Our kids range in age 8-16 and we have them wear PFD while we are underway.
Sunsail said they provide youth sized orange traditional life jackets.
We are thinking have having the kids bring their own life vests from home - strapped to their carry-on knapsack - definitely will get some interesting looks at the airport.
Hey there, Rhumbline. We definitely have our kids bring their own. We also chartered through Sunsail before, and we also had the kids bring their own snorkel gear since they couldn't guarantee a set that would fit them. The kids got a decent snorkel set with a carrying case. They could then wrap the PFD around the strap and then carry through the airports. Strange looks? Na, just looks from people that wished they were also going to the islands. Here is the video from our last trip. You'll see they even wore their PFDs on the hike over BEYC! Have a blast.
We bring our own. We also try to find the most comfortable ones possible. What they think is most comfortable is often not the one I would have picked out, so let them try them on, if possible. Also, a rash guard shirt helps if the life jackets are chafing.
Like you, we just make them wear them under way. And little guys are not allowed on deck in the morning until an adult is awake.
Love to hear that other kids are walking thru airports with life jackets and snorkel stuff on their backs. We gave our son (a 19 yr old big kid) new snorkel gear for Christmas. It came with a backpack style carrying case and the first thing he said was "cool! I'm just going to use this as my carry-on!" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
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