Snorkeling Guides

I am sure that you have heard the term “There is a first time for everything” and “Experience is the best teacher.”

When you are a kid, the first statement is more relevant than the second statement. I’m sure that as an adult you could probably remember back to the time you first learned to ride a bike. All those times that you were almost there only to have that stupid tree jump out in front of you. Do you remember how scary it all was? On the other hand, do you remember the thrill of finally mastering all the things that were needed to keep you on the bike with both wheels moving. It was a great feeling and no matter how many years have gone by you probably can still get on a bike and ride it. Learning something new can be a scary experience for children. Heck learning something new can be scary for an adult.

Most children love water. They splash in the bath tub. They jump in puddles and you can never seem to get them to come in out of the rain. Water is and will continue to be a part of their lives. We want our children to be able to experience many things. We also want them to enjoy the things that they are doing. Above all we want them to be safe in what they are doing.

This article is being written with the idea that the children that you want to familiarize to snorkeling have learned and understood water safety and are versed in the fundamentals of swimming. If they are not, then trying to familiarize them to snorkeling may end up being too monumental of a task, which could try the even the patience of a saint.

Children love to be a part of the decision making process so it is a good idea to involve them in as much as possible. If you are planning a family vacation that has snorkeling available you might want to see if there is an internet site of your destination that may have video clips that you can watch as a family. If you are working with a travel agency they may have videos as well and many destination will send promotional DVDs.

Involve your children in the decision making process of picking out their gear have them sit with you at the internet and go over the kids gear with them. If you are just purchasing the kids gear only have it addressed to the child. They love getting mail. They will be proud that they had a part in choosing their gear and they will be more likely to want to show it off and take better care of their new snorkeling gear.

It is very important that the equipment being purchased for the child be the correct size and not something that they will “grow into”. There is a definite difference between adult snorkeling gear and snorkeling gear for children. The only exception would be if your child is wearing teen sized clothing already. When the equipment arrives, get them involved in preparing and putting the gear together and heck if they want to try it out in the bath tub by all means let them. If time allows before the trip, taking them to a pool with the snorkeling equipment is an excellent idea.

If your destination is a beachfront property then depending on your arrival time and the child’s disposition at the moment, make it a point to take a walk to the beach with your child so they can see it. Let them point things out to you. Let them point out the cool stuff to you. Depending on their age you may have to be prepared for a lot of “what if’s.”

Let you and the kids work together as a “buddy” team. Have them check to make sure that no hair is breaking the seal of your snorkeling mask. All in all you want to involve them in the fun sport of snorkeling as much as possible. My last piece of advice is in order to familiarize kids to snorkeling, you need to remember what it was like to be a kid again.