My Little Diver!

This past weekend my mom and I took Pacen to Casper so he could participate in Bubblemaker's, an introduction to scuba diving class. I've been diving for about a year and half and I really want Pacen to have an adventurous and fun life so I thought it would be great to get him involved too. Pacen was super excited about Bubblemaker's and was pretty much bouncing off the walls with excitement. He had to watch a short video and then he got to do about an hour of pool time. He did really well and only had problems with a couple of things...the main problem being his "perma grin". He couldn't quit smiling so his mask kept flooding and his Instructor was afraid he was going to spit his regulator out and breathe in some water. Luckily he was able to keep his regulator in his mouth and he learned to clear his mask (a skill that you need to be able to do to pass the Open Water Diver course). The other problem he had was that he couldn't quite get used to being neutrally buoyant. His Instructor would get him neutral and he would be okay for a second and then realize he was just floating there and then he'd start flailing about. I think pretty much everyone goes through that at first...it's hard to get used to swimming with huge fins on your feet and trying not to use your arms.

Next year Pacen will be old enough to become a certified Open Water Diver. I hope to get him certified and then take him to Kids Sea Camp (they have them in The Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Bonaire, Belize, Fiji, The Galapagos, Costa Rica, Palau, and Silver Bank). I think it would be an experience of a lifetime and something he'd never forget. I also think more parents should introduce their kids to exciting and adventurous hobbies (scuba, rock climbing, etc.). These kinds of hobbies can open up a whole new world of opportunities.





"As a diver you are weightless and can move in all directions. You approach the freedom of a bird as you move in three dimensions in a fluid environment." ~ Dennis Graver