Snorkeling and diving are exciting ways to explore the underwater world. Both activities transform humans from clumsy land animals into adapted aquatic creatures, capable of experiencing all the beauty that exists beneath the surface.
Snorkeling
Most people, including children, can snorkel fairly well the first time out. The word “snorkel” is German and translates to “bent in shape like a nose.” Snorkeling involves swimming at the surface of the water, wearing fins, a mask, and a snorkel (a curved tube you can breathe through). Snorkeling is best in shallow reefs, inexpensive, requires little equipment, and is easy to learn.
SCUBA Diving
Scuba divers carry additional equipment that allows them to “breathe underwater.” In fact, the equipment that divers use is how SCUBA got it’s name: Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
These divers stay underwater much longer and go deeper than snorkelers. You must be certified to scuba dive, and with enough training, you can even explore deep ocean water, caves, and shipwrecks.
Getting Started
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) has developed a way for kids to begin to experience the wonders of the undersea world.
Children as young as five can experience underwater breathing with Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth, a PADI program that uses scuba equipment instead of a snorkel.
PADI’s Bubblemaker program allows kids as young as eight to scuba dive with an instructor.
The Seal Team program goes one step further in the pool, and trains kids in the basics of safe diving as part of a team while also exploring some exciting aquatic adventures.
Anyone age 15 and older who is in good health, reasonably fit, and comfortable in the water can earn a PADI Open Water Diver certification.
How Deep is the Ocean?
Once certified, the diving possibilities are as deep as the ocean. Recreational forms of diving include altitude diving, fish identification diving, coral reef conservation, cavern diving, deep water diving, ice diving, night diving, underwater photography and videography, and wreck diving.
Before beginning any underwater adventure, talk with your parents. You can find great books about diving at the public library. And to find more information about PADI or to find a certified instructor, go to their web address: Padi.com.
