Toys break and clothes go out of style, but memories last a lifetime. Scuba diving camps for kids offer endless opportunities for memorable experiences. Years later, kids will remember the friends they made, fears they overcame and the magic of floating weightless in the water.
Scuba Diving Camps for Younger Kids
Kids Sea Camp has year-round adventures the whole family can enjoy. This program is open to kids of any age or experience level. Younger kids can have a blast snorkeling or enjoying the many fun activities the camp has to offer on land. Older kids can get scuba certified, take continuing education courses, and/or dive with other family members. Visit familydivers.com for their upcoming schedule.
Many PADI Dive shops offer kids programs over the summer and during holidays. Ask about PADI Seal Team, a day camp program where kids 8 and older can try different diving activities in a pool (or pool-like environment) such as: taking photos underwater, fish identification, and even night diving.
Scuba Diving & Sailing Camps for Teenagers
Broadreach: Offers discovery-oriented adventures for middle-school-age kids (ages 12-14, approximately), immersive experiences for high-schoolers (ages 14-18) and professional diving and skill development opportunities for college and university students. Broadreach operates throughout the Caribbean.
Stephan, an intern at PADI, attended Broadreach and had incredible things to say about his time there. “Broadreach was the experience of a lifetime. Sleeping under the stars on the deck of our boat every night and waking up at dawn to go diving was incredible. Our boat gave us access to countless dive sites ranging from wrecks to night diving. As soon as each dive was over, we couldn’t wait until the next time we could do it again.”
ActionQuest: Provides sailing and scuba diving opportunities for teens while helping them build confidence and leadership skills in the British Virgin Islands. Learn more here.
Odyssey Expeditions: Offers educational adventures in the Caribbean for students 13-23 (multiple vessels to separate different age groups). Programs include: scuba and sailing lessons, environmental service opportunities and marine science projects eligible for academic credit.
Sail Caribbean: Kids can learn to sail, scuba dive, engage in community service and/or practice marine biology.
Scuba Diving Camps for Teens and Tweens
If your child participates in Scouting (Scouts BSA, Scouts Canada, etc.) ask your troop leader about the scuba merit badge. Or, search for Camps that offer scuba diving programs. At Camp Emerald Bay (California, USA) Scouts can earn their first scuba certification and take unique courses like the Pirate Diver Specialty. Visit Malibu Divers‘ website to learn more.
Annie Crawley’s Scuba Diving Team (Seattle, USA) welcomes new divers year-round. Kids can dive as a team, or with their family. During summer, there are special overnight camp activities such as night diving with bioluminescence.
Dive Company Wien (Vienna, Austria) has a special (must-see) website just for kids. The dive shop offers a range of PADI certifications for young divers, hosts kids’ birthday parties and provides family dive travel opportunities.
Intrinity Divers (Bali) offers diving programs for kids year-round including birthday parties and programs during school holidays.
Burbujas (Ceuta, N. Africa) has Burbujas Club Junior, a scuba diving and environmental awareness program for kids.
Kids Scuba (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) helps kids as young as 8 develop a passion to explore and protect the underwater world. Watch this video to learn more.
Scuba Academie (Vinkeveen, Netherlands) runs summer camp programs for teenagers who want to gain diving experience and earn a PADI Open Water or Advanced Open Water certification.
Dive Zone Tauranga (Tauranga, New Zealand) provides in-water activities for kids interested in scuba diving. Visit their website to see their current offerings and School Holiday Programmes.
Environmental Education Center (EEC) Thailand aims to instill an appreciation for nature through Marine Life Camps, Wildlife Camps, Indigenous Camps, and Private Camps. At EEC, nature is a classroom where fun, exciting, and unforgettable learning experiences await.
Further Reading
Scuba Diving Lessons for Kids
The Best Places for Kids to Get Advanced Open Water Certified
5 PADI Specialties Kids Love
