Learn to Dive With Hamanasi

Never been under water before? Never blown any bubbles before? No problem!

While you’re here in a diver’s paradise, try a one day Discover SCUBA class or get your PADI Open Water Certification with Hamanasi’s experienced PADI Instructors. The Southern Barrier Reef has many shallow sand patches that allow new divers the opportunity to practice skills in a safe and calm environment whilst watching eagle rays, turtles and fish swim by. You may even be lucky enough to see some dolphins on one of your first dives!

PADI Discover SCUBA Diving Course

Have you always wondered what it’s like to breathe underwater? If you want to try scuba diving, but aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into a certification course, Discover SCUBA Diving (DSD) is for you.

At Hamanasi we start your scuba diving experience by watching a short video explaining your upcoming diving experience. This video introduces students to the skills, safety considerations and what to expect during their DSD training. After the video your instructor will guide you to the pool to learn some of the necessary skills to join them for a dive on the world famous Belize Barrier Reef. This pool lesson helps prepare students for the sensation of breathing underwater and helps you get comfortable with the scuba diving equipment.

After a break for lunch you can join your instructor on our custom built dive boat to make a dive on the reef; where we often find many colorful fish, lobsters, rays, nurse sharks and even turtles! Not a scuba certification course, Discover Scuba Diving is a quick and easy introduction to explore the underwater world.

To sign up for a PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience, you must be at least 10 years old. No prior experience with scuba diving is necessary, but you need to be in reasonable physical health.

PADI Open Water Certification Course

The world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba course is the PADI Open Water Diver Course. Millions of people have learned to scuba dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the aquatic world upon completion of this course.

At Hamanasi our PADI Dive Instructors help guide students through this course in as little as 3 days. A typical Hamanasi PADI Open Water schedule consists of the following, but can be tailored around your custom adventure schedule.

Before you start: Collect your PADI Open Water materials consisting of your Student Record, PADI Open Water manual, Recreational Dive Planner with instruction book and log book so you can study before your course starts. We will also have you complete the required course paperwork and review and complete the medical questionnaire.
Day 1: Meet your Open Water Instructor and start by watching the PADI Open Water presentations. After the videos you will review the chapter with your Instructor to help solidify the concepts, history, theory and planning. After completing all five academic sections you will break for lunch before jumping into the pool and learning all 24 dive skills required for the Open Water course.
Day 2 and 3: Morning 2-tank dives on Belize’s Barrier Reef. You’ll join your dive instructor for two morning dives each day working on skills, dive planning and dive execution along our beautiful barrier reef. During these dives it’s not uncommon to swim with turtles, many tropical fish, and different species of rays and even nurse sharks!

Upon completion of the PADI Open Water course divers are certified to rent equipment and dive with other certified divers up to depths of 60ft (18m) at dive sites around the world.

PADI Open Water Referral Course

If you have completed all your confined water modules and written tests with a different instructor and need your open water certification dives, the Open Water Referral Course is for you! This course will allow you to complete your four open water dives in a tropical ocean environment with a certified PADI instructor and receive your Open Water Certification.

PADI E-Learning Open Water Course

Keeping up with the growth of the digital age PADI has introduced the Open Water ELearning Course. It’s the same popular and most recognized scuba certification in the world; the PADI Open Water certification, but online. The big advantage to the eLearning course is the convenience of doing all your course work from the comfort of your home before joining us in Belize for all your in-water training. This lets you maximize your time on holiday. Instead of spending your time in the classroom you are spending it on the beach, in the jungle or on the dive boat.

Day 1: Since you completed all your academic course work at home, after meeting your instructor you start this half day by jumping into the pool and learning the 24 dive skills required for the Open Water certification.
Day 2 and 3: Morning 2-tank dives on Belize’s Barrier Reef. You’ll join your dive instructor for two morning dives each day working on skills, dive planning and dive execution along our beautiful barrier reef. During these dives it’s not uncommon to swim with turtles, many tropical fish, and different species of rays and even nurse sharks!

Upon completion of the PADI Open Water course divers are certified to rent equipment and dive with other certified divers up to depths of 60ft (18m) at dive sites around the world.

PADI SCUBA Diver Course

If you’ve always wanted to take scuba diving lessons, experience unparalleled adventure and see the world beneath the waves, this is where it starts. The PADI Scuba Diver certification is the first step to the diving lifestyle. This course can be completed in as little as two days.

Upon successfully completing the PADI Scuba Diver course you will be certified to dive up to 40′ (12m) under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional. This is often the best option for guests wanting to experience more time underwater and less time in the classroom during their holiday. In the morning you will meet your PADI Instructor who will start with a series of videos and lectures to help you learn the theory of scuba diving. After a lunch break your instructor will issue your scuba diving equipment before heading to the pool to work through the PADI Scuba Diver skills. Upon mastery of these skills you will board the morning dive boat and head to the Belize Barrier reef to make two dives towards certification. Upon successfully completing the PADI Scuba Diver course you can dive for the remainder of your holiday and when you return home you will receive your certification card to continue diving only at PADI facilities around the world with PADI Professionals.

The PADI Scuba Diver course can be upgraded at any time to the PADI Open Water certification by finishing the remaining credits necessary and open even more doors to explore the underwater realm.

To enroll in a PADI Scuba Diver course (or Junior Scuba Diver course), you must be 10 years old or older. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. No prior experience with scuba diving is required.