Seasoned vacationers enthusiasts are wise to follow a few pearls of wisdom every time they jet to faraway destinations.

High on that list are such suggestions as buying travel insurance, being wary of the water quality and avoiding any ventures into the darker sides of towns.

Oh, and there's one more thing. Never drop your kids into a shark cage.

Great Whites

But that's what happened when the Hawaiian-based Gee household, known to online travel buffs as The Bucket List Family, did to two of their young 'uns during a trip to Baja California. To add to the thrill of being offshore in an area rife with Great Whites, they put two of their kids in wetsuits and breathing tubes and tossed them right into a submerged cage.

News of the incident went viral, prompting a number of travel experts like Australian writer Deborah Dickson-Smith to deplore the actions of the American adventurers.

"I think learning to dive with your kids is one of the most magical, bonding experiences you can ever have as a parent," she said to Traveller. "But dipping your kids into a shark dive - before they are even old enough for the youngest level of dive training - is just mind-boggling."

Wide bar gaps

The two youngsters, who had never experienced such a dive admitted being scared about the incident, but gathered their courage nonetheless, especially considering the cage bar gaps were wide enough for a smaller shark to swim through. The parents, Garrett and Jessica indicated they were proud that their kids went through the experience.

But as veteran travelers themselves, they should have known better. For years, the couple and their children garnered their Bucket List reputation by documenting on YouTube accounts of several adventures around the world. Their YouTube site currently has 944,000 subscribers at last count.

High viewership

The video, which has enjoyed a viewership of 4.1 million visits wasn't universally applauded, though. Some people commented that the family was crazy for creating such a stunt and fearing for the safety of the children. Most of them, however, congratulated the Gees for sharing what they deemed to be a thrilling experience.