Most divers can rattle off the ways diving proved itself to be character-building.

For kids char ting a new course for adventure with scuba diving, there are so many formative moments that can shape who they will become—starting with their first breath underwater.

In our technology-tethered times, diving totally unplugs kids when they’re in a pool or ocean—and they’re connecting with real people and in real situations.

“Learning to dive gives kids a feeling of freedom,” says Margo Peyton, founder of Kids Sea Camp, which takes children and their families around the world on diving adventures. “They’re putting an apparatus on and delving into a new world. It’s a freeing feeling.”

When diving becomes a part of traveling with your kids, the whole experience can be even more transformational for kids, she says.

Here are six tangible ways learning to dive can help build character among kids.

1. Discover New Capabilities

Kids learn about how life works through their actions. Learning to breathe underwater—and how your body responds to things like pressure and depth—is a real-life science lesson they’ll be able to see, feel and remember.

2. Grow Interests and Passions

Diving is a natural gateway to other pursuits and interests your kids might not have otherwise learned they were curious about. Think: underwater photography, marine biology and marine conservation, just for starters.

3. Hone Patience and Perseverance

Diving hardly comes naturally to adults, never mind kids. Skills like mask-clearing, buddy breathing and even retrieving underwater objects and navigating require persistence to master. As they add these new skills to their repertoire, your kid’s sense of self-accomplishment will be palpable in other areas of their life too.

Related Reading; A Transformative Dive With Sharks

4. Embrace Teamwork

Diving is a family activity with a lasting impact on everyone. Learning to work with a buddy to build skills and navigate new situations creates a natural empathy bridge and offers a structured yet adventurous pursuit with clear rewards. Adult and experienced divers know well the feeling of surfacing from a wonderful dive—add the natural joy of childhood and youth to the equation, and it’s a recipe for lifelong memories in the making.

5. Focus on the Future

It’s natural for humans of any age to be inward-looking. But exposing children to scuba diving can make them consider their future—and the future of the planet too—in a brand-new way. “Diving prepares kids for high school, college and beyond by nurturing discipline, empathy and a drive to pursue their dreams,” Peyton says.

6. Develop Life Skills

“Scuba diving does more than teach kids to dive with whale sharks or explore coral reefs—it equips kids with life skills,” Peyton says. Learning to care for their gear and plan dives emphasizes organizational skills and the importance of independence in a different way than any classroom setting can.