Swheeler25
Registered
I will be taking a trip to Belize (San Pedro) in December with my mother (non-diver), and I was looking into a Dive Shop to meet both of our needs.
I guess my first question would be should I schedule my diving through our hotel (Pelican Reef Villas) or should I outsource to a local shop (Ecologic/Aqua Dives)?
I have done some research and narrowed it down to Ecologic and/or Aqua Dives. I am looking to dive all over the board, (boat/night/blue hole/Hol Chan/Eblow etc.) and I was wondering which shop could better accomodate. If I go through the hotel I could get a package that includes almost everything at a fair price. However, if there is anything missing from the hotel package, i don't have the option to add it. If i get a package through Aqua Dives, I can always add and additional dive through them. Ecologic does not post packages online, but i'm sure that they are offered similar to Aqua Dives.
Based on your personal experience, when in San Pedro Belize, is it better to go through your Hotel (in this case Pelican Reef), or through a local dive shop? Are the dive masters better at one or the other? How many people per DM? Accomodations such as park fees, beverages, pick-up, etc? I would appreciate any and all input on either of these two options.
Also, my mother would be a non-diver who would surely like to accompany me on the bigger dives such as Blue Hole, Hol Chan, etc. Is she going to get ripped off because she is just a snorkeler and not a diver? Also, will she be the only person snorkeling on these dives?
Thanks for any input,
Scott
I guess my first question would be should I schedule my diving through our hotel (Pelican Reef Villas) or should I outsource to a local shop (Ecologic/Aqua Dives)?
I have done some research and narrowed it down to Ecologic and/or Aqua Dives. I am looking to dive all over the board, (boat/night/blue hole/Hol Chan/Eblow etc.) and I was wondering which shop could better accomodate. If I go through the hotel I could get a package that includes almost everything at a fair price. However, if there is anything missing from the hotel package, i don't have the option to add it. If i get a package through Aqua Dives, I can always add and additional dive through them. Ecologic does not post packages online, but i'm sure that they are offered similar to Aqua Dives.
Based on your personal experience, when in San Pedro Belize, is it better to go through your Hotel (in this case Pelican Reef), or through a local dive shop? Are the dive masters better at one or the other? How many people per DM? Accomodations such as park fees, beverages, pick-up, etc? I would appreciate any and all input on either of these two options.
Also, my mother would be a non-diver who would surely like to accompany me on the bigger dives such as Blue Hole, Hol Chan, etc. Is she going to get ripped off because she is just a snorkeler and not a diver? Also, will she be the only person snorkeling on these dives?
Thanks for any input,
Scott