Page 60 - KSC Magazine 2020

“WHEN I TELL MY FRIENDS I’M DIVING WITH WHALE SHARKS . . . THEY THINK I’M FEARLESS.”
By Holly Wakely, age 17
I was 4 years old when I attended my first Kids Sea Camp (KSC), my brother, Zebedee, was 5. My parents discovered KSC in Sport Diver magazine reading a story just like this.
My mom and dad are both keen divers and were hoping my brother and I would like diving as well. Luckily for them, we absolute- ly love it, and diving is a regular part of our family lifestyle. KSC makes sure all programs and diving are safe, fun and interactive for our entire family.Traveling with KSC has become my favorite family holiday.
Each year, our family picks one or two different trips to attend. I have been to Cu- racao, Utila, Roatan, St. Lucia, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Dominica, Fiji,Yap, Palau and the Philippines for a grand total of 32 dive weeks with KSC.
I have worked my way through the PADI certifications from SASY, Seal Team and
JOW, and currently both Zebedee and I have become PADI Jr. Master scuba divers, all through KSC.
I feel that snorkeling is rarely as interest- ing as diving, but snorkeling with the whale sharks of Oslob with Sea Explorers last summer in the Philippines was so remark- able and far more exciting than diving.
The sharks came so close that I had to keep moving out of their way, because they would not move out of mine. Zeb shouted, “Margo, this is the best day of my life!” I think we all agreed.
Not all people feel about diving like I do, some are scared.The hardest part of over- coming fear is having the courage to jump in. Once you learn the facts about marine animals and facing fears, you can really enjoy diving and snorkeling in the ocean.
Last year in Roatan, my buddy Abby, who was 11, was too afraid to do her mask removal skill. Being a fellow kid diver, I dem-
onstrated for her how easy it was and told her that everything would be “OK”. She felt so much better.With our instructor Woody Tinsley, she then jumped in and completed the skill perfectly. I was so happy to help because we had a great time diving together all week. That experience opened my eyes to wanting to help other kids with their fears about diving.
Many kids fear sharks because they don’t know enough about them. Most sharks are actually rare to see on a dive. I am not afraid of sharks and look forward to seeing them.
One of my greatest moments was getting to be in the water for Abby’s first shark. Because I was so excited to see one, she was keen to see a shark too. Luckily for her, we got to see a nurse shark diving in Roatan. I reflected on the first day she dove with me, when she was terrified of everything un- derwater. It was very inspiring to experience and influence that kind of change in Abby as
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