Page 85 - KSC Magazine 2020

KSC AMBASSADOR: SOPHIE PURDON
others that are just starting out. I dove with mantas that are 10 times my size, big sharks like bull sharks, white tips and black tips, and I have even been face-to-face with tiger sharks and survived!
I think my parents’ favorite KSC week was Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia. Our room was on the top of the mountain with amazing views of the Pitons, and it had one wall open to the ocean. I loved St. Lucia because that’s where I experienced my first night dive. It was fun seeing all the marine life that you don’t see during the day, like basket stars, octopus, lobster and giant crabs.
I meet children from around the world through KSC and have learned to be more environmentally conscious. So many in the
world have so little, but we have so much and take it for granted.You learn that when you travel and experience the local culture.
Each year, I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. Scuba diving has been a big part of my family’s life. (I even used diving as my science project — and got second place at the county level.)
Mum isn’t as big a diver as Dad and I, but we enjoy diving together at KSC. We have become good friends with Margo and Tom Peyton, as my family hosts some of the weeks too. I get to welcome everyone and assist dad with the SeaLife photo weeks.
Margo is my KSC mum; she treats all of us that way. After all, it is Kids Sea Camp.
From helping me put my first set of
ScubaPro gear together to holding my hand in strong currents, she always makes me feel safe.
Tom is the zen diver. He calms everything down by saying “There is only kung fu,” as he does wax on, wax off hand motions. He makes everyone laugh.
I earned my PADI Rescue Diver and Master Dive certification this year.Tom and Margo have already offered me a job, so I know becoming a PADI dive master is on the way. Diving is not my whole life, but it certainly has become the foundation for family fun. It’s not often you publicly get to say thank you parents, but thank you, Mum and Dad.
I love my Kids Sea Camp life!
www.familydivers.com
803-419-2556 email: dive@familydivers.com www.oceanwishes.org