Snorkeling for kids

[IrinaY]

Does any one know if 5 year old can go snorkeling? My son is dreaming about it, but I am afraid he is too young.

[trish1c]

If he can swim, he can snorkel All it means is putting a mask & flippers on & breathing through a tube. Even if he can't do the breathing part, he'll still love the mask & fins. Make sure he wears a life vest.

 

I'd probably take him somewhere you can walk into the water rather than jumping off a boat & I certainly wouldn't let him out of my sight but other than that I don't see a problem.

[IrinaY]

Thank you Trish, he is not much of a swimmer yet, but loves diving:) I think we'll stay on the shalow side. Thnks again, he is all ready and we are leaving tomorrow

[tpear3]

My son has been snorkeling since he was five. He started off in a cove area in Cozumel. When I took him out towards the waves, he did not like it, as the salt water got into his mouth. Last year, in Belize, he loved snorkeling all over--big waves and all. Let your son try it--I'm sure he will be fine.

[IrinaY]

I definitely will, since it is the only thing he is talking about. I am a little worry about it, but as long as you saying he'll be fine, we'll try

[zimmerjulie]

Irina, my 4 year old loves to snorkel. The mask and snorkel make a big difference in the enjoyment, though, so try to get a good fit and a good seal on them.

 

Another thing to be very careful of is the tropical sun beating down on your backs while water is over you. It's a whole different ball of wax than just being in the sun. I've even gotten to the point that we wear T-shirts while snorkeling, as we just can't keep the sunscreen on well enough. Then again, we like to snorkel for a long time;) so it might not be as much of a problem for others.

 

Have a fantastic time!

[snorkelhead]

Another thing to be very careful of is the tropical sun beating down on your backs while water is over you. It's a whole different ball of wax than just being in the sun. I've even gotten to the point that we wear T-shirts while snorkeling, as we just can't keep the sunscreen on well enough. Then again, we like to snorkel for a long time;) so it might not be as much of a problem for others.

 

Have a fantastic time!

 

I totally agree! We have the kids in one piece bathing suits that look like wet suits. They love the way they look! My 3 year old thinks he is a world class waterskier, scuba diver and anything else imaginable.

 

After seeing them for the first time in Australia many years ago, I am now able to buy them in our local big box grocery store in a smaller Canadian city.

[cuccicruisers]

My son has been practicing in the bathtub for the last two months. I think he is ready...

[calmac]

I realise that the OP has now sailed but I would just like to add that our son found snorkelling easier than swimming (possibly due to the position of his head?). We always wear old T-shirts when we go snorkelling just to be on the safe® side.

[skywalkervadar]

Not just for kids ...

 

As an adult of 34, my very first time snorkeling was 3 years ago on our first cruise. It was also my first time in salt water. While I'm a strong enough swimmer (well, treaderer of water ;o), in the past I'd never been very good at submerging my head underwater without panicking. My first snorkel was fun (off the coast of the Dominican Republic) but the combination of getting a mouth full of sea water and freaking out everytime it got into the snorkel, probably didn't make for the best of experiences (for me or the bf who had to monitor me the entire time to make sure I didn't drown).

 

On our second cruise, we went snorkeling at least 3 times, and each time, I got better at it and more comfortable with my head in the water but on occasion would still end up bobbing on the surface with a mouth full of sea.

 

Well, for our third cruise (just back from a Dec 18 to 29 Exotic Caribbean cruise on the Spirit) we heard about these new DRY snorkels that had recently started to pop up in Scuba shops. We each bought one and all I can say is it was like night and day.

 

The dry snorkel closes the second the tube goes below the water, therefore not allowing any water in. Every now and then you might get a little water in but all you'd have to do is blow it out and at the most, it was a few drops, not the whole sea.

 

Well, I've never had so much fun in my life. I LOVE snorkeling now and I ended up snorkeling on every one of our 6 port days from Tortola to Dominica to Barbados. For the first time in my life, I felt like a fish in water (even learning how to dive down a bit).

 

I could have stayed in the water all day if it weren't for the little detail of the ship leaving without me. Life uder the sea is amazing.

 

So, really long story only slightly shorter ;o) If your children have any issues with snorkeling and you can afford it, go out and get them and yourselves the dry snorkel.

 

WoW!