They Did It!

Ready to swim...

That's my BABY!!

Getting ready for Dive #2

Awesome instructors!

He looks like a superhero.

Signal...dive.

Now our whole family is SCUBA certified! Adventures await!

I was not really prepared for how tough this was going to be. I thought since the kids were to be "Jr." certified that the information would be presented on a "junior" level, but it was not. Rather, it was presented just as it would be for adults. If I were not feeling motivation to cover science this year, I could conceivably skip science for my 10-year old because the class covered some chemistry, physics, physiology, biology, and environmental science! There were even some pretty complex word problems involving tables and time conversion. Except for the reading, which I did with her to be sure that she understood, she HAD to complete all the work herself. No one else can dive for her--she has to understand how to be responsible for herself underwater, how to keep her head in an emergency, and how to help someone else if they have a problem. It is a huge responsibility, and I won't lie--I wasn't entirely sure if she was fully ready for it or not.

There were approximately 6 hours of online instruction, 8 hours of classroom instruction, 8 hours of pool instruction (normally there is six but we needed a little more), and two days of open water diving, logging over three hours of bottom time. It was challenging and strenuous. It is not for a kid who is in any way timid in the water. I'm pretty impressed with SSI as an organization and especially with our lovely dive shop, Woodbridge Scuba, and its instructors who went above and beyond the call of duty to instruct our kids and help them be the best divers they can be. 

My son excelled at every point along the way, which didn't surprise me. I can't wait to dive with him, because it is fun to dive with a confident, competent diver. What thrills me, however, is that I can dive with my little girl with the same assurance that she has not only passed, but mastered these skills. The instructors are not giving away these certs. They are primarily concerned with the safety of their divers, and I was fully prepared to have to do more than the required time in order to have Molly completely ready. Turns out, she didn't need more than an extra pool session. 

On Monday we begin our school year with our "regularly scheduled programming." I feel lighter and more excited than ever now that this is finished.