dolphin encounter is just too $$, where should we scuba at??

[shefor24]

I really really wanted to let my twin girls- age 10 do the awesome dolphin encounter, but wow- it is outrageous expensive!! I can't believe the price difference between 9 and 10. Too bad I didn't know for sure that they don't check ID becasue I would say they are 9 so it would be $86.00 instead of $111.00!! EACH!! Man does that add up! So my DH and I were talking that we should maybe check into scuba for all 4 of us. It would be fun too, so I have questions-- where do we want to do this at- Castaway Cay or Nassau?? And #2 is one time a while ago I read a post about teh no see ums-- or it was SOMETHING in the water where you stop to fix your gear at that were getting everyones legs that stopped. I forget now how it went exactly, but even though I live at a lake, I still don't like to know there is "stuff" in the water that can get you sort of speak. So any advise for us?? Thanks

 

[liza]

Your twins are too young for scuba, but they could do snuba. My 8-year-old did it and loved it. It's the same experience as scuba diving, but instead of wearing a tank on your back, you tow the tank in a small inflatable raft floating on the surface above you. The tank has a 20-foot-long hose from which you breathe through a regulator (the part that goes in your mouth). It's just like diving but you are limited in depth to 20 feet, so no decompression worries. You do need to learn to clear your mask and equalize pressure as you descend (hold your nose and keep your mouth closed, and "blow" out so your ears pop).

If you do it, take an underwater disposable camera along -- they are not expensive, and you will get some unique photos!

If your twins don't want to try snuba, they could just snorkel. It doesn't cost much and is great fun.

The "things" in the water about which you have heard may be sea lice. There's discussion about them on this board. I have never encountered them.

 

[shefor24]

I forgot to mention that we are on the 3 night cruise Oct 24. Thanks