I've been waiting to write this post, since a return from the Dominican Republic for some Spring Break relaxation and family bonding. Of course, I love my family, but sometimes the kids can be a handful. Like my 9-year-old daughter, who's sweet and wonderful, but can make your blood boil depending on the day. OK, but how to cool hot tempers? Snorkeling, I've found.
Snorkeling is a perfect way to spend an afternoon, especially in a spot like Punta Cana. You're in a refreshing place, breathing carefully through a tube, peering at what you normally can't see --- what's normally out of sight, and out of mind for many.
And you're staying close, maybe holding hands when the water gets a bit deeper, or you journey near some seaweed or coral for a closer look. It's a way to explore, bond with nature, spend time with your kids, and (using the proper sunscreen) learn to better appreciate what's underwater. Even adults can soak up a thing or two.
I say take your kid(s) snorkeling in the headline because I also went snorkeling with my younger, 6-year-old daughter in Punta Cana. All three of us stayed close to shore, near a dock.
We did that once. My older daughter and I spent the better part of a week snorkeling for several hours each following day, including under the dock, where we found a virtual aquarium of fish (a lot like this one). Those included an angelfish, a few of her friends ... and a stingray that I completely did not expect to see. Anyway, no injuries, just appreciation. My daughter says she wasn't at all scared. That makes one of us.
We also took a family snorkeling excursion, as they call it, venturing farther offshore. My six-year-old didn't last long in the water, and spent more time on the boat. My 9-year-old outlasted us all.
Photo by author
I picked up some snorkeling tips and enthusiasm along the way that's worth sharing for others interested in getting their gear on. The gear, by the way, is inexpensive. $20 will get you a decent mask and snorkel.
Spit into the mask before you start snorkeling, for starters, which cuts down on fogging. Thanks to the fellow French guy who taught me this one. Rub and rinse.
Watch out for coral, too, which is actually a living thing, and can be damaged by feet. Laurel offered other tips in a previous Planet Green post on sustainable snorkeling.
Punta Cana is experiencing some coral bleaching, which is bad. But my daughter hopes to help do some good when she grows up. Both daughters.
More on Oceans and Snorkeling
Planet's Best: Snorkeling with Fish
Know Your Marine Life? (Quiz)
Blue August