools, Sea & Snorkelling
We ensured that Zac came with us on our dive travels where possible, where he would get to experience swimming pools and have opportunities to get into the sea armed with a mask and snorkel. Zac’s first ever snorkel was at the excellent Lady Elliot Island in Australia aged 4, where he was able to see coral reefs and schools of fish.
The Cayman Aggressor Family Week – A Big Milestone
Things stepped up a gear when we discovered the family week liveaboards run by the Aggressor Fleet in the Caribbean. The family week itinerary is based on the normal “grown-ups” trip, but with a few tweaks to make it more “child friendly.” He would be 6 years old at the time of the trip.
On the trip, Captain Henri became Zac’s new hero. He would sometimes say “the best captain in the world” of “the best boat in the world”. The crew were friendly, encouraging and patient with Zac, and as parents we felt completely relaxed about him being onboard.
Zac would emulate a “real” diver for the first time, attending the dive briefing and be shown how to kit up, check air and so on. He would enter the water with a crew member using a SASY (Supplied Air Snorkelling for Youth) setup which is a self-contained regulator and tank, but for surface swimming only. With this equipment, a child can thus breathe through a regulator like a diver, check air and view the reefs from above, but without the snorkel filling with water.
It was a great step towards becoming a diver. We watched Zac perfect his giant stride entry and laughed as he begged Captain Henri to “give me some weights”.
Great Barrier Reef “Reef Teach”/Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef from a Liveaboard, Cairns
After the Cayman Aggressor, more things became possible. For our 2010 Australia trip, we established that the Cairns based Prodive Great Barrier Reef liveaboards would accept children, so we decided to take Zac (then 7 years old).
In Cairns, we attended one of the Reef Teach seminars the evening before departure. Its aim is to teach visitors more about the Great Barrier Reef. It’s presented by marine biologists and gives insights into life beyond the esplanade. Zac was especially intrigued by the specimen jars and enjoyed the coral and fish identification aspects.
On the liveaboard, I sat out a couple of dives so that I could take Zac snorkelling, ensuring that he didn’t miss out. When we were diving, he would snorkel with a Singaporean couple who were happy to go with him. In between times, he would feed a “boat friendly” napoleon wrasse.
Bubblemaking in Bandos, Maldives
The Maldivian Island of Bandos would become a special place for Zac. Here, the dive centre offers the PADI Bubblemaker course for 8-9 year olds, so we booked him a place.
Zac enjoyed a superb, and I think somewhat overwhelming experience on his “Bubblemaker” along the top of the reef wall, seeing a myriad of colourful fish and even a couple of adult black tip reef sharks that cruised the reef below.
The island was so enjoyable, that we visited again the following year (in 2012), with our friends Simon and Tonya and their son Thomas. On their “Bubblemaker” dive, they had a great encounter with a turtle.
Doing the PADI Master Seal Course & Hosting A Dive Party
Through our local dive centre, Zac attended the PADI Seal course at local swimming pools. This course is designed specifically for 8 and 9 year olds, and is the first step on the PADI ladder of diving qualifications.
Unlike the PADI Bubblemaker which is more of an experience, the PADI Seal course mixes the fun and experience side of diving with the first steps of learning essential skills. Each week, Zac would set up kit, learn buoyancy control and regulator removal in the safety of the shallow pools.
In the end, he would go for the Master Seal version of the course, which involved demonstrating extra skills such as underwater photography. Zac was delighted with his achievement. He had completed his “Journey to the Master Seal”.
During this period, the dive club would also run an excellent “Bubblemaker Party” for Zac’s 9th birthday, with ten boys all diving together for the first time.
Look out for Part 2 of “Getting The Urge To Submerge – A Boy’s (Diving) Story” in an upcoming edition of Scuba Diver.