I came to the Bay Islands six years ago, planning on doing a couple of days diving before carrying on travelling throughCentral America, but the lifestyle had me hooked almost immediately and I see the same thing happening to others on a weekly basis. It is the desire to stay a round for a little longer that causes many people to take course after course.
The Bay Islands have had a reputation as the cheapest place to learn to dive form may years. Guide books such as Lonely planet often seem to create self fulfilling prophecies and astute dive shop owners recognise this.
Basically the shops have figured out what their customers want and provide/market it. The conditions for dive training are great, its usually calm, clear and warm. The Bay Islands are easily accessible from the US with short direct flights from Houston and Atlanta, making it preferable to the other large training regions in Asia, mainly Thailand.
The Bay islands also cater to those who are certified and want to do a dive trip without training. Most dive operations separate student divers and certified diver with careful boat scheduling and multiple boats.
What really seems to stand out about places like the Bay Islands and Thailand is the fact that diving is a lifestyle choice for many of the people there. It really is possible to have a rewarding career in diving and these places are probably one of the best examples of that. You don't just dive with your diveshop, they are a family, social events tend to center around the dive operation you are affiliated with, giving many people the ideal long or short vacation with an instant social network and plenty of activities to chose from, we often also go wakeboarding and fishing with our customers as well as having 2-3 cookouts a week. Unlike many vacations i have had where i felt like a stranger in a strange town, the day I arrived in Roatan it felt like home. Taking dive courses allowed me to turn it into my home.
