Why You Should Take The Family Diving
Family vacations are much anticipated, especially when visiting a fun-filled destination like Maui. Scuba diving is an excellent activity that family members of different ages and abilities can enjoy together to have a shared underwater experience, likely to be the highlight of memory books and social media accounts.
“Family” can mean really any connected group you are traveling with- blended by marriage, connected as friends, multigenerational relations or parents with children. No matter who you consider to be your family, here’s why scuba diving is an excellent vacation activity for your group, and how you can plan your own adventure.
Why diving is great to do in a group
In today’s connected world, it is easy to lose touch between family members that are often head down in their phone or tablet. Fortunately, salt water and cell phones are not the best of friends. That leaves talking to each other, looking at the scenery as the boat cruises down the Maui coastline or toward distant islands, and maybe catching sight of humpback whales or spinner dolphins on the journey. It’s the first part of a shared experience together.
Here are some of our favorite reasons to dive with your family:
- Scuba diving is a great family bonding activity because anyone 10 or older can participate with us.
- It’s a “cool” sport for the younger set, and an enriching experience for adults.
- It may be a new and exciting adventure for your group, experiencing unique tropical sea life
- More family time is created within the confines of the charter because you all depart and return together
- Diving is great physical exercise
- Diving imparts knowledge of our natural environment and promotes stewardship
The underwater experience
The most important part of scuba diving as a family activity is the experiences people have together underwater and that will create lifelong memories. Often referred to as the “ocean’s rainforest,” Hawaii’s underwater realm is home to more than 7,000 aquatic species, with more than 1250 found nowhere else in the world. Swimming alongside a green sea turtle, observing brightly colored tropical fish, or even spotting a shark is a shared bonding experience that will not soon be forgotten.
Our Turtle Reef charter is suitable for beginner divers, including those not yet certified. Older divers may find this easier, relatively shallow dive quite comfortable too. But make no mistake, it is a wonderful dive for even the most experienced scuba professional, with a partially submerged wharf creating habitat for a myriad of marine life. One can often observe a “cleaning station” where turtles line up for their turn for wrasse and other fish to remove parasites. White tip reef sharks commonly hang out in the caverns created by the wreckage. You might spot a delicate Harlequin shrimp or camouflaged Frog fish.
Do you have a group of experienced divers? Great! We have a myriad of diving options around Maui and distant islands. We go to more places more often than any other charter company, including Molokini, Lanai and Molokai.
Sharing the experience
Once back on board, sharing what you saw over lunch or snacks is yet another bonding opportunity. It’s also a great time to ask questions of the crew, who have in-depth knowledge of Maui marine life.
Your take-away
There is no substitute for sharing a unique, underwater experience in nature. Learning about Hawaii’s marine life is simply something that cannot be adequately learned or appreciated from book or on the internet. Diving creates a deeper connection to the ocean and our environment, with plenty of non-tech time to talk, laugh and discuss what you observed. Families will spend more time together because members can’t go off and do their own thing- everyone must take the same boat back to shore. Scuba diving is an active, exciting activity to be shared and remembered.