No matter how young your family is, amazing dive holidays are still within reach. Scuba Divers Travel Network caters to all kinds of divers, including families with kids - yet we've discovered that it can be a little tricky to plan for a dive vacation where everyone will enjoy fun, safe dives at new, exciting locations. That's why we've compiled this list of our company's favorite dive destinations for families. Pack up those dive bags - we've got some exciting adventures ahead!
Grand Cayman
At Grand Cayman, kids as young as five years old can take part in dive camp while older teens and parents are off enjoying some of the island's more advanced dive sites. Grand Cayman's dive operators are well equipped and knowledgeable, and by the time the youngest members of your group have picked up their basic skills, the entire family can enjoy a dive together at Stingray City.
Some additional easy dive adventures everyone will enjoy include guided dives on mini walls, plus night dives from shore. During the daytime, turtles, eagle rays, and an abundance of tropical fish swimming against a backdrop of colorful sponge and coral are the main attraction; at night, octopus, eels, lobsters, and other critters come out to play.
Costa Rica
Not only is Costa Rica a great place for a family eco-adventure where you can ride a zipline through the treetops as monkeys swing hand over hand through the jungle canopy nearby, and where you can enjoy some outstanding whitewater raft trips or travel through the jungle on horseback, it is also a great place for the entire family to enjoy a dive vacation. Local dive operators offer sea camp for kids, ensuring little ones stay safe while exploring shallow reefs and working on skills in pool environments, plus, they offer fantastic adventures older kids and adults are sure to relish.
Some great dive sites to try while enjoying a family vacation in Costa Rica include:
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La Islita - A shallow site suitable for diving or snorkeling, this little piece of underwater heaven features beautiful branched hard coral that serves as a backdrop for schooling grunt, a variety of wrasse, parrotfish, puffer fish, and even the occasional reef shark.
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Los Arcos - Here, you'll find a wondrous array of marine life, with a rainbow of tropical fish taking center stage. Los Arcos is also a great place to encounter schooling grunts, snappers, stingrays and eagle rays, and even white tip reef sharks from time to time. This site is suitable for kids 15 and up who have earned their AOW certifications.
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San Pedrillo - A very popular dive site and not one for the faint of heart, San Pedrillo is a great place to encounter bull sharks, manta rays, schooling yellowfin jacks and yellowfin tuna, lots of rainbow runners, and quite a few eagle rays. In addition, there are cleaning stations in the shallow areas where butterfly fish can be seen in abundance. This site is also suitable for older kids.
Palau
One of the nicest things about Palau is that there are plenty of easy dive sites the entire family can enjoy. This region also offers dive camps for kids, and for mom, dad, and certified teens, there are lots of wrecks to explore. You'll have the opportunity to encounter huge manta rays and turtles, hundreds of different types of tropical fish, and an astonishing array of invertebrates and crustaceans at most dive sites; plus, Palau is home to over 700 coral species. No wonder it's made its way onto so many of our Just Gotta Dive (JGD) favorites lists! Some great dive sites to try while enjoying family time in Palau:
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The Zero Fighter - Even the smallest kids can dive this site, where a Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter can be seen in just 2 meters of water. The propeller is partly buried in the sand and the wings have disintegrated since the plane struck the reef when it crashed here on March 30 of 1944, however it is still fascinating to see. Fish life here and along the nearby reef tends to be light; the plane is the main attraction.
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Peleliu Coral Gardens - A fantastic multi-level dive site with beautiful walls for experts to enjoy and shallow areas just a few feet deep for new divers to marvel at, this site is about 6 miles long and is home to a stunning array of marine life swimming against a beautiful and abundant backdrop of sponge and coral in fantastic colors and shapes. Besides tropical fish, watch for marble rays and cuttlefish; those capable of heading to the outer reef may encounter sharks, marlin, sailfish, and other pelagics. Finally, in addition to the abundance of natural wonders, this site contains coral encrusted anchors, wrecked landing craft and crashed airplanes dating back to the second World War. You can dive here again and again, never seeing the same thing twice!
Galapagos Islands
Are you surprised to see that the Galapagos is a family friendly dive destination? Thanks to the fact that there are an abundance of shallow sites to see, along with superb sites for expert divers, the Galapagos is definitely a great place for a family dive vacation. There are special programs available for kids, and in the event you decide to take advantage of a liveaboard - which is really the best way to go - you'll find that your dive operator is capable of selecting sites to suit everyone. For more in-depth information about marine life around Galapagos, take a look at our travel articles. They contain information about where to see schooling hammerheads, where to encounter sea lions, and much more!
Belize
Believe it or not, Belize is a great place for families to dive. There are deep sites for parents, lots of intermediate sites for teens, and plenty of shallow reef sites suitable for kids here; like the Galapagos, Belize is best experienced via liveaboard. Here, you'll find a never ending array of colorful fish and healthy stands of coral, along with bigger sea creatures including turtles, rays, and even a few sharks.
One of the best family friendly dive sites in Belize is Aquarium, which features a drop off that starts at a depth of just 30 feet. Huge barrel sponges and giant sea fans, massive elephant ear sponges, and plenty of tube and vase sponges in vibrant hues create the perfect backdrop for viewing schooling fish, sea turtles, and rays as they pass just a short distance away. There are plenty of other sites with lots to offer; your dive operator will be able to draw up a great itinerary to suit your entire family.
At Just Gotta Dive (JGD), we want everyone to have fun - and when traveling internationally, part of having fun involves staying safe and healthy. Be sure everyone has required vaccinations well before traveling, and ensure your passports are up to date. Finally, it's a good idea to review dive certification agency standards to ensure your children are old enough to get the certifications required to dive certain sites. Doing a little homework now will help you avoid disappointment and hurt feelings later on; plus, knowing what sites are available to you and your kids will help you plan the perfect vacation.