San Pedro dive instructors participated in the fifth annual scuba diving summer program held in Punta Gorda Town, the southernmost municipality in the Toledo District, where a new group of young students earned their Open Water Diver certification. The program, which took students on open water dives between July 31st and August 2nd, aims each year to train up to 20 participants, ages 14 to 24, in scuba diving. The newly certified divers were instructed by San Pedro-based PADI professionals Everette Anderson and Enes Ramirez of Belize Diving Adventures, along with Punta Gorda native Ched Cabral and Estrom Aldana of Reef Adventures. Supporting the team were Assistant Instructor Thomas Cal and logistics coordinators Philip Vernon and Gene Lopez.
The annual summer scuba diving program has been organized in partnership with the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), the U.S.-based nonprofit Access to Opportunity, St. George’s Caye Resort, and Xbox.
Instructor Anderson has been a consistent contributor to the initiative. He said that from the very first camp, he did not hesitate to accept Cabral’s invitation, who wanted to give back to his hometown. Anderson explained that before the in-water portion of the program, participants completed three weeks of online knowledge development as part of the PADI Open Water Diver course.
On July 31st, participants attended a meet-and-greet session, followed by confined-water training in a swimming pool. Anderson said it is important for students to master their skills in the pool before progressing to open water. The following day, participants completed two open water dives at the edge of the Belize Barrier Reef near Seal Caye. The final dives took place on August 2nd north of Seal Caye.
Cabral, who operates Reef Adventures in San Pedro, said the initiative was created to provide opportunities for the younger generation in Punta Gorda. “I had to leave my beloved community for an opportunity,” Cabral said. “Now, I am bringing the opportunity to my community,” Cabral added. He relocated to San Pedro many years ago in search of better opportunities.
Organizers said they look forward to hosting the program again next year and thanked everyone who continues to support the initiative. They extended special appreciation to sponsors and partners, including Access to Opportunity, TIDE, PADI, DAN World, St. George’s Caye Resort, and Xbox.