Help 10yr old dd afraid to snorkel

[Little Twin Stars]

Thanks everyone for posting your experience.

Thank especially Hidedi for your tips and hints that surely build up my confidence. Now I know I can start by snorkeling close to the shore.

But then after reading those posts about sea lice and jellyfish, I am now scared to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

 

[abitjaded]

Just be a little cautious about shore diving. Getting into the water from the beach can be a challenge for kids. Put your mask and snorkel over your head and around your neck. Walk as far out as you can, best if you can get beyond the breakers. (not a problem at CC). Support each other as you slip on one fin at a time, sand washing into a fin can be really uncomfortable. This happens easily if the child shuffles backward, you may have to help them remove the fin, dump the sand then put it back on. Then pull the mask up onto your face. Being beyond the breakers will keep the waves from washing over your head and into the snorkel, keep your child supported above the waves, if possible. All this is one reason why it can be easier to snorkel off a boat, jumping from the dive platform, feet first with gear in place, or again, with the mask around your neck, hold your breath, then slip on the mask. Sorry, probably too much info. And don't forget, you float much better in salt water compared to pool water.

Don't worry about sea lice or jelly fish. No dive boat is going to drop you into them. And while the stings hurt, they abate pretty quickly. DS6 got stung by nematocysts after grabbing onto one of the bouys at CC ( I did, too). He howled for a bit, but we inflated his vest and held him a bit, then he was ready to go again.

Carla

 

[Grendel]

My DD(6 at the time) did Discovery Cove in Orlando. That was our first snorkeling experience. They had these wonderful thin life vests( diving suit material i guess ) and that really helped as she wasnt worried in deeper water..though getting used to the big sting rays took a bit....my question is what kinds of floatation devices do they use on these excursions? I dont want to have to worry about her not staying afloat. Is it hard for little ones to get into the water at StingRay City? Does CC just have the blow up floats?...it would seem that wouldnt be sufficient for little ones...

 

[Grendel]

bump

 

[slabeaume]

Not to scare you off from the snorkelling excursions, but from my own experience I can tell you NOT to rely on the crew to keep a good eye on you! The waves in the ocean are a lot bigger than at the CC snorkel area. If you've never snorkeled, be sure you can float and clear a snorkel. And use the buddy system! My Dad almost drowned a couple weeks ago on the Seahorse Snorkel Excursion from CC! He was even an experienced snorkeler. Fortunately he had his life preserver inflated and made it back to the ship on his own---before collapsing. He spent 5 days in a hospital in Ft. Lauderdale. Took 9 hours to get him there! It was not an easy time! And if you haven't bought trip insurance---I suggest that you do!

 

[crisi]

Just finished snorkeling at Castaway Cay.

It is hard work - I'm a fairly good (but not great) swimmer (I can do about ten laps in an Olympic pool without stopping - breaststroke and forward and backward crawl - I'm not great with forward crawl) and was pretty tired by the time I got back in. My husband thought the same and he struggled with water getting in his snorkel and mask as well. It wasn't the easy swim of Typhoon Lagoon and you needed to go much further out to see many fish. The waves - which weren't too high that day - were challenging to swim through. I had more problems with the vest than it solved - although it provided floatation, it kept slipping around me. And it was inflatable (when we snorked at Typhoon Lagoon the vests were more scuba vest type than inflatible life vest thing). There weren't a lot of programming staff around to help newbies learn (I did go fairly early - it might be different later). I watched for a while and most kids didn't get deep enough to see anything - most people didn't get too far out. I cramped up one leg coming back in, and my husband had to blow water out his snorkle a few times to breathe (the snorkles they rent at Castaway Cay are not one way snorkles).

I know there are six year olds out there that are strong swimmers and could snorkle in the ocean, but I'd guess that they are the exception. My son is 5 1/2 and there is no way I'd let him snorkle within the next two years in the ocean - unless he dramatically improved in his swimming ability. I wouldn't push a ten year old too hard either - if you panic out there you can drown - the fish are out deep enough that it was over my head before I saw any fish. Read slabeaume's trip report about her father's medivac because he took it water snorkeling.

 

[Grendel]

I can certainly understand not taking little kids out to a deep area but arent the stingray city excursions in shallow water?? and at CC you dont have to go deep either....im not a great swimmer either...im buyoant( polite word for hefty ) but I was hopping my daugther and I could just skim along the service. We did this at Discovery Cove for hours and just held hands...of course there is no surf to speak of.

 

[crisi]

Didn't do the Stingray City excursion, but I didn't see anything but sand at CC until I was well out over my head (I'm 5'6").

 

[Grendel]

hmmm part of me is wondering if I should just bring my own equipment for my daughter....do the frown on having your own life vest and snorkel equipment?

 

[slabeaume]

I forgot to mention the stingray trip. I did that a few years ago with my then 18 year old daughter. We had a blast. But it is kind of scary having those huge creatures swimming around your legs. We went to the one in the Cayman Islands and it is quite shallow (about 3-4 feet deep). We also had the oppurtunity to feed the stingrays. My daughter feed several. I tried it once. Although they don't have teeth, they do have quite a chomp. I opened my hand right into it's mouth! It didn't cut my hand, but they have rather boney mouths. After that, I stuck to just taking their pictures.

Our tour also took us to snorkel near by at a place called Coral Gardens---the most beautiful snorkel area I've been to yet and I've been to quite a few.

Sue

 

[inkkognito]

No, they do not frown on bringing your own equipment to Castaway Cay at all. But if you don't bring a vest, they will make you wear one of theirs, which they will loan you for free.
You can see some really cool stuff even close to shore. I am timid and typically stay in the shallow areas at the adult beach. I have seen numerous stingrays and an ink squirting squid, and on our last cruise I saw the coolest thing yet...a nurse shark! It swam by me, only a foot or two away.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[jjecburke]

you saw shark? at castaway key?

 

[inkkognito]

Yes, this is the first time ever. It was just a little nurse shark. Other people at the beach said there were actually two, but I only saw one of them. Nurse sharks are non-aggressive...this one just swam right by me and totally ignored me. Of course, I didn't approach it, just watched in awe!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com