02 Jul 2023
I wanted to let my daughter get her PADI Open Water Dive Certification while we were on vacation in Belize. The concierge at our resort got us in with Splash Dive Center in Placencia, Belize, CA. Patty Rodriguez, the owner and dive operations executive greeted us like family upon our arrival the first day. Her dive staff was amazing taking every opportunity to put us at ease with their professionalism and courtesy. The smiles and mannerisms of the entire crew, George, the boat Captain, Jose, the chief dive instructor, Moses, Nivia, & Sam the Divemasters were attentive and kind. Day one was shallow water check-out dives and instruction for my daughter. I have been certified for years and it brought me great joy to see her absorb each lesson Jose offered. Diving at Laughing Bird Caye was incredible with 86 degree surface water temperature and the same at 60 feet. Jose made sure that my daughter was both comfortable and knowledgeable as she made her way in this underwater paradise. The coral reef has excellent visibility and hundreds of species of fish, coral, and sea life to watch and explore. The highlights of the day one dive came on tank 2 dive with about 75 feet of visibility, as the "man in the grey suit", a lemon reef shark, made a cameo appearance with his ride-a-long sidekick, a beautiful remora. Day 2 dives just became more exciting on tank 1 with the discovery of a 12-pound rock lobster poking out from under his shelf. With slightly reduced visibility from the day before, only 45-50 ft., the Big Boy came out to play and allowed us to swim along with him as the Goliath Grouper at about 200 pounds swam out of his cave and into the channel in search of the lobster we had seen yesterday. This was a picturesque island setting for a delicious chicken & rice lunch with balmy breezes and turquoise blue water encircling the coral reef and island. At the conclusion of Day 2 my daughter successfully earned her Open Water Certificate and is now eligible to dive anywhere in the world with a qualified Divemaster. Papa is very proud. Together we swam and dived and explored an underwater wonderland. Hand in hand as we shared the joy and magic at 45 feet.