belize /caye caulker & placencia

[tiggrr]

I am very new to this so, bear with me. I am taking the written and pool classes at home then, getting my OW when I go to Caye Caulker in August. First, any recommendations on who to go to for my OW in Caye Caulker. Second, this is my 4th trip to Belize so, while I am very familiar with the area... I am not with diving customs. I travel alone and while looking on the boards here, I am noticing people are looking for dive buddies. Is this a common problem, finding someone to dive with? Is that something I should worry about since I usually travel alone??

 

[declan]

Don't worry at all. You'll either get a buddy from another student or the instructor (which is hardly bad) !!!

 

[Damselfish]

I wouldn't say not to worry at all, it's something to pay attention to. If you buddy up with just anyone you meet or are paired up with on a boat you may find they are a great buddy, or a dangerous idiot. You need to do enough to make sure you don't have the latter, and just say no if that happens. Search on this board and you'll find lots of discussions on how to detect a good/bad buddy, things people have had happen to them, and tips on how to be a good buddy.

 

[tschehr]

I suggest Frenchies for a dive op to complete your certification. There are several DIs there but the guy who runs the show now that Frenchie has more or less moved to the mainland is Abel (pronounced with a short "a"). He is a great guy, very careful, and very accomodating. They are also pretty good at pairing dive buddies based on experience and style (slow/not-so-slow, reasonable breather/air sucker, no-photo/photographer, etc.)

re: dive buddy
I also frequently travel by myself and I've never had a problem finding a dive buddy once I get to where I am going. I ususally head to a dive shop, sign up for some dives and get assigned to the other single person. If I don't like the way that person dives I discretely tell the DM that I want to switch.
(If I waited to have a dive buddy, I'd hardly ever go anywhere.)

 

[kkrepps]

I am very new to this so, bear with me. I am taking the written and pool classes at home then, getting my OW when I go to Caye Caulker in August. First, any recommendations on who to go to for my OW in Caye Caulker. Second, this is my 4th trip to Belize so, while I am very familiar with the area... I am not with diving customs. I travel alone and while looking on the boards here, I am noticing people are looking for dive buddies. Is this a common problem, finding someone to dive with? Is that something I should worry about since I usually travel alone??

See if James Andrews is still on the island. Instructors and DMs tend to move around. James used to run the dive operation with me when I was the instructor at Hamanasi in Hopkins. He's now an instructor. Very conciencious, very knowladgable, and lots of fun. Tell him Kent says Hi.
Kent Krepps
PADI #176700