If you’re a parent who is passionate about scuba diving, it’s only natural to want to introduce your children to the sport. Not only is it more fun when you can share your underwater experiences with your loved ones, but it also makes dive trip logistics easier when the whole family can dive together.

But getting children interested in scuba diving often takes more than just signing up for a PADI Junior Open Water Diver course. Common issues that kids face can range from being nervous about water in their eyes or general discomfort in the water, to fear of marine life or trouble clearing their ears.

“It’s really important to go at their pace and to create an experience where they can have fun without feeling pressured,” says Margo Peyton, president of Kids Sea Camp Inc., which specializes in family-focused diving trips and training. “With kids, their first time trying anything can set the tone for the rest of their lives, so we need to introduce diving in a way that’s relaxing, comfortable and fun.”

Related Reading: Is Scuba Diving Safe for Kids?

1. Show, Don’t Tell

Get your kids curious about diving by letting them see you in action. Simply demonstrating your passion for the sport will get them asking questions. Letting them experiment with your dive gear on land can also help reinforce their interest and grow their curiosity about trying diving for themselves.

2. Build Comfort In The Water

Before you talk about scuba diving, work on building your children’s safety and confidence in the water through swim lessons and other water-based adventures. Equip them with their own well-fitting dive mask and snorkel to get used to breathing in the water. And plant the seeds for diving by traveling to destinations where they can explore warm, clear, calm waters to build comfort and confidence in the ocean.

3. Dispel Marine Life Fears

For many kids, the idea of encountering marine life like jellyfish and sharks can trigger nervous feelings about scuba diving. Give them their own fish ID cards or marine life field guides, visit aquariums and watch nature documentaries together. Tell them about your real-life experiences to help them understand how special it is to see these creatures in their natural habitats.

4. Enroll Them in a Kid’s Scuba Program

Kids are eligible for a PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification when they are 10 years old, but there are programs for younger kids designed to introduce and build comfort with diving before they get certified. For the youngest kids (4 to 7), the Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth (SASY) program, offered by Kids Sea Camp and other select dive shops, lets them float at the surface of a pool or calm ocean while breathing from a child-size tank and regulator.

At 8 years old, kids can sign up for official PADI training programs—complete with dive certificates—like Bubblemakers and Seal Team, which allow them to go scuba diving in less than 6 feet of water, ideally in a group with other kids to boost their fun and confidence.

Related Reading: Welcoming a New Generation of Divers

5. Don’t Push Them

Regardless of where or how your children have their first experiences with scuba diving, it’s most important to let them learn at their own pace. Never try to negotiate by offering or withholding rewards like screen time to get them to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable. Remember that kids may have a harder time with tasks like equalizing their ears, clearing their mask or maintaining their position in the water. They can also be particularly sensitive to feeling like they are disappointing their parents, so being a supportive, patient partner is the best way to instill a lifelong love for scuba diving.

Calling All Ocean-Loving Kids!

Got a passion for the underwater world? Dream of turning your love for diving into something bigger? You’re in luck! For the first time ever, we’re launching a dedicated PADI Junior AmbassaDiver application—because we know there are so many inspiring young divers out there, and we don’t want to miss a single one.

Don’t wait—apply today to become a PADI Junior AmbassaDiver and inspire the world, one bubble at a time!