I am getting my book and pool scuba training done in the states and want to do the open water dive to complete my certiication in Belize. Does anyone reccommend a company to do the open water dive with and get my certification? How much does the open water certification cost?

Hi, I have been reading about dive shops with PADI, and I am NAUI, I am assuming they accept NAUI in AC as I am visiting in March
Anyone out there know this

JB

A certified diver is a diver. You should be able to dive to your experience level whatever the affiliation of the dive shop.

But if you are doing a "referral" you should if possible choose a dive center for the dives with the same affiliation as that where you do your earlier training. If it's PADI you can go to www.padi.com to see which dive centers are approved. For the four dives for the PADI Open Water certification we charge US$225.

It is possible to complete the dives under a different training body from that you started with, and you will be able to choose which body certifies you. But you will need to have completed all the requirements of the body that certifies you, which may entail some additional work. I'll expand on this if anyone wants me to.

tcilne1,

I would recommend Protech. you can find them on the home page of this site.

Ron

AMIGO DEL MARS....the KINDEST, PROFESSIONAL, EXPERIENCED, and F U N.

Felipe is the best ...

tcline1, I also would recommend Amigos del Mar ! There, you could ask for Jim Zykan. In my opinion, he´s the best PADI-Instructor on the island. I can give you his cell phone number or call Amigos del Mar: +501-2262706.

I have to highly recommend Protech. I came to SP as a new diver last August and with the friendly knowledgeable instruction I got from all the wonderful Protech staff I was confident and skilled enough to dive the Blue Hole as my 22nd dive. The Blue Hole trip was done with Amigos because the Protech boat was in for repairs - however, our rented Protech equipment was far superior to any one else’s on the boat. We were the only two people with integrated weight BC's and some of the wet suits that others had rented were literally in tatters. From diving the week before with Protech my skills were sharpened enough for me to feel completely confident in the water - even at 145 feet with sharks. It was the best day of my life - an incredible experience and I left SP a much better diver than when I came. I thank the Protech staff for that. mobunny

Yes, I am talking about a referral. I am doing to first phases with a PADI ceritfied training center so I would need to use a PADI certified center in Belize. Are Protech and Amigos Del Mar approved under PADI? Thanks for the responses.

Both Protech and Amigos del Mar are Padi certified dive operations. You are going to LOVE diving in the beautiful waters of Belize. mobunny

PADI list 7 dive centers in the town area of San Pedro. No others are approved, though of course this doesn't necessarily mean they aren't any good. The two marked are 5*, which means they meet certain additional standards, such as having air quality checked by PADI every 3 months:-
Ambergris Divers,
Belize Ocean Divers,
Aqua Dives,
Amigos del Mar,
Grumpy & Happy,
Protech Belize (5*IDC center),
Ramon's (5* IDC center)