In planning my first vacation to Belize (AC) it seems that if I don't scuba dive it would really be a shame, but here is the problem, I don't dive! I love to snorkel, and I have SNUBA'ed in Hawaii, and one time I did one of the little resort classes in Aruba (but that didn't go so good, and I didn't end up diving), I have looked into taking a class here, but the nearest one is an hour away and is a huge time commitment that is spread out over a three month period. All I want is something a little more than snorkeling, if I spent the time and money to become a cert. diver I wouldn't be able to take advantage of it, and would forget more than I learned between vacations..... So what would you guys advise? Just be happy with the snorkeling? I know that SNUBA isn't widely excepted by true divers, but it was perfect for me because I could go down deeper than I am able to snorkeling for longer, but not all that goes with real diving. Is there anything similar in AC?? Is there some type of "mini SCUBA" class a person could take???

Thanks for the help.

Your best bet is to do a resort course, known by PADI as Discover Scuba Diving. Involves less than an hour of video/classroom & being shown the gear you'll be using, followed by maybe 1/2 hour going over a few basic safety skills & hand signals in shallow water you can stand up in. Then you're off for a dive at a real dive site. The whole thing takes around 1/2 day.

If you want to do it again during your holiday then you don't do the training part again.

And that real dive at a real dive site will probably be Hol Chan. In my opinion one of the prettiest shallow dive spots in the Caribbean. Looking the critters right in the eye instead of just looking at their backs is priceless.

You can see most everything you will see on a regular dive by just snoreling Hol Chan / Shark & Ray Alley.

My whole family dives but on our last two trips we just snorkeled and didn't miss the diving at all. Traveling with dive gear is a real pain and trusting rental dive gear is unwise (personal opinion) so just go snorkleling, you'll have just as much fun.

Disclaimer: We have dove many times in many locations so maybe the novalty of diving is wearing off for us?????

You can also certified by doing your class work over the internet and come down here to do your dives. My nephew did that with Elbert Greer and was thrilled. He had no "class" time once here and just loved the diving

Yes of course, if you do want to get certified there are several ways to do it, and I like to do it slightly differently from the way Elbert evidently does.

If you have say two weeks with a few evenings free before you come down it's a viable option - you need to find a local PADI dive shop and buy the Open Water Manual and read it. Email the shop here that you intend to use and they should give you additional guidance. Or log onto the PADI.com website and register with them for on-line learning, though that's a more costly option.

Elbert runs the White Sands dive shop about three miles north of town, and if you're staying anywhere in that area you won't go wrong by using him - he's one of the most experienced instructors around. Write back here for his email address (though I'm sure he's reading this thread).

Otherwise we at Protech would be happy to help you.

Someone who catches the scuba bug will find all sorts of places to dive.Local rivers,lakes ,quarry's any water will do.If you really enjoy the scuba experience take the time and get a proper cert.I did almost 20 years ago and it was one of the best things I've ever done.
It gives me an excuse to travel to all these great places and enjoy something that many others can only dream about.

Some people can free dive while snorkeling and get down with the fish – but some of us can’t. Personally I find it takes a lot more exertion to snorkel than it does to dive. I have yet to tire of diving at Hol Chan. The experience of having HUGE schools of fish that you can latterly swim into and swim with is awesome.
You have been given some very good advice by some very good people. I like to recommend that people do their class room work at home and bring a referral with them. You can do PADI, SSI, NAUI, and possibly some others. The instructors here have various certifications.
There is no reason that any training should take 3 months. The most I have experienced is six weeks and I have known people who got private lessons and were done in a week.
I suggest you do some research ---- And NOTHING beast SCUBA!

May the novelty of diving never wear off for me!! Sure, there are days where I don't get the exact same thrill. Usually, that is because I am tired from other activities. And then, of course, I have hundreds of dives off of Ambergris Caye and so one day a dive site that I've done dozens of times before, may not be as thrilling as a completely new dive site at a new (to me) island.

All that said, I do still get thrilled. As I was telling Canuk-diver the other day, I was dropping down onto a site I've been on many many times before and somehow or other, a nurse shark or two managed to get tangled about in my legs as I kicked down. What are the chances???!!! So yeah, back to the WOW factor, just like that!!

And look at Harriette, who no doubt, has many many more dives off Ambergris Caye than do I . . she's still thrilled, thrilled!! Heck, look at Everette . . can't even imagine how many dives he's got and also it is his work . . and still . . still . . he can be thrilled, thrilled . . .

Taking up SCUBA changed my life and I mean, completely changed my life and the only thing I regret about it, is that I didn't take it up sooner.

How about the free "Try-Dive" at Portofino's on Mondays! It's in their new pool and Ecologic's equipment is brand new, which you can also rent to snorkle and dive. Otherwise, PADI and SDI offer their course work on line, which you can do from the comfort of your own home, then once you're here you can do your pool and your 4 open water dives for your certification.
Or the 1/2 day DSD course, like the TryDive, would meet your needs.