BECOMING A DIVER
IS THIS A DREAM? NO, IT’S KID’S SEA CAMP ATHENA GENONE, KSC AMBASSADOR
Athena Gennone, age 10 Pale rays of tropical daylight filter through blue-tinted water as a ball of thin silver fish passes me by. Underneath, there are long streaks of flourishing orange corals stretched out, trees planted into the sandy floor. Is this a dream? No, it’s Kid’s Sea Camp! My mom and I are at Buddy Dive on the beautiful island of Bonaire. It is more than a tropical family dive vacation; it’s a mother and daughter adventure that changed my life. Here’s my experience of becoming a diver at the Kids’ Sea Camp! I woke up on August 10th with the excitement of this new world in my eyes. This wasn’t a regular vacation day; this was the day I started my PADI Jr. Open Water (JOW) course at Kids’ Sea Camp! When I was dressed and ready, I walked out of our brightly coloured orange and yellow room that vibrantly stood out from the surrounding view of turquoise water. I see the unearthly, gentle water lapping at the wooden dock to the left. My mom and I walked past
the Blennies restaurant while enjoying the turquoise views before turning to the staircase to the dock below. As we walked down the steps, we saw the Kids Sea Camp and Buddy Instructors (Vanessa, Madi, Sven, Joe, and Mark), who waved to us from beside a round wooden table, topped with a large umbrella and a sign that said “JOW class.” They were warm, welcoming, and as lovely as anyone could ever be. They were helpful and kind, always lending a hand, but also allowed me to be independent and gain experience doing things for myself. Before I did the open-water dives in the ocean, I had to complete my confined training dives in the pool. The Camp this week had a full JOW class of twelve kids from ages 10 to 15 with 4 PADI Instructors and other divemaster assistants as well. On my first day, I learned how to set up and use my dive gear, such as my BCDs (buoyancy control devices), regulator and
gauges, air tanks, fins, masks, and snorkel. The first day was challenging, and I felt as though I’d never get it, but as the course progressed, I was required to take apart and reassemble my gear many times, and I began to understand. Over the three days of the course, I had it memorized in my mind and was ready to go each morning. I was so excited towards the end of the week to show my mom that I could get my gear set up and ready to jump off the dock and enjoy a dive with her. During my course, I learned the PADI diving skills and basic hand signals that evolved as we progressed toward becoming certified JOW Divers. The very first morning, I remember sliding my fins on for the first time and stepping into the shallow end of the pool with my gear on. We were split into our four groups, always with our instructors and buddies. We were practicing in the pool the skills we would do again in the ocean. My first breath underwater felt as if I was floating in divine heaven, the sun rays
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