SUMMER CAMPS - A BIG SPLASH!
August 29, 2008 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Jack’s Diving Locker made a big splash in the 2008 summer season with camps for kids and teens on scuba diving, snorkeling, marine life education, and ocean ecology. Surpassing last year’s success, summer camp attendance hit an all time high with 202 students.

Located in the heart of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Jack’s Diving Locker (www.jacksdivinglocker.com), a scuba charter, education, and retail company has been offering programs for kids and teens since 1987. Programs vary by age (8-18 years old) and skill level. All camps include PADI educational programs and are taught by PADI professional instructors and divemasters. PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the world’s largest scuba certification agency with a wide variety of courses.

“We feel so good about our programs,” states Wendy Laros, Director of Junior Programs at Jack's Diving Locker. “By teaching kids and teens scuba and snorkeling skills, they discover first hand the beauty and diversity of the underwater world and the importance of ocean ecology and conservation.”

This summer, Jack's Diving Locker added a new program to the summer line up by offering a PADI Project AWARE program (www.projectaware.org) for kids along with the PADI Bubblemaker program (shallow water scuba diving). Project AWARE is a non-profit organization dedicated to aquatic world awareness and provides students with activities to take action. Activities in the Jack’s camp included reef fish counts while diving, an interview with a real marine scientist, Dr. Bill Walsh of the Dept. of Aquatic Resources, recycling for the week, and a shore line clean up in Kailua-Kona. Amanda Dodson, age 13, states, “I think it’s really cool we are picking up trash and helping.”


Project AWARE Beach Clean Up - Jack's Diving Locker
Sea Camp Hawaii. Summer '08

In the 2008 summer season, Jack's Diving Locker also achieved great success in their signature program, Sea Camp Hawaii. Sea Camp Hawaii is a week long day camp for students who love marine life. The program has a series of six camps, each with a different marine life topic. Director, Wendy Laros, states, “We started the summer off with a bang with Sea Camp Hawaii - Shark and Ray camp. Everybody wants to know about more about sharks, so we study these fascinating creatures.” Campers also learned about the shark’s significance in Hawaiian culture and visited Puuhonua o’Honaunau National Park.


Jack's Diving Locker Sea Camp Hawaii visit to
Pu'u Honua O' Hoanunau

Students also learned about rays, especially manta rays. With information from Manta Pacific Research Foundation (www.mantapacific.org), students learned how to identify individual manta rays and the need for manta ray protection. On the last day of camp, students went on the boat to the famous Kona Manta Ray Night Dive site and snorkeled with manta rays at night. Camper Keli Jackson, age 12, states, “I’ve been lucky enough to snorkel with manta rays. It was one of the most awesome experiences I’ve ever had!” She adds, “I think manta rays should be protected because they are so cool!”



In addition to the Shark and Ray Camp, students signed up for Sea Camp Hawaii Coral Reef Ecology, Reef Fish & Eels, and Octopus & Invertebrate camps. The students in Sea Camp Hawaii programs also earned the PADI Skin Diver certification and went diving with the PADI Bubblemaker or Discover Scuba Diving programs. Laros remarks, “These camps are exciting and fun. Talk about hands-on education. We have an academic session each morning and then go to beach or out on a boat, jump in the water and experience these animals in their natural environment.”

During the 2008 summer camp season, kids and pre-teens focusing on scuba diving attended the Seal Team and Master Seal Team camps. The PADI Seal Team program is a pool based scuba educational system for ages 8-12. Seal Team divers learn basic scuba and safety skills and then move on to Master Seal Team missions such as underwater photography, building a “space station” underwater, diving on a “wreck” as underwater archeologists, and searching and recovering lost objects underwater. Kawika Leicher, PADI Instructor and camp counselor comments, “These kids are like little sponges. They absorb so much and can’t wait to try out their new found abilities.”


Jack's Diving Locker Instructor Wendy Laros with
Seal Team Divers. Summer '08

The biggest draw for Summer 08 was the Open Water Scuba Camp with 132 students from the Kona community and from mainland adventure groups. These students went through substantial academic sessions, skill dives in the Jack’s scuba training pool and did four open water dives from the shore and boat. Upon successful completion, students were awarded the PADI Jr. Open Water or Open Water certification. Open water students explored coral reefs along the Kona Coast at Kailua Pier, Pawai Bay, and Honokohau. Local teens couldn’t believe how much was going on underwater right where they’ve been paddling for years.


Jack's Diving Locker Scuba Diving at Kamakahonu (Kailua Pier). Summer '08

Those teens who were already certified signed up for the Advanced and Rescue camps and earned these higher certifications during the summer season. These students are working toward the Master Scuba Diving rating also known as the “Black Belt” in diving education in the PADI system.

Jack’s Diving Locker is located in the heart of Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii and recently celebrated its 27th anniversary. The company prides itself on its friendly, professional staff. The Jack’s facility is equipped with classrooms, a scuba training pool, retail showroom, and large gear locker. In addition, the company owns 4 boats and runs daily charters for beginners to advanced divers on both day and night dives. Jack's Diving Locker is a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Instructor Development Center and teaches beginners through Instructor level courses as well as Junior Programs. The Jack’s Diving Locker mission is to strive for perfection in sharing Hawaii’s underwater world with a focus on friendship, a spirit of adventure, and a commitment to safety, the environment, and our community.

Since 1981 Jack's Diving Locker where "Our friendly people make the difference.”

Jack’s Diving Locker
75-5813 Alii Drive
Kona, Hawaii, 96740
1-808 329-7585
1-800 345-4807

Visit our website at www.jacksdivinglocker.com or
email us at dive@jacksdivinglocker.com