If you’re new to this blog, then I am Mia DaPonte and I share my life underwater with you after I got certified as the youngest female Master Scuba Diver in the USA! You can also follow me and all my adventures on Instagram: @underwaterwithmia.

Last week my family and I returned from our vacation in Aruba, where we did lots of fun activities, and my mom and I went diving with AJ and Aruba Premier Boat and Dive.

Before you think I’m going to say it’s not great diving—it’s actually amazing! Aruba diving is truly an experience, but it all depends on who you go with. On our first day, AJ took us to the Antilla wreck. It is SOOOO cool—maybe one of my favorite wreck dives yet (but I haven’t seen too many wrecks). AJ told us the story of the Antilla wreck, and guess what? It is the largest wreck in the Caribbean! AJ guided us through the wreck. It was filled with fish and moray eels. We saw a sea turtle! My most favorite part of this dive was getting to go through some of the easier parts of the wreck. I am really liking wreck diving and want to do more!

The second dive that day, I got to choose a reef or a wreck. I chose another wreck that was more pieces than a full ship. It’s so cool to see wreckage at the bottom of the ocean, especially when I hear about why it’s there and can imagine the story while I dive.

For our second day of diving, we met AJ on the other side of the island. The goal for this day was to see some beautiful reefs! Both dives this day were beautiful. There were so many colorful corals. We saw a stingray and tons of beautiful tropical fish.

It was a lot of fun diving in Aruba, where the waters are clear. I would definitely want to come back and dive in Aruba—especially with AJ! He was so fun and told great stories. I learned so much about the island from him. Side note: during surface intervals, AJ served us butter and Gouda cheese sandwiches and they were so delicious! Oh—and he gave me and my mom great tips on how to treat the sunburns we got on our first day on the island. Haha.

The rest of the vacation was family time. We spent time relaxing on the white sandy beaches, went to the Aruba waterpark, ate at lots of delicious restaurants, shopped, and spent whole days swimming. The waterpark was a lot of fun and they had some bigger slides for older kids. My personal opinion is that the waterpark is made more for younger kids than older ones—my younger brother loved it—but it was still a good day.

Diving is always a favorite for me, but on this trip something else was even better. This was my favorite part: We were at the airport on our way home, and we were unusually early for our flight. Anyway, I knew my parents had a surprise for my brother and me, but when I asked them, they told us it was just a painting being delivered (not really a great lie, but it worked). I was just on my phone and my brother was playing video games while we waited. We didn’t even notice at first, but then my mom walked up to us with a little puppy in her arms.

He was a surprise that my mom and dad adopted from the Sgt. Pepper’s Rescue on the island! I was so excited to have a new puppy—and he’s the coolest island cunucu mutt! It was the best surprise ever. Now we have a new family member! I think it’s OK to talk about him in this blog. We, of course, named him “Reef”! It fits with my scuba theme.

Thank you for reading my blogs—this one might just be my favorite. See you next time!

Book your next dive adventure in Aruba with AJ:

Call: +297-7445406 or +297-744-2009

Email: arubapremiere@gmail.com

www.arubapremierboatanddive.com

In a video produced exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman reviews the Frameless Mask from Atomic Aquatics.

For more information about products from Atomic Aquatics, visit www.atomicaquatics.com.

Sea & Sea is the home of Atomic Aquatics and other leading diving brands in the UK.