Learning to Snuba

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

17 Apr 2007 05:45 PM

My almost 3-year-old daughter loves fish. I've taken her to various world-class aquariums, but we always leave with her asking for more. One person recently recommended I take her snorkeling. Yeah, right, this is a kid who screams if a single piece of her hair gets wet in the bathtub and you want me to submerge her entire face in water and ask her to breathe out of a tube while she's at it? I'd have better luck trying to getting Don Imus his job back.

The fact is I would love to have my daughter don a mask, snorkel, and fins and swim among the colorful reef fish that she (up until to now) has only seen through a plate glass window. I would love for her to experience what it is like to swim alongside a school of tropical fish in the warm waters off her grandparent's home in Hawaii. Perhaps, someday... right now though, we are just trying to survive hair washing.

Of course, if you have older children who are fearless when it comes to water activities, I would highly recommend enrolling them in snuba lessons. Snuba is a cross between SCUBA and snorkeling. Whereas snorkeling only scratches the surface of underwater exploration and SCUBA requirs you to strap on a heavy air tank, snuba, which was invented in 1988, allows you to dive as deep as 20 feet below the surface for up to 30 minutes without strapping on heavy air tanks. Basically, it combines the best of both scuba and snorkeling. Snuba divers wear masks, fins, and weight belts. You will also use a regulator (a mouthpiece) that is attached to a hose that extends to the surface of the water where air tanks float in a boat or raft.

The instruction time varies, but typically it is a fairly short process. In Hawaii you can sign up with a certified snuba instructor and complete a class in one afternoon on the beach or aboard a boat.

Related Articles:

Cancun Vacation - Xel-ha A Snorkeler's Heaven

Shedd Aquarium Savings Tips

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger