It's as if a family of nine isn't big enough for Joe and Carol Danks. Every year since 2007, they've traveled to Kids Sea Camp with two sons, two daughters-in-laws and three granddaughters in tow; and yet, on the very first morning of the very first day, they're greeting adult campers with big smiles and hugs for the little ones.

Kids Sea Camp is a family reunion everyone in the Danks family can look forward to, and not just because the family members – who live in Pennsylvania, California and Maryland – get to see one another. "Parents who are bringing their kids to Kids Sea Camp have a lot of the same attitudes and values we do," says Grandpa Joe. "I enjoy getting to meet them and seeing them at future camps."

Their trip in 2014, to PADI's Buddy Resort Bonaire, was the Danks family's eighth consecutive Kids Sea Camp (and third in Bonaire), and while the family-friendly aspect is one reason, it's certainly not the only one. "[Kids Sea Camp] is a safe, fun learning environment for the children," says Grandma Carol. "The adults can go dive together, the kids go dive together, and we come together at night as a family. It's a win-win."

I sat down with the Kids Sea Camp "lifers," and my own two-time Kids Sea Camp family, to find out what they love about scuba diving and Bonaire, and what makes Kids Sea Camp such as unforgettable week.

Q: Why did/do you want to be a scuba diver?

Ella Lin Espinosa (age 6): “I want to scuba dive with my dad.”

Chloe Mei Espinosa (age 8): “I want to see all the different animals underwater, like garibaldi (in her home state of California), sharks and dolphins.”

Maia Danks (age 14): “It’s not an opportunity many people have, and it’s cool to see the animals instead of from the surface or an aquarium."

Ayden Danks (age 11): “It feels like flying underwater, and I like breathing underwater; it’s magical.”

Q: With a family your size, you can bring the party with you anywhere. What keeps you coming back to Kids Sea Camp?

Joe: “Keeping the grandkids interested and occupied. If we went off on our own, what would we do with these teenage divers all day? They wouldn’t want to do what we do. They’re much better when there are activities involved, and at some point they’ll be joining us more.”

Kiera Harrell-Danks (age 11): “If we went somewhere else, there’d just be a lot of grown-ups who’d be annoyed because there were kids there.”

David Danks: “The entire resort becomes kid focused. Some resorts might be ‘kid tolerant,’ but at Kids Sea Camp, they’re kid focused, which makes it a lot more fun for the whole family.”

Sharon Danks: “It’s a way for the parents to be able to dive, get in the water and know the kids are well taken care of and having a good time, having experiences they couldn’t get elsewhere.”

Q: You’ve been to Bonaire more than once for Kids Sea Camp; what do you love so much about this destination?

David D.: “The diving is wonderful, there’s variety in terms of what you see, and the instruction here [at Buddy Dive] is phenomenal. The instructors understand you can’t teach kids the same way you teach adults, and they do a wonderful job of adjusting.”

Joe: “Very healthy reefs, healthy fish life, but no pelagics or muck dives. We like the lifestyle here on the island. Fifteen thousand people, no stop signs or stoplights; the atmosphere is so laid-back.”

Q: Finish this sentence: The thing I love most about Kids Sea Camp is ______________.

Mara Harrell: “When David and Mark get together, it’s like they’re 12 again.”

Mark Danks: "The lack of stress. The environment that [Kids Sea Camp and Family Dive Adventures’ founder and owner] Margo Peyton has created, the schedule, means I don’t have to worry about what my kids are going to do tomorrow. I can truly have a vacation.”

Q: What is your favorite Kids Sea Camp memory?

Carol: “It doesn’t matter if they were in SASY, Seal, Adventure Diver — I don’t even know if I can remember a time when the grandchildren weren’t excited to tell us what they’d done that day.”

Alison Yap: “Seeing Chloe Mei scuba dive, with confidence, for the first time on the house reef in front of the resort. Not many 8-year-olds get that kind of opportunity, and she loved it.”

Ayden and Maia: “Finally being done with the certifications and getting to dive.”

Chloe Mei: “When I went on a night snorkel with my dad last year in Grand Cayman. We saw a stingray and some huge tarpon.”

Q: What is your favorite memory of Bonaire Kids Sea Camp?

David D.: “It happened yesterday, having Kiera as my buddy on the house reef. That’s the first time we got to dive together.”

Alison: “Watching David [Espinosa] take Ella Lin on a night snorkel, and one night later taking me on my first night dive. The house reef here was a perfect place for my first night dive ever.”

Ella Lin: “When Daddy brought me in the water for a night snorkel. It wasn’t scary at all because he was right next to me.”

Q: What do you know now that you wish you knew then (on your first KSC)?

David D.: “Be willing to ‘embrace the KSC thing.’ Margo really knows what she’s doing: She’s planned things that bring families together — both within the family, and multiple families together. There are a lot of activities to get kids and families together — be willing to embrace that because it’s more than just diving.”

Carol: “Kids Sea Camp is tiring; it really is. Especially when the kids are little and they’re so busy.”

Joe: “Be prepared that your kids won’t want to give it up, and will want to be back next year. Don’t do it unless you’re prepared to make a multiyear commitment.”

Alison: “If you can manage it, arrive a day or two early. It allows you and the kids to get over any jet lag, and also gets your minds and bodies to relax and get ready for a week of fun. That and you don’t want to miss the welcome party!”

Gearing up for your next family vacation? Here's How To Get Your Kid Ready For Diving.

For more info >> visit familydivers.com

Special thanks to Bonaire Tourism, Buddy Dive Resort and Family Dive Adventures.