Drake Weston turns 18 today, Happy Birthday to you.
And today’s blog post is about Drake.
What is it like to teach a family member to SCUBA dive?
When you have a family that is in the SCUBA business, you end up at one time or another teaching another family member to SCUBA dive.
Drake, grandson of Grady and I, grew up around SCUBA. With a father and grandparents as instructors, it was known that eventually, he would learn to dive as well. He started out using a Sassy (surface assisted youth unit) when he was around 5 years old. He even got to use it in Cozumel.
Getting Certified
He started using a SCUBA unit in the pool when he was 8 years old. He had lots of practice using SCUBA in the pool. Being the intelligent child that he was he even started sitting in on my classroom sessions not to long after that. He could put the SCUBA system together long before he was 10 years old, the age to certify. By the time he was 10, he was very familiar with the SCUBA equipment.
How did I handle it my grandson being old enough to SCUBA certify? The most important thing is you want to keep them safe. You also want them to be a good diver. It was tough. I made sure he could do all the skills above and beyond a capable level. He certified at Beaver Lake and was known for picking up every rock and searching the bottom for lost treasures while diving.
When he was 11 we took him to Cozumel for his first dive trip in the ocean. He was so amazed at the clear water, that we really had to watch his depth. He was an amazing toadfish finder.
At age of 13, he was fortunate enough to accompany us on a group trip to Bonaire. He will tell you, that was the greatest dive experience ever.
So what is it like to teach your grandson to SCUBA dive? It was the best experience ever to be able to introduce him to this great sport. This is something he will be doing for a long time to come. Grady and I one day hope to teach this awesome sport with Drake by our side, to other individuals wanting to learn.
Once again we want to wish Drake a very happy birthday.
