Dive educator receives top credentials

Before the arrival of cruise ships or luxury eco-lodges, scuba divers from all over the world knew about the wonders of Belize’s Barrier Reef. For many diving enthusiasts, Belize’s Blue Hole was a dream dive. Now, Belizean dive masters are realizing their own dreams of taking their place among the world’s top professionals. John Searle, owner of Sea Sports Belize, has just become the first Belizean to attain Course Director status under the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, PADI. According to Searle, only one percent of all PADI’s professional members achieve this level of certification. Searle became a PADI instructor in 1996 and he and his wife Linda began to organize PADI Instructor Development Courses in Belize for the first time. The couple, along with two other PADI Course Directors, have trained over fifty Belizean instructors. John Searle took his PADI Course Director training in Newport Beach, California.