By Pakar PBN 
I am a late-life scuba diving enthusiast: I spent my 20s, 30s and 40s traveling the world and loving all water activities, including kayaking, SUP, snorkeling and tubing, but there was something about scuba diving that always seemed out of reach. And as someone who suffers from frequent ear infections, I thought scuba diving just wasn’t for me.
MAKE MEMORIES: 50 Family Vacation Ideas for the Best Trip Ever
Then, when I turned 50, I realized that I had traveled to all seven continents and over 100 countries, but I was always looking for something new. It turned out to be scuba diving. Obtaining certification has changed my life as a traveler, as I can now return to my favorite countries and vacation spots and explore in a completely different and unique way: underwater.
Make diving a family activity
Once I realized what I had missed, I wanted to get my family involved too. But my 13 and 15 year old teenagers were hesitant. It wasn’t that they were opposed to scuba diving, but rather that being kids from New York, scuba diving wasn’t on their radar. I was hoping to change that with an epic family adventure.
LIFETIME TRAVEL PARTNERS: Why vacationing with my adult son is my new favorite way to travel
The adventure came in the form of a summer vacation trip to Fiji. My children agreed to try it and took the advanced courses. My youngest son even got his certification before we left, while his brother chose to get his training on this trip. The plan was that my youngest son and I would go diving every morning, while my older son did his training. We would then spend the rest of the day enjoying Fiji with my non-diving husband.
The magic of diving
People often ask me why I love scuba diving so much. Partly, I think, because I got there so late. For three decades I had been traveling the world and listening to divers recount their astonishing encounters. I didn’t feel jealous because I had done surface diving myself in the Maldives, Belize and Tahiti.
However, I wasn’t prepared for how much scuba diving had actually changed my outlook on travel. For me, scuba diving is not about excitement or adrenaline rush. On the contrary, it is exactly the opposite, its magic lies in listening to the sound of my breathing, underwater, without a cell phone, without an argument and without a mind busy wondering what I should do next. Instead, diving forces me to be in the moment, focusing on what’s right in front of me, whether it’s a shark, seahorse, or coral colored.
Why I wanted my children to love diving
This meditative quality is also why I wanted to share it with my teenagers. Their lives are so busy – with school, sports, friends and obligations – that I wanted them to have the chance to slow down and be with nature.
There was a second reason why I also hoped to make my children passionate about scuba diving. As a mom of two active, sports-loving boys, I often felt like a strange woman. My husband spends a lot of one-on-one time with my boys, playing and watching sports, and I liked the idea of scuba diving as a chance to share a special activity with them too.
SUITABLE EQUIPMENT: Best Snorkel Gear for Kids
If I’m honest, there’s also a third reason. Anyone with teenagers knows that traveling with them can be a challenge: there are constant negotiations, the why do I do this, the back and forth. Scuba diving was perfect: you spend your time together underwater, a place where there is no talking or arguing, where we all enjoy the moment. I hoped.
How Fiji Made Us a Diving Family
While trying to decide where to get my son certified in Fiji, I landed on the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort. Not only is it one of the best family resorts in Fiji, but it also has some of the best scuba diving in the country.
FIRST TIMES: New to all-inclusive packages? These are best for beginners
It was a good choice and turned out to be one of our most successful family trips, as we mixed in that alone time in the morning on our scuba dives and still spent time together as a family l afternoon and evening.
Make the most of our days
The resort is known for its robust kids’ program (called Bula Buddies), but anyone with a teenager knows it can be difficult to convince them to participate in group activities. So I didn’t have high hopes that my boys would join them. on the activities of the children’s club. But Sefa, the Bula Buddy for teenagers, was the perfect solution. He was young (26 years old), active, fun and had a strong “cool” side (without trying). In other words, for my boys, he was the perfect big brother.
My boys quickly took to scuba diving with me in the mornings (my oldest got his certificate within a few days), but spent just as much time having non-diving fun with their Bula Buddy, doing activities like fishing, tubing, hiking and building and piloting their own rafts.
INCREDIBLE STAYS: All-inclusive packages with very attractive benefits
I was worried my husband wouldn’t enjoy the trip since he wasn’t diving, but he was more than happy to have some alone time in the morning and we were able to enjoy family time the rest of the day. The resort has planned daily family activities, including visits to a local village and school, a kayak trip to the salt lake, a hike to nearby waterfalls, and daily snorkeling excursions. And because these activities included other families, everyone made new friends.
Fiji would be our first family diving trip together, but it certainly won’t be our last. And maybe one day I’ll even convince my husband to join in on the underwater fun.