Guests

Irina, February 2011

Sharlene and Joe, January 2011

 Sharlene Schotte & Joe Gunderson, Jan 2011

Francois: What a great time we had taking our open water and advanced open water courses with you, Gio and Kurt!!  

You're an exceptional instructor and made us comfortable with everything from pool skills to a really cool deep dive.

Costa Maya Reef Resort is a wonderful location for the BAD boys of Belize!!  Mexico Rocks, Playa Blanca and many other reef dives are within minutes of the dive shop.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve, the best aquarium we've ever seen,  is a quick 20 minutes away.  But our absolute favorite dive was only 10 minutes away at Mata Canyon with swim throughs, coral canyons, beautiful fish and Gio matching strokes with an old Hawksbill sea turtle.

The water was 79 degrees at 115 feet so I never felt the urge to use my wet suit.

Gio and Kurt were great and we both can't wait to dive again with the best BAD boys in Belize!!  

So get into 'Bad Manners' and 'Bad Attitude' and GET WET!!

 We wore our t-shirts back to Calgary!

Sharlene and Joe

Lindsay, January 2011

Hey Francois, hows everything going down there in paradise? It's Lindsay here back in the frozen tundra north of the 49th. I really miss you guys and the beautiful weather and the diving of course.

Curt, January 2011

Thanks. We made it home just fine, but it’s cold as crap here compared to Belize! We all wanted to turn right around and go back.

The entire family agreed that it was the best vacation we’ve ever had. What a fantastic place. Thanks again to you, Geo, and Kirk for helping to make our experience so memorable. I know my family will never forget petting the sharks!

From a personal perspective, I can’t imagine having a better first diving experience. Geo was so great at pointing out and identifying the marine life for me, and making me feel completely comfortable. I felt totally safe under his watch.

Can’t wait till next time. See you then!

Heidi Meredith and Brett Arata, Sep'10

I can't thank you enough for the fabulous time we had diving with you last week. Being a new diver I felt completely comfortable (after letting go of Gio's hand) diving. By the second dive I felt like a pro (kind of...). Anyway, the four of us (Sharon, Chris, Brett and myself) had the best time ever. The dive trips were absolutely the highlight of our stay in Belize. If I am ever lucky enough to return to the beautiful island I will definately dive with Belize Academy of Diving again. I will always recommend you highly to anyone who asks. Also, your willingness to "rescue" us from Tropical Storm Matthew was above and beyond anything we could have expected. We all felt completely comfortable with the trip even though the water was too high to go under the bridge and we did have to go around the tip of the island! At no time did we feel nervous and can not thank you enough for providing that service for us. What an adventure! It was completely out of your way and we very very much appreciate it. As you can tell, we made it home safe and sound.

Jim Williams, Aug'10

Wanted to send a note telling you that the experience at your dive shop was excellent and I will recommend you to anyone diving in Belize.

Your staff was great, especially Gio and his patience, and the ladies thought Kirk did a great job on the snorkeling adventure.

Bill McAdory, Jul'10

My wife, her brother and wife spent five glorious days diving with BAD. Gio and captain Kirk made us feel special with the careful attention they gave us all week. Gio is likely the best Dive Master we have been within 15 years of SCUBA and we have had some good ones.

Even on a day when the sea was really “swell” Gio and Captain Kirk made it really fun!

I recommend Belize Academy of Diving to anyone coming to that area for SCUBA – good folks, quality customer service

Terry & Norma, Mar'10

Craig, we just wanted to thank you and your staff for some great diving experiences last month.
 
The dive sites were fantastic and the service and care offered by you, Giovanni and Kirk is the best we have ever had, hope to see you guys again soon.

Diane & Larry, Nov'09

Hope you are doing well. Just wanted to emphasize that you are such an EXCELLENT teacher and really helped Larry and I. Going into the class I was very nervous especially being underwater for a long period of time, but you really helped me be very calm. The drills were very beneficial, which you are extremely attentive and helped 200%. My only drawback is that the first time I did a dive that you were not my instructor which was in St. Croix over 5 years ago. If you were my instructor at the time, I would have been scuba diving since then and possibly had other advanced scuba certifications. I am very thankful though that we took the full course of Open Water Diver and now looking forward to many dives in the future. Larry & I plan to come back to the resort in 2011, and want to take another class, maybe Advanced Open Water Diver. I have to say that your class is the BEST that I have ever had and look forward to the next one with you. I have enclosed pictures of us and you and Zach too. I miss Costa Maya Reef and diving already!!! It is too cold here in Chicago!!

Marcus Shirley, Jul'09

I want to tell you that our dive experience with you was just wonderful. The service and professionalism was beyond reproach. You are very fortunate to have 2 such able men as Giovanni and Kirk. It is hard to find guys that you can trust with your equipment and reputation, not to mention peoples lives. Giovanni is a very special person. He is confident, experienced and disciplined. I learned a lot from him. We will probably be returning again next year and when we do we will certainly look you guys up. Stay wet.

Eric Golda, Feb'09

Craig was an awesome teacher and was a joy to dive with. We could not have been happier with our experience and would recommend his shop to others!

Errol Barrie, Jan'09

It just goes to show - you don't know how good you are 'til you go somewhere else.

Since learning to dive with Craig back in 2004, I've been all over the world diving, in Australia, Thailand, Egypt, Zanzibar and I'm always surprised at the comments I get about my buoyancy and I remember Craig spending extra time on the skill with me during my advanced course working on my buoyancy and apparently his standard is considered a standard of excellence across the world.

I honestly have to go back to Belize and see if the diving is really so much better there. Thank you for the world class instruction.

Jan Meyers, Dec'08

Our trip to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley last Monday was excellent! Carolyn and I wanted to let you know that Abbie (sp?) did a really good job. He was very professional but warm, friendly and fun. His knowledge of the marine life at Hol Chan was outstanding and his boat handling very smooth. We had taken a trip around the island earlier and had a guide who identified a trunk fish as a young bull fish that had not yet grown his horns. The boat captain on that trip was a bit rough, too. By contrast Abbie was pure gold and all five of us talked about that when we got home.

Steve Moss, Aug '08

Thanks for some great diving...

Hope to be back soon...

Greg got his first taste of diving and I think he will get certified during our next Caribbean vacation.

Take care...loved Belize!!!

Karen, Ben and Chris, Jul '08

Just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks for a great time last week. We all thoroughly enjoyed our time with you and appreciate the patience you showed with us, particularly with Ben! Please also pass on our thanks to Jorge and Giovanni.

Seth Meisinger, Jun '08

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the wonderful time we had getting certified and diving with you guys. Amy is a excellent instructor and a great person. Our closed water instructor was ex-military and while I was used to that teaching style he was a bit gruff with Margaret, which I didn't like. Amy was much better suited to teach her. We will most definitely be diving with BAD on our next trip to Belize in the years to come!

Steve & Tiffany Rahn, May '08

Wanted to drop you a note letting you know that your staff was so professional and easy going that we enjoyed our Advance Open Water Certification. I would recommend anyone to take their classes in beautiful Belize and only at Belize Academy of Diving. We were so impressed and agreed that it was the best vacation we have ever had, that I even wrote to PADI about the top notch PADI School in Belize. Craig and Tracey you have wonderful staff and can't wait to come back soon. We will be back several times a year in the future.

Lance Thomas, Apr '08

Just a quick note to thank you and the crew at BAD for the wonderful dive-related experiences my 17-year-old daughter, Sagan, and I had while completing our PADI open water certification and subsequent recreational dives with you. Amy's professional (and patient) approach to teaching the two of us was confidence inspiring. The fascinating dives we took following certification were well planned and executed by your other dive masters George, Giovanni and Craig. All dive gear provided (BCDs, regs and wet-suits) was first-rate and your well-equipped boats gave us a great ride to each site and my wife ease of mind while she awaited our return. Given the polished approach taken at BAD, there's no doubt you will continue to provide beginning-through-seasoned recreational divers with the best of service in the years to come.

Chris Wallis, Mar '08

Once again thank you all for looking after me during my stay and for all the hard work you guys put in to get me through the course. It was a wonderful experience with lots of fun thrown in.

I was very impressed with your set up: all of your staff are professional and always polite and very helpful.

Particular thanks to Amy, who kept a close eye on me.

I feel that I have been spoilt in having seen what I saw during the dives I did with you. It's going be hard to find other areas as beautiful but I will endeavour to find some!

Sandra and Steve Ross, Mar '08

"We would like to thank you for a great diving experience. We thoroughly enjoyed all our dive sites, especially Esmeralda, and always felt we were in good hands." Read their whole letter.

Diane Chambers and Tim Cooper, Mar '08

We are in the paper! "...every dive with this group is amazing." Read the whole article from the Belize Tribune.

Janine Mills, Feb '08

I think the online course is excellent and I was thrilled with The Belize Academy of Diving, and our instructor Amy, who was meticulous in her teaching and safety. We felt nurtured and cared for, as well I think she covered everything so we felt quite secure in our knowledge. I am so excited to have completed my certification!!!

Micah Goodman, Feb '08

I just wanted to thank you again for a great experience diving in Belize. You guys were really helpful and really professional, and I truly enjoyed my experience with you. Thank you also for getting my paperwork on the advanced certification done so quickly -- I got my card in the mail from PADI yesterday.

Vanessa and David, Feb '08

Many thanks to all at BAD for a great course, especially Amy. We feel we would really like to carry on diving now which we weren't sure about before. We may be back!

[One week later]

We had a great week on Glovers and did some proper diving! Nice to get down to 60ft for the first time off Long Caye. We will definitely carry on. Just a little bit of feedback. We thought the course was very well run and you have a very professional outfit. However we didn't know that before we came. We chose you because you had the most informative website and because you were very good at keeping in touch and replying to emails. Thought you might like to know that it works.

Lynn and Scott Reeh, Jan '08

Thank you all again for making Scott's open water certification so much fun and easy (?) for him. He's still talking about it. It was a wonderful experience and you have a fantastic facility there. We WILL be back!

Thanks again for making our week at Costa Maya one of the best vacations ever!

You guys are BAD!

Scott Proper, Jan '08

I am emailing to thank you again for the excellent experiences we had diving with you over the past week. Paulina and I were very impressed by your professionalism and your staff. We felt that the sites you took us to were spectacular and that the briefings before each dive were exceptional. We appreciated that you focus on entering the water quickly and commencing the dive; this approach is much more fun than floating around on the surface for ~10 minutes while everybody goofs around (this floating around on the surface for no reason has been our general previous experience). We appreciate that you did not run dives on Wednesday because you felt the conditions were unsafe. We also appreciated the simple tasks that you took care of for us, such as attaching BCDs to tanks and helping us remove our BCDs after each dive. These are simple touches that really went a long way for us; the devil is always in the details in customer service.

Amy and George are to be commended, too. They are exceptionally professional and knowledgeable.

In general, we feel like we hit the jackpot landing with The Belize Academy of Diving. This is because we decided to do our dives with you primarily because we were staying at Costa Maya Resort and your location was convenient; we were unaware that you'd be such an excellent group to dive with. Of course, the full spectrum of approaches to professionalism and customer service that exists throughout all industries also exists in diving. On the one extreme, there is the dive outfit that is far too lax, and on the other, there is the dive outfit that is so militant that they take the fun out of diving with their regimentation. We felt The Belize Academy of Diving delivered the perfect balance between these extremes, and the professionalism that was present throughout everything you did was a great added bonus. I also felt that it was very courteous of you to procure 100 cu ft tanks for me to dive with since I was mowed through the 80 cu ft tanks so quickly on my first day.

Carole Dietterich, Aug '07

I told Wil I would send him the picture of the hammerhead we saw. Sorry it's not of better quality...

...Thanks to both of you and your great staff for working with me and Mike. I am looking forward to diving a few times while we are in Puerto Vallarta in November and, more so, to coming back to Costa Maya and BAD next summer.

Rob Redick, Feb '06

My experience with BAD was in February 06. Craig and Tracy were absolutely great to work with and Captain Wil and Dive Master Gio are the best!

I went to BAD a total novice just having finished my certification dives in a quarry in Pennsylvania and still wet behind the ears :-).

After a week with the BAD boys (and girls) I left having had what I feel was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The crew was great. Everybody was professional, personable, encouraging and supportive. The dive trips on the reef were magnificent and never for a moment did I have reason to question their ability or my safety. Hats off to you guys. I arrived a novice and left feeling I could go anywhere and dive with total confidence. So where will go next? Back to Belize and back to BAD.

Craig, Tracy, Wil, Gio, you guys are the greatest and I'm looking forward to spending another week with you again. I would that every diver could have the experience that I had with you (but I don't want the crowd to get in my way :-)).

Shelley McLean, Jan '06

Just quick note to let you know how fun it was to get to know you a bit more during our visit. I sincerely hope our paths continue to cross. Secondly, thank you to you both, Giovanni and Wil for making my certification and indoctrination into diving so unbelievable…Kurt, Chelsea and I are completely hooked and can’t wait to visit again to explore a bit more. We have decided that we must do the Blue Hole now. It has been quite exciting to discuss how quickly we all became addicts. Thanks to Wil and G for helping me confidently through my hyper ventilating panic attack…I have more confidence because of how they handled the situation and feel more qualified to handle situations…even though you did tell me that now the real learning begins! Also, the shark has become “huge” in the stories…telling it in metric and imperial sizes given the audience…it’s way beyond Jaws now…and the king crab, well don’t get me started. It was magical to be introduced in such style to under the water. You all truly have created a great experience for guests…I wish you continued success as well as some much deserved downtime so you can enjoy your lifestyle.

Mike and Terri Mohnacs, Jan '06

Terri and I wanted to say how much we appreciated the Belize Academy of Diving during our trip to Belize in December of 2005. From our first email with Tracey to the refresher session in the pool to the last dive, the attention to safety and detail were most enjoyable. The entire staff of BAD deserve recognition for their efforts at serving their clientele. The dives were well planned and explained so no one had any reservations prior to leaving the dock. We were able to communicate about the abundant marine life by the hand signals given by Craig and Giovanni, the divemaster. Craig did get baffled once for the hand signal when we sighted a school of spotted dolphin. We also wanted to note the condition of the dive boats and gear. The dive boats were in excellent condition as were the modern safety and navigational equipment. BAD's Captain Wil knew the reefs and wasted no time in getting us to our dive locations.

We will be back in Belize next year and will be diving the entire trip with Belize Academy of Diving. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.

Glenn Huffer and Marta Constable, Dec '05

Marta and I just wanted to drop a quick line thanking everyone at BAD for helping make our vacation "FABULOUS." We were all pleased with your concern for safety and your terrific customer service oriented attitude. Please consider using Marta and myself should you ever need a reference or if a pending vacationer needs an unbiased second opinion.

We look forward to returning to Belize in the near future and using your services.

Thanks for your care and attention on our vacation, and in taking great care of us.

Una Barrie, Aug '05

Just to say that we had the holiday of a life time in your island paradise. We were guided on our snorkel trips by Will who pointed out all the unusual fish and held electric rays and nurse sharks for us to stroke. There was no current and the water was amazingly clear so that the different corals could easily be seen. I highly recommend BAD for the 70 plus snorkeller.

Our 15 year old grandson gained his Open Water Diving Certificate due to Craig's excellent instruction and endless patience. I'm sure he'll be back! Thank you to the whole team.

April Espinoza, Apr '05

...We just wanted to send a quick hello and let you know how much we enjoyed the incredible hospitality and service we received with you guys at the Belize Academy of Diving...

Giovanni and Wil were an awesome team and made our time on the water a total blast (we were a few of the lucky ones aboard when Bad Girl got a little vertical - what a ride!) - Wil and Giovanni just cheered on with excitement so we all knew we were in the best of hands. We can't say enough good things about the two of them and how comfortable they always made us feel. Giovanni was incredibly patient and really put forth his best to accommodate us and make sure we got to see the most each dive site had to offer. We'll never forget our trip to Hol Chan when Giovanni just had us lay back on the bottom and wait for this nice big eagle ray that he just knew would come back by - sure enough it did, along with this amazing school of Tarpin fish that just floated in front of us motionless - we're still talking about it.

...We can't wait to return and will definitely be diving again with everybody at BAD...

Elizabeth O'Brien, Mar '05

Brett and I finally made it home to Shreveport, but we miss you guys and your beautiful island. Our SCUBA adventure was sooo much fun; in fact, it feels like a dream. Brett and I are looking forward to many more SCUBA trips, and we hope to return to Belize to explore the Blue Hole with you guys. Your great guidance and instruction is inspiring. We know that we can SCUBA anywhere after learning from the best. Thanks for everything!

Randy Vogel, Dec '04

I was looking at a website today planning my next trip and ran across your new resort name and of course BAD.  Thought of you and just thought I’d say Hi.  Congrats on completing your second yr. of business. You may not remember me but I’m a tall bald guy and accompanied you on your first trip to the Blue Hole and on your first night dive there (what was that weird worm we saw while ascending!)  That was a pretty hairy trip back across the reef with Tracy and I hanging off the front of the boat watching for coral heads. Anyway, just wanted to say Merry Christmas and if I ever get back to Belize you can bet I’ll book a couple of days of diving with you. You guys were great and the diving was phenomenal.

Robert Dawson, Dec '04

I felt our training was thorough, complete and utterly professional.  Our instructor was focused, attentive, and extremely safety conscious.

Scott Mann, Jul '04

First of all I just wanted to say thank you for helping me to complete my open water diver certification while on vacation at Costa Maya. Your help and patience was the best service that I have received during my entire certification training experience. You and the entire BAD crew do a wonderful job of allowing people to enjoy their vacations and to learn the fundamentals of diving. I hope to recommend BAD to my local dive shop (they might benefit from your customer service)...

...I can't wait return to Belize some day down the road to continue my diving experiences.

Shawn Hoskin, Jun '04

Our instructor was great - very professional and competent. All the modules and skills were explained well, and the diving was amazing. Can't wait to go again.

Wales Mack, Apr '04

My instructor, Craig Coombs, was the best I could have hoped for -- would recommend him highly to anyone.

Stephanie Lazar, Apr '04

Instructor was extremely thorough, competent, and relaxed. The pre-dive briefings were detailed, the dives relaxed and the instructor always calm and in control. Thoroughly impressed with the efficiency of the course and especially the excellent and enjoyable teaching methods of the instructor.

Kate & Ken Wilcox, Apr '04

I want to thank everyone at BAD for taking such good care of me on my first salt-water dive. I didn't know I was so scared of waves until I got out there, swallowed a mouthful of sea water, and decided to get back in the boat :) I didn't make it easy for you, that's for sure. 

But our Mexico Rocks dive the next day was a great confidence builder, and I had an absolute blast! Craig's persistence and patience got me back in the water, and now I can't wait to go back to Belize and do some more real diving! 

Thanks again.

Nancy Scully & Eileen Haggerty, Feb '04

A big thank you to Craig, Chris, and Wil for an outstanding time of diving and snorkeling.  Thanks for making my first boat dives so much fun and relaxing, and not minding too much when I 'gave back' to the sea.  I will be sure to send any interesting photos I took to you electronically.  Belize was absolutely beautiful, I guess a little more turquoise and blue than New Jersey's waters. We will be coming back in the near future, and will be sure to look up Belize's BADDEST!!!

Thanks a bunch.

Liah Alonso, Jan '04

My instructor was very informative and patient with our group.  I feel I am well prepared with the skills that PADI and Craig have shown me.  Learning to dive was an amazing experience that I plan to do again very soon.

Mick and Lori Kastendieck, Dec '03

Just a note to tell you that we were in Belize (Ambergris Caye) several years ago when you were just starting your business there. We stayed at the Reef Club (I can't remember the real name, I think it is closed now) and we both had just certified prior to our visit. We were real rookies then, and we can't tell you how much we appreciated your time and effort to make us comfortable in our first open water dives. Craig suggested we dive right around the reef first and see how it went and then the next day he took us out beyond the reef for our first deeper dive. We have made quite a few dives since then on different locations with quite a few Dive Masters, but we have always felt that Craig was the best we have ever been with. We certainly appreciated your concern for our comfort and now have become better divers because our first experiences were so positive. Thank you for your time and kind consideration for rookie divers and you can count on the fact that we will contact you on our next trip to Belize.

Jill Rather, Dec '03

Many thanks for the Christmas Greeting!! Loved reliving the time we spent w/you in the wonderful undersea world!!!  I loved every moment of it.. What a great way to spend Thanksgiving week!!! I Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a HAPPY HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR!!!  BTW; I'VE TOLD SEVERAL FRIENDS ABOUT OUR WONDERFUL DIVE TRIP TO BELIZE - MATA CHICA AND B.A.D.!!!  Hope to see you all again sometime for another week (or more) of great diving.. But can you get rid of those mosquitoes and sand flies???? ; - ) TAKE CARE! BE WELL!! SAFE DIVING!!!

Alex & Jodie, Nov '03

We had SUCH an incredible time and you were a wonderful instructor.  Thanks
for everything....

As Alex already said- thank you so much. We felt so comfortable having you
as an instructor, and I had a wonderful time.

Sarah Stillwachs, Jul '03

My instructor, Craig Coombs at The Belize Academy of Diving, was fantastic!  I felt so safe and comfortable in his teaching environment, and he was incredibly knowledgeable about the plant and animal life in the San Pedro area.  My PADI certification experience has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I can't wait to continue my education with specialized and advanced courses.  A big thank you to Craig and PADI for introducing me to a beautiful and exciting new environment!

Pam Dukes, Aug '03

Just wanted to express how glad I was to get my dive certification from Belize Academy of Diving. Craig was a great teacher with my group. He was s-o patient. Craig never once rolled his eyes at us when one of us would make a mistake. He patiently and calmly explain how to correct it. He gave very good instructions to a bunch of novices.

Craig and his crew were very professional. They were always safety conscious and that made me feel comfortable going diving with them.

Will was my guide on another dive and he was very delightful. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable of marine life and the island. Will was a fantastic boat captain also.

I would recommend Craig and his crew of BAD to anyone.

I enjoyed a lifetime experience at Belize Academy of Diving.

Thank you for introducing me to the world underwater.

Cliff and Katie Harrell, Mar '03

We just wanted to express how pleased we were with the trip we took with Will! He was very informative, and we had a great time hanging out with him. Of all the guides we had in Belize, he was the most enthusiastic, and certainly knowledgeable about the marine life surrounding the island.

We didn't get the chance to tell him, but if he's ever in North Carolina he is welcome to give us a call!

Again, we were so very pleased with our experience with BAD. Thanks for helping us to make a wonderful memory on our honeymoon!

Greta, Feb '03

We are back now and just wanted to let you know how glad we are to have done our certification dives with you and the Belize Academy of Diving!

Thank you for all your careful attention during our dives, sharing your expertise and knowledge of aquatic life and taking good care of us. It was so much fun to meet you, Tracy, and your friends Denise and Mark...we could not have had a better experience anywhere!

Eric and Amber, Jan '03

We just got back from our honeymoon in Belize and wanted to thank Craig for the amazing dive experience.  It was wonderful to have such personal attention!!!!!  It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!!!  We just wanted to let you know what a fantastic experience it was and that we will definitely recommend your shop to friends visiting Belize.

Thanks again!!!

Rebecca Biggs, Dec '02

I was very comfortable with my instructor.  He was a professional in all aspects of the course.  Diving was educational as well as exciting and fun.  I would highly recommend the Belize Academy of Diving, and Craig Coombs, to anyone interested.  My husband was a Master Diver with the US Navy, and he was impressed with his ability to relate to novice, as well as experienced divers.  The overall impression was an outstanding experience!!!!!!!!!!

Donavan Dolph, Dec '02

Craig was outstanding.  He was very concerned with our level of skill and made sure we were aware of the tasks that would need to be performed.  His knowledge and experience in scuba diving made our experience more enjoyable than we expected.

Monty Halls, Full Circle Expeditions, Nov '02

Thanks again for your hospitality. The first set of articles are out in Diver, and look pretty good. Yours will appear in eight weeks time, just before the Dive Show, and will hopefully inspire a few people to book with you. We will certainly give you the strongest recommendation.

Read the article.

Mark Ashton, Aug '02

Was taught to dive by the two most wonderful people, and I will be forever grateful to them for introducing me to the life underwater.