Everyone loves vacations in sunny beach locations. But even when the beach beckons, my family would rather be active. Water sports are a lot of fun and can be tailored to all different ages.

The picture to the left is Hanelai Bay in Hawaii, famous on the Island of Oahu for its snorkeling. My family has snorkeled in many spots; it’s a good sport even for youngish children as long as you find a sheltered area. One of my kids recently became scuba certified and I would love to do that. But she has more time than I do.

This next picture is jet skiing, also in Hawaii. It’s not my favorite sport, though many people love it. The last time I was on a jet ski was in Puerto Rico where we were vacationing with many of my husband’s friends. He felt compelled to race with one of them on the jet ski (which was also transporting moi). I was so mad at him, I made him stop the machine and I jumped off and swam to shore. He’s crazy and I’m sane (and he’s also not here to dispute my facts). That was it for me and the jet ski.

I used to love Sunfish sailing when I was younger, though I’m not a huge fan of regular sailboats. The fun part about a Sunfish (at least the way we played with it) is that it tips over constantly. I much preferred being tipped into the water than flying over it. I don’t know why.