I recently returned from family vacation a few days ago and am “suffering” from bad tan lines and beach withdrawal. You might go ahead and assume that myself and the other four members of my family concluded one of those typical beach vacations most families are known to take during the summer months, but in doing so, you’re quite wrong. Myself, my older brother, younger sister, father and mother are all PADI open water, Nitrox certified scuba divers. We all just returned home from a seven day scuba diving trip in Little Cayman. For those of you who might not know, Little Cayman is the smaller island located 60 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and has a population of about 170 people. It was quite a simple and quiet vacation to say the least, but oh so incredibly fun.

A dive trip usually consists of four things: eating, sleeping, diving and drinking. Of course, I spent my late afternoons laying on the beach when I wasn’t 60-100 ft. under water, but scuba divers spend most of our mornings and afternoons in a wet suit, breathing oxygen out of a tank and observing an entirely different world many never get to witness hands-on.

The ocean, below sea level, is one of my favorite places to be. It is so quiet that all you can hear is the sound of yourself breathing in and out the oxygen from your tank that you’re carrying on your back. The amount of coral structure and different marine life species is incredible and breathtaking. As a diver, you are simply a guest in their world. You are there to observe and witness creatures and ecosystems that are completely separate from our world (minus the impact of our pollution and products that unfortunately sometimes interfere). It is a peaceful world that is so different from ours, and I love and cherish that I get to experience this world with all of family. I have been scuba diving since I was 12 years old and have been to countries all across the ocean, thanks to a hobby that my father thought would bring us all together in a special way. And boy was he right. This sport isn’t just an activity for us, it’s something for our family to bond over and share different amounts of love towards the experiences we have together.

My family and I collectively have scuba dived in Curaçao, Bora Bora, Indonesia, Mexico, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Australia. And we are not even close to stopping adding different countries and famous dive sites to our list. There are so many places in this world to see, as well as so many parts of the ocean. Life is too short to not try and experience every part of this world that you can.

If you’re interested in exploring something beyond unique and quite fun, find your closest scuba shop and inquire about getting certified. It was one of the best decisions I made for myself ten years ago, and I’ve never looked back or regretted any part of it whatsoever. Trust me, after your first dive in the ocean world, you’ll be hooked and won’t be able to turn back.

Check out our latest trip video that my talented little sister edited with all of our footage here: