Started your PADI course at home and want to finish it on the reef? We run open water referral dives Belize-bound students can book ahead, so you skip the classroom on vacation and spend your island days underwater. At White Sands Dive Shop in San Pedro, Elbert Greer completes referred students with four open water dives in warm Caribbean water.
This page is for two kinds of traveler: people who studied with PADI eLearning and still need their pool and ocean training, and people whose home dive center already signed off their theory and pool work. It explains which route you are on, what to pack in your paperwork folder and how to plan the days.
What are open water referral dives in Belize?
Quick answer: Open water referral dives finish a PADI Open Water course you began at home. Bring your signed referral form, and White Sands Dive Shop on Ambergris Caye completes your four open water dives over two half days. If you only did eLearning, plan 3-4 days for pool sessions and training dives.
PADI eLearning vs referral: which route are you on?
The two terms get mixed up, so start here. eLearning is a way to study the theory online; it is not a route by itself. A referral is the paperwork that lets one PADI instructor hand you to another once your theory and pool skills are done.
| Route | Done before you arrive | Done with us in San Pedro | Time to allow on the island | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Water Referral | Theory plus confined water (pool) skills, signed off by your home instructor | Four open water dives | Two half days | Divers with a local shop and a short trip |
| Open Water for eLearning completion | PADI eLearning theory only | Pool sessions plus four open water training dives | 3-4 days | Travelers with no dive center near home |
| Full Open Water course | Nothing | Five classes plus four open water dives | 3-4 days | People who prefer to study face to face |
Fees differ between the three routes, and you will find them listed as course prices for referral and eLearning students on our Water Sports page. If you have not begun yet, the PADI Open Water course taught start to finish on Ambergris Caye covers the third route in detail.
Which route should you choose?
- Pick a referral if a PADI dive center near home can run your pool sessions before the trip and you want the most free days in Belize.
- Pick eLearning completion if you want to study on your own schedule but have no pool or instructor nearby. Your skills training then happens with us.
- Pick the full course if you would rather ask questions in person while you learn, and your trip is long enough.
PADI notes that eLearning works well for families, who can study together at home and then train side by side on the island. Whichever you pick, the card you earn is the same PADI Open Water Diver certification.
How to sign up for PADI eLearning with White Sands
When you buy eLearning, PADI links your account to a dive center. Our eLearning prices are based on people who affiliate with White Sands Dive Shop at sign up, so use our link rather than a generic one.
- Open the PADI eLearning sign-up page linked to White Sands Dive Shop and choose Open Water Diver.
- Work through the reading, videos and quizzes at your own pace. The fee you pay PADI covers only this knowledge portion.
- Email us your travel dates so we can schedule the in-water training around your flights.
- Arrive with your eLearning finished, so island time goes into the water, not onto a screen.
Finish open water certification in Belize with referral dives
PADI describes a referral as parts one and two of the course, knowledge development and confined water skills, completed at home. Your local instructor then gives you a referral form that any PADI dive center in the world can accept. The receiving instructor reviews your skills in a pool or pool-like setting before taking you to open water.
What paperwork do I need for PADI referral dives?
- Your PADI referral form, signed and dated by your home instructor, showing which skills you completed.
- Your completed medical questionnaire. If it flags a condition, bring a doctor’s clearance from home.
- Proof of your eLearning completion if you studied online.
Watch the 12-month window
PADI allows up to 12 months from your last training segment to finish the open water dives. Sooner is better, because pool skills fade if they sit for most of a year. Book your home pool sessions close to your departure date.
Ran out of time before the trip? PADI lets your home instructor fill in a referral form that records which skills you finished and when, and another PADI instructor can pick up from there. Email us a photo of the form before you travel so we can plan the rest of your training.
Planning your checkout dives on Ambergris Caye
Checkout dives is simply another name for those final four open water dives. Our local trips depart at 9:00, and we collect you from the dock of your hotel, so there is no need to find the shop on your first morning.
Leave time at the end of the trip. For multiple dives or multiple days of diving, Divers Alert Network recommends at least 18 hours at the surface before you fly, and leaving the island means a flight to the mainland. A good plan is to finish the referral dives early in your stay, then spend the remaining days on fun reef dives off Ambergris Caye as a new diver.
Once you hold your card, you can keep going with the Advanced Open Water course with night, deep and navigation dives, and the complete guide to learning to dive on Ambergris Caye lists every other course we teach.
Who completes your certification
Referral students finish with Elbert Greer, a PADI IDC Staff Instructor who owns and runs White Sands Dive Shop. The shop is a 5 Star PADI Dive Facility and is licensed by the Belize Tourism Board. Find out more about Elbert Greer and his teaching background.
Bryan Nelson wrote after Sam’s certification dives with Elbert: “Joan, Sam and I want to thank you for all the personal and professional attention you gave to our group of divers and, particularly, Sam.” His full letter and others are on our page of student letters about diving with Elbert.
Open water referral dives, Belize: your questions answered
How long do open water referral dives take in Belize?
At White Sands Dive Shop, allow two half days to complete the four open water dives of a PADI referral.
Is PADI eLearning the same as a referral?
No. eLearning covers only the theory. A referral means your home instructor has also signed off your pool skills, so you only need the open water dives.
How long is a PADI referral valid?
PADI allows up to 12 months from your last training segment to complete the open water dives.
What if I only finished eLearning before my trip?
Then you take the eLearning completion course with us, which adds pool sessions to the four open water training dives. Allow 3-4 days.
How soon can I fly after my referral dives?
Divers Alert Network recommends at least 18 hours at the surface after multiple dives or multiple days of diving before you fly.
Book your referral or eLearning dives
Send us your travel dates and tell us whether you hold a referral form or finished eLearning only. Email elbertgreer@fastmail.fm or call 011 (501) 226 2405.