Must be Belizean with tour guide licence to teach own family for free in Belize?

[Joe Underwater]

I just received a strange response from a dive resort in Belize. I am bringing my family out for a week of diving and plan to complete the open water dives from the open water course with two of them myself. I am not charging them for this. The resort's dive staff has responded that I must have a Belizean tour guide license which you can't get unless you are Belizean. What's going on here? There are loads of foreigners teaching and guiding in Belize just like everywhere else, no?

 

[Mark IV]

Years ago, I did a free PADI Advanced for my buddy's girlfreind while we were all on a small live-aboard running out of Ambergris. I had no idea I was so flagrantly running afoul of the law !!!!
(of course, this may have pre-dated this load of hooey that the OP is dealing with).
If it's y'alls resort that's giving you the grief, you should be able to rent tanks/gear somewhere else. Hell, if it came down to it, you could even sign their temp cards so they could get tanks/gear, and you guys go as a group of certified divers doing a couple shore dives, if the Belizeans are gonna be such pricks about it.
Obviously, that's got potential "concerns", but you may be forced to get creative.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Might be a misunderstanding. Potentially, you will need to have a paid Belizean dive guide in the water with your group. And perhaps some kind of fee above and beyond Tank Rentals Etc to the company.

I've known two instructors and that have taken their own clients down there to complete their certification off. I don't know what the arrangements were and this was a number of years back so regulations could have changed since then.

 

[ReefHound]

How were they even aware of your intent? It's usually best to just keep it to yourself.

 

[tridacna]

How were they even aware of your intent? It's usually best to just keep it to yourself.

How they going to get tanks without C-cards?

 

[KeithG]

I just received a strange response from a dive resort in Belize. I am bringing my family out for a week of diving and plan to complete the open water dives from the open water course with two of them myself. I am not charging them for this. The resort's dive staff has responded that I must have a Belizean tour guide license which you can't get unless you are Belizean. What's going on here? There are loads of foreigners teaching and guiding in Belize just like everywhere else, no?

You are stealing a job from a local DM. There are several countries which appear to be very protective of jobs (and Canada gets lumped in here...).

First question: Do you have a valid work permit for Belize?

They will most likely not dispute the $ amount you charge for your service. BUT: You are performing a payable service in their country. You may be a terrible business person and may not be charging appropriately. Regardless, you are providing a service. You are just a stupid business person that does not charge enough! That is not their problem.

The flip side of this also works. Every year when I file my taxes I claim ALL of my business expenses. There are no laws regarding being a smart business person. Smart or stupid, you MUST follow the rules. Stupid business people often have more than minimal business expenses. I am not very smart so often have very high expenses with very little profit. There is no law against being stupid.

 

[Joe Underwater]

How were they even aware of your intent? It's usually best to just keep it to yourself.

I told them this was my plan. I have done it numerous other places...Thailand, Phillippines...didn't even dawn on me it would be a problem. Oh well. Guess we will pay a Belizean instructor.

You are stealing a job from a local DM.

You bring up a good point here. They said that a DM would conduct the open water portion of the dives, and now you seem to be confirming that. Is it really that common for DM's to be conducting open water courses in Belize? That is a gross violation of standards of every certification agency I am aware of. Who's name will be on my niece's c-cards? I will be checking the teaching status of any Belizian teaching my family members.

 

[Joe Underwater]

How they going to get tanks without C-cards?

This is probably the least of my concerns. I can arrange that.

Our LDS adjacent to the training site allows fills if you just say you are a student. I always thought that was crazy from a liability standpoint.

 

[ReefHound]

When are you going? Can you just take them to a local lake and get it done before your trip?

 

[Joe Underwater]

When are you going? Can you just take them to a local lake and get it done before your trip?

Yeah I have time and options. That wasn't the point. I'll just have them do it. I am not really that bothered. It just surprised me at the rigid response. I just means more days I can do the good diving while they are getting certified.