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: 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: 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: grandwailea.com
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
Scotty Robson/Adobe Stock
Maui's Ka'anapali Beach ranks first on Tripadvisor's list of top 10 US beaches for 2023 and 10th on the global list. Ka'anapali didn't make it into the top 10 on the global list in 2022 and was No. 17 on the US list last year.
Scotty Robson/Adobe Stock
Maui's Ka'anapali Beach ranks first on Tripadvisor's list of top 10 US beaches for 2023 and 10th on the global list. Ka'anapali didn't make it into the top 10 on the global list in 2022 and was No. 17 on the US list last year.
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
This May 18, 2017 photo shows Siesta Beach on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Fla.
-
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
In this Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 file photo, tourists walk the south beach of Jekyll Island, Ga.
AP file
In this Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 file photo, tourists walk the south beach of Jekyll Island, Ga.
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
This June 29, 2010 photo shows sunset over Hanalei Bay in Hawaii.
-
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
In this Jan. 2, 2014 file photo, windsurfers crowd the waters at Ho'okipa outlook, near Paia, Maui Hawaii.
AP file
In this Jan. 2, 2014 file photo, windsurfers crowd the waters at Ho'okipa outlook, near Paia, Maui Hawaii.
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
Mark Woodward of Daphne, Ala., looks for tar balls as he walks along the beach at dawn in Destin, Fla., Saturday, June 26, 2010.
AP file
Mark Woodward of Daphne, Ala., looks for tar balls as he walks along the beach at dawn in Destin, Fla., Saturday, June 26, 2010.
-
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
Beachgoers walk a dog and fly a kite as they near Haystack Rock, Monday, April 4, 2022, in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Formed by lava flows from the Blue Mountains and Columbia Basin, it is a popular tourist attraction towering 235 feet and is home to the state's largest Tufted Puffin colony.
AP file
Beachgoers walk a dog and fly a kite as they near Haystack Rock, Monday, April 4, 2022, in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Formed by lava flows from the Blue Mountains and Columbia Basin, it is a popular tourist attraction towering 235 feet and is home to the state's largest Tufted Puffin colony.
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
In this May 22, 2012, file photo, a couple sits on the sand on Coronado Beach in Coronado, Calif.
AP file
In this May 22, 2012, file photo, a couple sits on the sand on Coronado Beach in Coronado, Calif.
-
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
A beach goer walks along the shore at Ogunquit Beach in Ogunquit, Maine Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009.
AP file
A beach goer walks along the shore at Ogunquit Beach in Ogunquit, Maine Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009.
-
A look at the most common reason people aren’t traveling this year
AP file
Pelicans gathered on a hillside above the La Jolla Cove during stormy weather Thursday Jan. 21, 2010 in San Diego, Calif.
AP file
Pelicans gathered on a hillside above the La Jolla Cove during stormy weather Thursday Jan. 21, 2010 in San Diego, Calif.
-
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
Nido Huebl/Adobe Stock
Sancho Beach, elected four times the most beautiful beach in the world.
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
AP file
In this April 2008 file photo, crystal clear water meets the shore in Aruba.
-
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
timothylui1105
A signature camel ride along Cable Beach in Broome, Australia.
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
AP file
People walk on the black sanded beach in Vik, Iceland, near the Volcano Katla, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016.
AP file
People walk on the black sanded beach in Vik, Iceland, near the Volcano Katla, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016.
-
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
jpbarcelos/Adobe Stock
What's not to love about this striking contrast on Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos? It's No. 5 on the 2023 world's best beaches list.
jpbarcelos/Adobe Stock
What's not to love about this striking contrast on Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos? It's No. 5 on the 2023 world's best beaches list.
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
AP file
A man walks on the sand at Falesia beach near Albufeira, in Portugal's southern Algarve region, Monday, May 17, 2021.
AP file
A man walks on the sand at Falesia beach near Albufeira, in Portugal's southern Algarve region, Monday, May 17, 2021.
-
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
s4sanchita/Adobe Stock
Lush vegetation borders Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island in India. It's No. 7 on this year's global list.
s4sanchita/Adobe Stock
Lush vegetation borders Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island in India. It's No. 7 on this year's global list.
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
Francisco Seco
People walk next to the "Door of Europe" monument as the sun sets in the Mediterranean Sea in Lampedusa island, Italy, on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
Francisco Seco
People walk next to the "Door of Europe" monument as the sun sets in the Mediterranean Sea in Lampedusa island, Italy, on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
-
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
AP file
Tourists are seen along the beach at the Iberostar Selection Varadero hotel in Varadero, Cuba, on Sept. 29, 2021.
AP file
Tourists are seen along the beach at the Iberostar Selection Varadero hotel in Varadero, Cuba, on Sept. 29, 2021.
-
Best times to book the lowest-priced international flights in 2023
Scotty Robson/Adobe Stock
Maui's Ka'anapali Beach ranks No. 10 on the global list and No. 1 among US beaches for 2023.
Scotty Robson/Adobe Stock
Maui's Ka'anapali Beach ranks No. 10 on the global list and No. 1 among US beaches for 2023.
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: aquaticaorlando.com
Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS
At Atlantis Resort in Bahamas, you can twist and turn through a tunnel, dropping almost 60 vertical feet from the Leap of Faith slide at the top of the Mayan Temple. (Dreamstime/TNS)
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
___
