Affordable and Fun Scuba Diving Resorts

It's about time for a vacation! And this year, we're going to do something really special, something we'll all remember for a lifetime. The kids are finally old enough for us to think past the traditional Disney vacation, and we've done the family camping trips for years now. There's one place, though, that our kids can just never get enough of, and that's the beach. This time around, we've decided to take that beach vacation to the next level. We're checking into scuba diving resorts so we can experience the ocean from a whole new perspective.

It's a good idea to do a little research if you're looking to find the scuba diving resorts that are the best fit for a family vacation. Some divers are really serious about the sport, and some of the travel packages out there reflect that mentality. There are dive packages designed around sharks (no, thanks!), old shipwrecks, cave dives, and more. Because we're all beginners, we wanted to go to a fairly laid-back, family-oriented scuba diving resort where we could start in waters that weren't too deep or too foreboding.

There are scuba diving resorts literally all over the planet. From domestic trips to Florida and the Outer Banks of North Carolina to trips to the Bahamas and virtually all the islands of the Caribbean, there are boatloads of terrific destinations to choose from. And that's just here in the Western Hemisphere! I discovered scuba diving resorts in Hawaii, Fiji, and Thailand, just to name a few. And no list of great dive destinations would be complete without mentioning Australia's Great Barrier Reef, sometimes called the Eighth Wonder of the natural world.

Some of the best scuba diving resorts we discovered had family packages that were all-inclusive. These were deals that took care of our airfare, airport pick-up, lodging, and meals, not to mention offering amazing dives, complete with all our equipment and expert instruction. These plans made it look so easy! And I was glad to see that some of the finest scuba diving resorts aren't just for seasoned divers -- they had something for beginners as well. And with some of the discount dive packages available (especially during off-peak times), our vacation didn't have to be as expensive as I'd initially feared.

After spending a few hours carefully comparing all the different packages in our price range, we selected a plan that the whole family could enjoy. In just a couple of weeks, we'll be heading to the beautiful, clear waters of the Bahamas for our once-in-a-lifetime underwater adventure. I hope it will be a trip we'll never forget!