Dive Into Your Imagination

You are here :Home

Jacqueline Vandelaar

Wednesday, 03 February 2010

Jacqueline Vandelaar is only six years old and is already one very cool kid! Jacqueline is a kindergartner in Key Largo Florida where she spends lots of time swimming in the ocean, and even snorkeling with manatees!

Tell us about snorkeling! How did you learn? What was the experience like?
I actually learned to snorkel in Maui. I practiced in the pool and got really good by trying to get quarters and dimes my parents threw in for me to find. Trust me, I caught on fast that way.
Then they took me out to the ocean and showed me how to hold onto a boogie board so I only had to worry about looking at all of the fun stuff in the water with my mask and snorkel on. It was amazing. Last year, I learned how to use the Sasy equipment here in Key Largo. I especially love this because I get to use an air tank and a BCD.

Even at such a young age you have already done so much! Tell us about your experiences with water.
Well, my mom and dad played with me in the water since I�ve been born. Dad taught me how to swim. He even balanced me on his hands above the water before I was five months old.

That�s so cool! You�re very lucky to have all of these awesome opportunities. What role have your parents or friends played in getting you to love the ocean?
Both of my parents are diving instructors so they know a lot of fun stuff about the ocean. My friends and I are lucky because we live in Key Largo and get to see a lot of cool things like huge tarpon and iguanas right in our backyard. We also get a lot of manatees behind our house and I�ve been able to swim with them. Even though they are huge, they�re so sweet and gentle. But you have to be careful when they let out gas (or fart) because they can be really smelly.

Inspire your kids to love the water as much as Jacqueline! View our "Teach Your Kids to Love the Water" section

Uh oh! Manatees really are amazing animals, but they are also endangered. How do you think kids can help save the ocean? What do you do to protect the ocean?
Be careful about polluting the water with trash and plastic stuff. I�ve seen manatees with fishing line wrapped around their fins. It�s so sad. Also, to tell parents to slow down in their boats so the manatees have time to move out of the way. I always stand at the bow of our boat and watch for manatees when we�re in shallow water.

There are so many fun things to do in the ocean! What do you feel is an important thing for everyone to know about the ocean?
From the top or the surface of the water, it just looks flat but when you look underwater, it�s completely different. It�s kind of like magic. There are so many more fish and plants and coral underwater. It�s amazing. But, you should also be careful because it�s powerful. When we go to the beach, I�m almost knocked over by the waves.

What do you think other kids should know about the ocean environment you live around?
I see so many scars on manatees� backs and fishing lines around their fins, I�d like everyone to learn as much as they can about them so they�d want to help save them. They are so gentle and would never hurt anyone. Also, I live in Key Largo, Florida and it has the first underwater state park in the United States. It�s called John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. It�s a protected park for the fish and coral. I think that�s pretty cool.

That sounds like a great place to visit! Hopefully we will be able to go there someday as well. What else do you like to do in your free time when you aren�t snorkeling?
I love school and reading. Judy Moody and Captain Underpants are some of my favorite books. Horseback riding is probably my favorite sport. I just won four ribbons in my first horse show. I have my yellow belt in Taekwondo and I am also taking piano and guitar lessons too. We go to Colorado all the time and ski too. I�ve been in ski school since I was three and now I can officially ski on the blue slopes. Now, my mom falls more than I do. My family is important to me and I love my two sisters, Tiffany and Nicole. I also love my friends, dogs, and turtles.

Create a new generation of ocean lovers! Share ocean DVDs with your kids.