Phew where is the summer going to? It was lovely to welcome this lovely family from Southampton to Swanage recently to develop their son's snorkelling skills as well as give his mum more confidence to explore our local coastline. James was a PADI Diver and Jen confided in me as soon as she arrived that she had always had problems finding a mask which fitted her properly, and I immediately gave her my MARES freediving mask. This is a low-volume mask and fitted her perfectly.
We went through the theory which their son loved and shared all his new found knowledge with me in the studio. We made sure that their wetsuits fitted perfectly as both Jen and her son were nervous about being cold.
It was then time to hit Swanage Pier. Their son was a little nervous because the winds had picked up and I was happy to wait until the winds died down. This time there was no stopping him and it was an absolute best moment to see him take his first ocean fin-steps into the calm, safe Swanage waters, revelling in seeing his first fish and exploring the sea beside his mum and dad. Jen said that she felt toasty warm in her MARES suit and that she didn't think she would enjoy it so much and their little boy whispered to them both that "This was super cool."
It was really lovely to get this feedback from them afterwards
"Snorkelling Course with Maria - a great experience. Maria was incredibly patient and encouraging. Her calm, friendly nature and clear passion for helping people enjoy the water really made all the difference. She didn't just guide us through the basics, she genuinely cared that we felt comfortable and confident. She even met us another day to help our son become more independent in the water which was so kind. Maria is a lovely, friendly and deeply helpful person. We couldn't have asked for a better introduction to snorkelling and we're really grateful for her support and encouragement."
A huge thank you to them all for coming along, it meant the world to me that I could help.