Add a splash to your next family getaway. Here are five places where you can swim, snorkel, dive or slide.
Multi-generational dive trips
The pros at Family Dive Adventures have been encouraging families to explore our underwater world for years. Now some of their earliest guests are returning with multiple members of their expanding clans.
And, of course, learning to scuba dive is a great way to discover all that lives in the deep blue sea and to gain an understanding of the challenges our world’s waters face. Margo Peyton, founder of Family Dive Adventures, advises families new to the sport to choose family-friendly destinations where the water is warm, clear and there is no current. She often recommend Bonaire, Grand Cayman and St. Lucia for beginners and early diving practice.
For more: www.FamilyDivers.com
Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Pair island sunshine with seaside sports and you have the ideal all-inclusive vacation for active families. Your kids can learn to fly through the air with the greatest of ease during the resort’s circus school trapeze class. They may also return home bragging about walking a tight rope, riding a unicycle and jaw-dropping juggling skills. (Grown-ups can learn too.) Take part in sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling, paddle-boarding and outdoor fitness classes when not relaxing in the shade of the coconut palms. Families with kids of all ages can expect a wide range of supportive programs and amenities for babies as young as 4 months old.
For more: www.ClubMed.us
Grand Wailea Resort, Maui, Hawaii
This island haven may be most famous for its beaches, but don't pass up the chance to explore what this resort has to offer. The whole family will be eager to explore the 25,700-square-foot area that includes nine free-form pools. Travel via a "river" to check out the slides, waterfalls, caves, water elevator, swim-up bar, rope swing and more that are part of this water wonderland. Adventurers will want to check out the 262-foot lava slide, a 14-second thrill ride that includes a 30-foot drop and speeds up to 22 mph.
For more: https://www.grandwailea.com.
Aquatica, Orlando, Florida
With 42 water slides, rides and lagoons, this award-winning water park in Orlando is part of the SeaWorld family. Check out the Walhalla Wave, a family raft ride that includes more than 600 feet of drenching twists, turns and drops into darkness.
Opening Spring 2023 is the new Turi’s Kid Cove featuring watering palms, tipping buckets, spraying jets and a new water slide with a pint-sized half pipe. Aquatica Orlando has partnered with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), a global leader in online training and certification programs, to become designated as a Certified Autism Center (CAC).
For more: www.aquaticaorlando.com
Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Slip, slide and walk among sharks at this expansive island resort where families have access to more than 140 acres of adrenaline-pumping water play. Head for the Leap of Faith slide at the top of the Mayan Temple, plop in an inner tube and hang on for the ride. You’ll twist and turn through a tunnel, dropping almost 60 vertical feet, before emerging in a clear, acrylic tube deep within a shark-filled lagoon. For those who want to stay dry, panoramic windows offer views of hammerheads, reef sharks and barracudas.
For more: AtlantisBahamas.com
