Snorkelling tips for youngsters

There we were, anchored up offshore at Goat Island Marine Reserve. I thought my three young kids would be stoked about experiencing snorkelling for the first time, especially at such a cool location and amongst the big school of large, hungry snapper lurking just beneath our boat.
After using every persuasive tool in my arsenal, the older two finally reluctantly entered the water. But my little fella, the six-year-old, wouldn’t budge – he was adamant he wasn’t getting in. After a bit of frustration I finally gave up.

Thankfully I didn’t turn them off the ocean for life. I hadn’t given it a second’s thought that kids would be terrified of jumping into deep water, surrounded by big fish. I’d obviously forgotten what I used to be like as a kid.

I’ve since heard of other dads making the same mistake, only the kids didn’t get off so lightly. These guys threw their kids into the water at Goat Island, straight after feeding the large snapper into a frenzy… Doh! (Note to self: it’s not only illegal to feed the fish in a marine reserve, but also very stupid!) I was told that the screams of the children upon being bitten by snapper could be heard from quite a distance!

After my first experience, I learned to relax a little and let the kids get into it at their own pace. Consequently, it took a couple more years to really get them hooked. Snorkelling is amazing fun for kids – there’s a whole new world to be discovered. So here are some tips to make their first experiences fun and memorable ones.

• Let them progress when they’re ready.
• Keep them comfortable at all times.
• Use gear that fits.

Wetsuits are a tough one when they’re growing so quickly; sometimes it seems that as soon as you’ve got them a new suit, they’ve already grown out of it. Make sure their mask fits well. New masks need to have the inside of the glass cleaned with toothpaste before first use, and then spat in every time they’re used to stop them fogging. Diving is no fun if you can’t see what’s in front of you.

• Make sure they are comfortable breathing through a snorkel before letting them loose. There’s nothing wrong with getting them to stand in waist-deep water and breathe until they feel relaxed first.
• Children need to snorkel with an adult who is confident in the water. It offers them security and increases their confidence.
• Read up on where you’re planning to visit and find out what species of fish and animals you might encounter. It can add a lot of fun to a trip when you are on the lookout for certain types of fish and know their names and different fun facts about them.
• Keep a sharp watchout. As far as dangerous animals go in the ocean, I think New Zealand is one of the safest places to snorkel in the world. But that doesn’t mean we can disconnect our brains. My 12-year-old son was surprisingly comfortable coming face to face with his first large bronze whaler shark last year (he also got some great mileage out of telling that story), but I always make sure I’m nearby when he’s pursuing his favourite quarry, butterfish, with a speargun. It’s one thing to see a large passive shark swim in for a closer look, but quite another to confront a fired-up shark intent on having speared butterfish for dinner! I don’t want to see him turned off getting in the water because he experiences a scary situation by himself. It’s better to provide a positive experience where they are keen to go back for more!
• Go snorkelling in a marine reserve. There’s normally far more life to see.

Just off our nation’s doorstep is one of the best playgrounds in the world – we’re so lucky to bring our kids up in such an awesome country.