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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
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Who:
Me, my man, my almost-three-year-old and his furry, won’t-go-nowhere-without-him pal, Grover.

What and Where:
A Blue Safari Submarine excursion on the island of Mauritius.  B.C. (before child), I’d seen similar excursions advertised in Thailand, Greece, and all over the Caribbean.  I even hear tell that you can catch a submarine from cruise ships these days. I’m guessing if the locale includes ocean + fish, you can find something similar.

Why:
Do you remember the kinds of stuff you did before you had kids?  You know, back when you were all young and fun and not weighed down by a shoulder bag full of stuff that doesn’t even belong to you?  I know it’s not easy to recall.  But back in my younger days, I used to be an avid SCUBA diver.  In fact, the bulk of my travels before I got married were to spots where I could spend most of my waking hours in a wet suit, 45 feet under, sucking on a tank.  But between marrying a non-diver and then having a child, traveling to dive became less of a priority.

Mauritius is known far and wide for its fantastic diving.  And I had planned to take a day for myself and get wet again.  But since it was family vacation — and to be our last family time for 15 months — I thought that it might be nice to try to share some of my underwater love with the two people I like best in the world.  Unfortunately, most dive shops won’t let you strap a SCUBA tank on a toddler — something about laws or  something.  So instead I booked a reservation with Blue Safari.

The Low Point:
There were two.  To get to the sub, you have to take a boat out to another boat where the submarine docks.  On the way out, Chet was “showing” Grover some jetskiiers and almost lost him over the side.  I don’t think I can adequately explain how much my son dotes on this silly stuffed toy.  So suffice it to say that the mere possibility of losing him to the deep blue, just days before a 10 hour flight back to Germany, shaved years off of my life that I will never get back.  I shudder a bit even recalling it now.

Second, it was a tight fit.  But luckily, it got a little looser when, even before submersion, a man behind us started feeling claustrophobic and demanded to be taken back to the boat.  The only problem there, of course, was that we had been telling Chet that we were about to dive.  The few minutes it took to take our green friend back to the boat was full of some pretty loud screaming.  I’m sure it greatly endeared us to our fellow passengers.

The Kid’s Take:
Despite being a little apprehensive about getting into the submersible, once we got deep enough to turn the whole world blue, he was entranced not only by the view but also the weird sounds the submarine made.  Chet’s not a big talker but he did make sure that Grover had a clear view at the window.  That pretty much means that all is aces in his book.

The Bottom Line:
I found the whole thing thrilling — and not just because there didn’t seem to be a way for Grover to fall overboard.  We saw a ton of fish and a really cool old wreck.  It was almost as good as being in the water myself.  And oh yeah, my family had a good time, too.

But I have to be honest, a sub trip ain’t cheap even with younger children getting a free ride.  It’s up to you to decide whether the premium is worth what amounts to a 30-minute ride to a place where visibility can’t be guaranteed.  But for my money, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. At least until they revise those laws about toddlers and SCUBA tanks.

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Need a family friendly hotel on Mauritius?  Kayt stayed at Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort.