Dive the Belize Barrier Reef

Nope! You can learn from scratch, build on your current qualifications or just spend the week soaking up the sun – it’s up to you! your host certifies divers so you can explore a whole new world whilst also doing your part to protect it. Look at the Optional Extras section for the prices of the PADI qualifications on offer, and then just ask when booking about the options for getting your PADI Open Water Certification or any additional qualifications you may want.

Your host can offer a full range of PADI qualifications and courses which you can do during your stay. See Optional Extras section for prices. These include:

PADI Certification Courses Offered on the Island:

• PADI Open Water Certification (3 days)
• PADI Advanced Open Water Certification (1 week)
• PADI Rescue Diver Certification (1 week)
• PADI Dive Master Certification (4 week minimum stay)

PADI Specialty Certification Courses Offered on the Island:

• PADI Specialty Course: Invasive Lionfish
• PADI Specialty Course: Coral Reef Conservation
• PADI Specialty Course: Fish Identification
• PADI Specialty Course: Deep Diver
• PADI Specialty Course: Emergency First Response
• PADI Specialty Course: Underwater Photographer

Note that the PADI Open Water, Advanced, Rescue, Dive Master, and Underwater Photographer require the PADI eLearning prior to arrival which is an additional cost paid to PADI. All other courses do NOT require the PADI eLearning prior to arrival. You must be a fully certified Open Water diver before taking any PADI Specialty Courses. Just request at the time of booking.

It's totally up to you. Some people want to get involved as much as possible, others want to combine conservation dives with relaxation and some fun dives, while others just want to relax in a hammock with a good book. The choice is yours!

Of course! People often stay from between 1- 8 weeks and you can extend your trip for as many weeks as you like. If you wish to book for more than week just get in touch with our Customer Service team so we can set up your booking.

IMPORTANT: The diving week is Monday to Friday, so if you do want to dive for additional weeks, you will still need to leave the island every weekend.

The Belize Department of Fisheries charges $25 USD per week for all volunteer visits to the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Park where your trip is held, and this fee is a legal requirement. The marine park fee provides critical funding for the Belize Department of Fisheries to patrol and enforce no fish zones and other conservation efforts in the marine park. Hence, just by visiting you are supporting marine conservation efforts! The fee is collected by your host at the end of your stay by credit card.

There are some incredible day trips that run from Placencia on the weekends, inlcuding to the ancient ruins at Tikal, jungls and nature expeditions, spelunking, repelling, ziplining, cave and river tubing, cultural tours - there's literally something for everyone. Lots of tours also depart from Placencia and your host recommends Roam Belize or Placencia Tourz. Please contact them direct for information and pricing.

It's important that you only bring reef-safe sunscreen onto the island. Over the past three years, around one-fifth of the world’s coral reefs have died off and there is a growing awareness that sunscreen is playing a role in this. On average 14,000 tons of sunscreen slide off of humans and onto the world’s coral reefs each year, exposing vital underwater ecosystems to potentially fatal chemicals.

Here is a list of recommended Reef-Safe Sunscreens on the Market

• Badger SPF 30 Unscented Sunscreen Cream
• Stream2Sea SPF 30
• Mineral Sunblock Thinksport SPF 50 Sunscreen
• All Good SPF 30 Sport Sunscreen Lotion
• Coral Safe All Natural Biodegradable Sunscreen
• Sun Bum Reef Friendly Ingredients Sunscreen
• Babo Botanicals SPF 30 Clear Zinc Lotion
• Raw Elements SPF 30 Certified Natural Sunscreen
• Tropical Sands Biodegradable Mineral Sunscreen

For current advice about travelling in Belize, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here.

Due to the nature of this particular adventure, this adventure in Belize is one of the very few exceptions to the offer.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.