SCUBA- leave 5 YO on board?

[scubagolfer]

If you are traveling with other family members, I would defiantly do it! When we were in Cozumel on the Valor last week, DH & I really wanted to do the Dolphin Trainer excursion. Unfortunately, it was not a 7 month old appropriate excursion. So we left DS with my sister for the day. They walked around the pier then went back to the ship. I made sure the people at Dolphanaris knew that we were on the ship and had to be back at a certain time and they had us back 20 min. before we had to be back on the ship. Everything worked out great, DS had a great time with my family & DH and I have memories that we will treasure forever :)

 

That changes everything! If a family member goes along with you then dive away....we frequently take Grandma and Grandpa electing to pay for one of them in exchange for watching our daughters while we go diving...Turks and Caicos, Grand Cayman....If you have a family membet there to watch the kids and they agree then nothing would hold me back.

[gemcrusier]

My children are grown and I know today has different standards then years ago I was a stay at home mom until both of my children were well into school not like today a 6 week old is left with a stranger to care and nurture them. I feel a family vacation should be just that the family doing things together maybe you and your husband can go away together to do diving on a mom and dad vacation another time. I would leave my child or grandchild while I was off the ship if something happened to them and the ship needed me how will they find me and get me back there to be with my child.

[Jayhawk]

I just returned from a trip yesterday and would have sworn I would have never done it. Is it a small risk? Yes. My kids were together and my oldest is a pretty mature 6 1/2. I probably wouldn't have done the 5 year old by herself. Anyway, we did it twice on 2 islands out of 6 and they weren't even ships tours and it went off without a hitch and frankly the kids had more fun vs. being drug out to an excursion all 6 days.

 

Here's my post on it....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=18180564#post18180564

 

Bottom line, you know yourself, and your child, and do what YOU are comfortable doing.

[scubagolfer]

Ok...with all due respect to every good intended poster here, we are not talking about taking a tour to the beach, riding horses, going on a shopping tour, We are talking about parents going on a "SCUBA DIVING" excursion while there kids are on board the ship at kids club.....after 1000 or so logged open water dives over 20% of them have had a hitch or something, other divers getting lost, boat breaks down, leaving late from the pier, And Medical Emergencies Where, regardless of who is hurt or on board, in most cases everyone goes to the hospitial or emergency services pick- up point, meaning if a island town is closer for EMS and that town just happens to be many more miles from the ship or from...then so be it.

 

We are not talking about having to walk back to the ship because we cannot get a taxi, we are not talking about someone leaving their purse at the beach and having to take the bus back.....we are talking about...in some cases being miles out to "SEA" and hoping there is not a problem that comes up......did none of you watch Open Water (actually this is a movie scorned by serious divers and just plain ridiculous) but one would believe that it could happen and did happen to some friends of ours in Cancun and they had to swim back to shore miles away in scuba gear to their hotel. In the case of diving in Belize, which the OP mentioned we were 1.5 hours out from the place where the ships tenders dropped us off.

 

Lastly, I sound like an alarmist, I'm not diving from a cruise ship excursion is in most cases toned down alot because most dive operators just are not comfortable diving with folks who may not have dove in years...maybe just dusted of their old equipment and found there certification card in a box with old photos, would something happen on your Dive?...probably not. However the chance is still there, and with your children on the ship and me miles out to see on a dive boat with folks and an operator i don't know...I'm just not willing to take that chance.....opt out for a nice 2 tank shore dive at Grand cayman's Eden rock and Devil's Grotto. just a short walk from the tender station and enough interesting things to keep the advid divers that my wife and i are more than happy....thats my last $.02 cents... regardless have a good trip and write a review.....Of the diving