Snorkling with an 8 yr old...

[sherrintxs]

Is this a good idea? If so, should we book an excursion, or just go to Paradise Beach and bring our own snorkling stuff??

 

TIA

[Clank32]

We took my 7 year old son last year on several Snorkeling excursions and he loved it, but he is part fish. The only trouble we had was getting in the water and that was just usual kid stuff like finding his gear and getting it on. Every excursion we went on the crew was very good at dealing with little guys and girls.

[serene56]

Would depend if your 8 year old likes that kind of stuff. Some kids will freak out because of the fish they will be around. If your child is good in that kind of enviroment--I would go our our own to the beach, Paradise beach is a good idea

[CozInsiderJacq]

Just a note ~ Paradise Beach is a great beach, lots of fun stuff however it wouldn't be my first choice for snorkeling if you are interested in seeing something besides sand, people and a couple of fish. Most sandy beaches (like Paradise) don't offer a lot to see for snorkeling. The rocky beaches (more rocks, less sand) are a better choice for snorkeling such as the Dzul Ha area, Chankanaab, or Playa Corona. I would first stop at one of the snorkeling beaches then continue South to Paradise for some fun in the sun!!

I have an 8 year old daughter who loves to snorkel ~ however since she is around the beach all year long she is quite comfortable with it.

[Divetex]

Good advice above. We took our (part fish) then-6-year-old grandson with us a year ago and snorkeled at the Nachi-Cocom beach club. Mostly sand with a bit of turtle grass and isolated coral chunks, but he had a great time. We didn't have to contend with much current that day, and the visibility was pretty good. Your choice, of course, but if you have a "water baby" like we do, why not go for it? If you do elect to snorkel, be sure your 8-year-old takes his/her own equipment. Very few operators (including cruise lines) have equipment for children that fits them properly. Either way, have a great trip.

[brillohead]

I'd have to agree with the others on this -- it depends on the kid! (Also agree that you want to go someplace non-sandy if you want good snorkeling.)

 

If he already knows how to snorkel and is a comfortable swimmer and not afraid of bumping up against fish, then snorkeling is a wonderful way to spend the day (or, in my opinion, the ONLY way to spend the day, but that's just me!) Snorkeling can be as strenuous or as relaxing as you want to make it -- you can swim all over the place, or just basically float on top and watch the action below! :)

Suggestions:

 

Get some inexpensive snorkeling gear and try it out at home, in a pool or even in the bathtub. It's harder to get a good seal on a kid's face unless you have kid-sized equipment, and you can't count on these rental places / tour boats to have stuff the right size when you need it.

If you take a tour, take a SMALL tour -- no more than 6-8 people total. You don't want to be in a group of 50 people all running into each other. I'd recommend renting your own private boat/captain, esp. if there are 4 or more in your party -- you can probably get your own boat for under $150 for a 3-hour tour, and you can have the excursion tailor-made for what works for YOU.

Make sure he knows that fish may think he's food and my "nibble" on him but that they aren't going to hurt him....it just tickles! Some kids freak out thinking "shark" etc., but if they know about it beforehand (and if they see it as a game, kinda like underwater tag) they can enjoy it rather than be afraid of it.

Also practice having him take the mask on and off so he can do it w/o assistance, and do some trial runs in a pool to show him how to empty the mask out and put it back on while treading water (for example, if he bumps into another swimmer, or if he starts laughing, the mask may leak and he needs to know what to do to fix it w/o panicking), what to do if water goes down his snorkel tube, etc.

Kids don't HAVE to have swim fins, and unless he's really experienced with them, I'd just have him use a snorkel and mask. Walking around in swim fins and getting on/off a boat (or even walking in from shore, for that matter) without falling flat on your face takes some degree of skill (and NEVER looks graceful, might I add!) Putting fins on after you get in the water is also something that can be very hard for kids (and lots of adults too, for that matter) until they get used to it. My 4yo son can go across the top of the water like a bat out of he!! with just a mask and a snorkel -- I know in our case, swim fins would be more hassle than they're worth.

No matter where you go, get some "water shoes" -- if you go to a sandy beach, the sand is hot. If you go to a rocky beach, the rocks are hard. If your 8yo isn't going to wear swim fins, he can just swim in the water shoes, and getting in and out of the water won't be a problem.

[sherrintxs]

Thank you all for the tips and the help, greatly appreciated.

[cruisy]

You should definitely get your son's mask ahead of time. Sporting goods stores will let you return it if it doesn't seal properly. With small children it is not easy to find a mask that fits the face well, and it can also take quite a while to adjust the straps to fit properly. Get it now and have him practice in the tub, and then don't let anyone borrow it, or the adjustments will be messed up.. You don't want to wast any time once you are at your destination messing around with this stuff.

 

One other thing, I happen to fit a junior-sized mask myself. The ones at a rental place would be too big for me.