There’s very little information online about childcare options while on scuba diving vacations or diving holidays with childcare. What does that mean? That you can’t take you kids on your scuba vacation?
Of course not – we’ve done the research for you!
We’re here to let you know about scuba diving resorts and dive centres that offer childcare options. Check out these ideas, meaning you can dive and your kids will be safely looked after while you are underwater!
Diving Locations With the Most Childcare Services
By far the most accessible childcare for divers is in Maldives. Many of the resorts in the Maldives offer kids clubs, childcare and baby sitting. This means you can stay in the resort, head out for a dive, and then come back to happy kids after a day at the kids club!
There really are too many Maldives resorts to list, so take a look at Maldives resort dive holidays here. Look out for kids clubs and babysitting options.
Other dive destinations with good childcare options include Fiji and Indonesia.
Can You Find Childcare For Young Babies?
It can be a different ball game when it come to diving holidays with childcare if you have a baby. Some kids clubs and nanny services have a minimum age, which can be as high as 4 years old. This obviously isn’t helpful if you have a baby under that age.
However all is not lost, there are just fewer options. Look for resorts and dive centres that have an hourly babysitting service, rather than resorts that have kids clubs. These clubs often aren’t beneficial for a young baby anyway.
It’s up to you as a parent to decide at what age you would feel comfortable leaving your baby with a babysitter while you go out diving. However, some resort babysitters will look after babies from any age.
Diving Resorts With Babysitting Services For Young Babies
Finding a scuba resort which offers childcare is usually one of the easiest ways to have your little ones along for your scuba trip. Here are some of the ones we’ve found in some of our favourite dive destinations!
Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru, Maldives
For children from 0-4 years old you can hire a babysitter for $25 (plus taxes) per hour per child. You can also use the kids club for free, however one parent has to be supervising.
Wakatobi Dive Resort, Indonesia
For children aged 0-4 years, Wakatobi Resort have local ladies who will work to your baby’s schedule. They also offer a consultation prior to your trip about you and your child’s specific needs. This is conducted by an onsite childcare facilitator.
You can choose to dive as much as possible, or to dive occasionally and spend more time with your child. They can agree with you a specific childcare plan tailored to your ideal vacation.
Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort Dive Centre, Fiji
This resort offers a complimentary award-winning kids club for children 0-5. They will be assigned a dedicated “nanny” for the duration of their stay. Children aged 6-12 are placed in groups of five led by a “buddy”.
Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
At Baby Club Med, babies 4-23 months old will have a nanny looking after them. This is a paid daily service. You must enquire in advance – the number of places are limited to ensure every little one is safe and fully engaged.
Similan Diving Safaris, Thailand
Of course, we also reached out to the Girls that Scuba community for recommendations. One of our members said:
“My baby was just 3 months old when we went diving with Similan Diving Safaris. They arranged for a nanny who’d look after her while I did all my 4 dives/day. Baby is a frequent feeder and takes only breastmilk, the nanny was so perfect my child was always quiet and smiling when I got back to her!”
Diving Resorts With Babysitting Services For Toddlers & Kids
Soneva Fushi, Maldives
Again, the Maldives comes up on top! One that caught our eye is Soneva Fushi and The Den kids club. This is the largest children’s club in the Maldives and South Asia, “covering more than 1,365 sqm (14,693 sq ft), an area greater than six tennis courts”.
The Den and its programme are designed for children aged four and above, however children of all ages are welcome. Children aged four and above can visit The Den without their parents under the careful supervision of their child minders.
Children under the age of four have to be accompanied by a parent or babysitter at all times. There is a babysitting service on offer at USD $25+ per hour.
Bandos, Maldives
Bandos Resort is also a popular option for scuba diving parents. The Kokko Club kids club is available, as well as babysitting free of charge for children from 3-12 years.
Girls that Scuba Community Recommendations
Here’s what some of our Mums that Scuba had to say about their favourite family-friendly dive resorts:
“The best thing about Club Med is their kids club. My 5 year old enjoyed their kids club so much that she doesn’t want to go home. They will teach, play, do art & craft, do trapeze, horse riding, soccer, tennis, archery with the kids and not merely switch on the tv and let the tv babysit your kids. It’s a whole day program with kids and already included in your room rates. So no mum guilt for me when I do my own thing and she does hers. […] If you pay extra, they even babysit your kids at night so you can do night dives.”
“Roatan has Play Based Projects who not only have an early learning center but they do hire out babysitting for your home also. They came highly recommended from my dive shop and have been great so far. I’ll be in Roatan again in 3 weeks with my 5 year old and will report back!”
“Beaches Turks and Caicos I’ve heard has great childcare options with certified nannies and age appropriate activities”
“I got married [at Beaches Turks & Caicos], 100% recommend. The daycare and childcare doesn’t open until 8am and that’s when the boats leave, but you could get a sitter to come to your room and then take them down. You will love it!”
You can also read Girls that Scuba member Kate’s thoughts about scuba diving holidays with babies!
Other Childcare Options For Scuba Diving Holidays
Struggling to find a suitable dive resort with babysitting? Here are some other options to consider!
Local babysitters off site
Other than on-site babysitters you can always hire a babysitter from a local company. You can then organise a dive day trip while you have them babysitting.
This does take some research on childcare in the location you are visiting. However, services like Bali’s Best Babysitting came up very quickly for us when looking for childcare in Bali, as an example.
Try a simple search for “childcare in” plus your location. You could hire a nanny for the day and organise yourself a couple of dives around Bali, or wherever your chosen destination is!
Bringing your own nanny
Even with all of the information above, when it comes to childcare on a dive holiday there are still pretty limited options. With that in mind, you could consider bringing your own nanny or hiring a travel nanny.
We don’t have any personal experience with this, but please let us know if you are a travel or dive nanny, or if you’ve hired one!
Kids Sea Camp
While this isn’t a childcare option, it has come up a lot in our research. Kids Sea Camp offers a way your kids can dive WITH you. Their first course, SASY, is for kids aged 4-7. Here’s what they have to say about it:
“The SASY program is for younger kids ages (4-7) interested in learning basic snorkel/scuba dive skills in the pool and the ocean. “SASY” is a Surface Supplied Air System that resembles a scuba unit with a small tank and regulator and is designed to float on the surface. Your young soon-to-be diver gets to breathe through the regulator thus creating bubbles so it’s just like diving apart from remaining on the surface.”
A Girls that Scuba member said:
“My family dove with Kids Sea Camp! My parents could go on dives and I would stay on land in a “camp” run by the company. The camp is oriented around diving and the water so the kids feel involved in the “dive” trip! 10/10 would recommend”
What’s your experience of diving holidays with childcare? Have a favourite resort to share with us? Join our Mums that Scuba group and get involved in the conversation!
