White Sands Dive Shop
White Sands Dive Shop
White Sands Dive Shop
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We are a PADI 5 star Dive shop in San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye in Belize. We teach scuba diving and certify divers as well as take divers to the reef for daily Diving and Snorkeling adventures.
San Pedro, Belize
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White Sands Dive Shop
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
466 reviews
Excellent
420
Very good
26
Average
10
Poor
4
Terrible
6
Elvisfan1000
Tomball, TX3 contributions
Jun 2022
We went diving for 3 days with White Sands at the end of June and used them to arrange our trip to the Blue Hole with Amigos Del Mar for another day. I can't speak highly enough about the staff at White Sands. We first reached out to them by sending them an email through their website, and Julie from the office responded within an hour. From that point on, Julie was always extremely responsive and patiently responded to all of our question, often responding within minutes, even after business hours. And she is extremely welcoming and friendly when you go into the office!
We had 2 people that got certified on this trip, and Buzz was absolutely amazing with making them both comfortable and teaching them the necessary skills. We had a group of 8 divers (including the 2 newly certified divers), and we all agreed that our divemaster Raul was one of the best divemasters we have ever experienced. He did a great job when giving the briefing for each dive, and each of the dives were interesting and full of marine life. Sergio picked us up at our own dock each day right on time, and brought us back to the dive shop to begin our adventure. We will definitely be calling White Sands the next time we are on Ambergris Caye!
We had 2 people that got certified on this trip, and Buzz was absolutely amazing with making them both comfortable and teaching them the necessary skills. We had a group of 8 divers (including the 2 newly certified divers), and we all agreed that our divemaster Raul was one of the best divemasters we have ever experienced. He did a great job when giving the briefing for each dive, and each of the dives were interesting and full of marine life. Sergio picked us up at our own dock each day right on time, and brought us back to the dive shop to begin our adventure. We will definitely be calling White Sands the next time we are on Ambergris Caye!
Written July 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim W
Brookfield, WI93 contributions
Mar 2022 • Family
Really great small, locally owned dive shop focused on safety, customer service, personalized attention. My son and I just completed both a refresher course and our PADI Advanced Open Water certification with White Sands. This was a long time coming as we’d originally scheduled the course pre-pandemic for March of 2020. So glad that when we finally made it down to San Pedro we stuck with White Sands! The weather was a bit tricky for diving on our scheduled days forcing some rescheduling. White Sands was flexible and communicated changes well to provide the best diving experience possible given the conditions.
Everyone was great but special shout outs to Buzz, our instructor, who explained and demonstrated everything well, ensured we completed the required skills and showed us tons of interesting underwater critters. Julie, in the office, who patiently answered emails and calls both prior to the trip and as we moved things around the weather. Sarge, who was our captain most trips, and ferried us back and forth from our resort to the shop. We enjoyed working with all of you!
Everyone was great but special shout outs to Buzz, our instructor, who explained and demonstrated everything well, ensured we completed the required skills and showed us tons of interesting underwater critters. Julie, in the office, who patiently answered emails and calls both prior to the trip and as we moved things around the weather. Sarge, who was our captain most trips, and ferried us back and forth from our resort to the shop. We enjoyed working with all of you!
Written March 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Natalie P
Salt Lake City, UT40 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
We had a great time! My husband dove and I snorkeled because I had a cold. My husband thought it wasn’t necessary to dive at Hol Chan because we both saw the same things given how much there is to see at shallow levels. I had a wonderful time with Ernesto as a private guide, he was so kind and made the experience great! The site is very crowded though so be prepared for that. It’s beautiful though so that’s why! I would recommend this as a great dive site for those new to diving but think snorkeling and holding your breath to swim deeper is the best way! Booking online was easy and front desk woman was very kind.
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris H
3 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Dive shop is third world with substandard gear and equipment.Horrible through every aspect of setting things up to getting gear to trashed boats. Their dive guides were great and tried hard but they have nothing to work with and their admin team did nothing but overcharge us consistently.
Written June 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wow! I'm shocked.
'Third World' Oh my!
Sorry you had such an experience. I wonder what we did to upset you so.
I reviewed your invoices and can't see you were overcharged for anything. Our prices are comparable with the rest of the island's dive shops. I'll check the dive shop, boats, and gear for Third World ratings.
Written June 27, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Carolyn G
2 contributions
Sep 2021
We were in Belize for a family diving trip and White Sands was recommended by the owner of the house we rented. We had a wonderful experience with White Sands. Raul, the dive master we mainly worked with, was very experienced and professional and an excellent teacher. On the first days he conducted the open water certification dives that two of us had to complete and a refresher for the other adults who had not dove in several years. Raul met each of us where we were at in our skill level and made sure we were comfortable and received the attention and support we needed. For example, my MIL needed extra help and Raul stuck with her on dives, holding her hand the whole way. The entire staff - from the office (Julie and Sandra) and the boat captain (Albie) and other dive master (Henry) were friendly, super helpful and professional and fun to spend time with on dive trips. I highly recommend White Sands for your dive trips.
Written September 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine M
Golden, CO7 contributions
Jan 2020
The service at White Sands Dive Shop is outstanding. I was in San Pedro for a week and had planned to do 5 days of scuba diving. Unfortunately, it was very windy most of the week, which meant we had to do a lot of last-minute adjustments and re-booking to our activities. White Sands helped us every step of the way. They gave us twice daily updates on the diving conditions, took us diving every chance we could, and helped us book last-minute mainland adventures when it was too windy to dive. I am so grateful to White Sands for their excellent service and kindness. I had an amazing vacation in Belize even though it didn't have as much diving as I had planned, and I owe that to White Sands for their flexibility and helpfulness.
Written January 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert Groff
7 contributions
Jun 2022
Spent 2 days diving with White Sands this past week and used White Sands to arrange my trip to the Blue Hole with Amigos Del Mar. There was a bit of a mix-up on a nitrox request for my first day, but the staff managed the simple mistake professionally and courteously. unfortunately nitrox is quite expensive in belize ($18 additional charge/tank) even though it would seem well suited to the diving depths, etc. The reef dives are quite close (5-10min boat ride) from the dock and surface intervals are spent at the dive shop. Typical dive profile of 50-80 ft. We had great visibility and almost zero current for my dives. Wide variety of healthy coral, diverse tropical fish and few sharks. Raul acted as our divemaster both days and managed the group well.
Written June 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenna G
New York City, NY36 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
We had a great experience with White Sands! I had read some reviews on the Girls Who Scuba group which is how I found them. My husband and I hadn’t been able to dive for almost 2 years so we did a refresher course with Chino. Chino was really fun and knowledgeable! We did some quick skills in the pool and then we were off to Mexico Rocks for a dive.
I then did the next 3 days diving with them, including a last minute trip to Hol Chan to dive / snorkel. My husband unfortunately started having some problems with his ears so decided to stop diving after day 2 and they refunded us his last dive no questions asked.
I liked White Sands because it was a smaller shop so I knew that we would get more attention. The most amount of divers that were with us were 3 total + Chino / Raul as our dive master.
Chino was our dive master most of the time but Raul was our dive master for one of the days. Both of them are very nice and took time to answer any questions.
White Sands also picked us up at our hotel which was a huge plus. We were staying on the northern part of the island, but having them pick us up was really nice instead of having to drive to and from. A lot of the dive shops on Ambergris Caye seemed to charge for a pickup / drop off. Maybe it was because of where we were staying but either way, that was really nice.
One thing to note, because the shop is at the northern part of the island, I felt that we didn’t go to some of the more popular dive sites due to them being “too far”, but with that, every dive we did we were the only boat around (except for Mexico Rocks and Hol Chan obviously). If seeing specific sites is important to you, I would plan that out in advance to see if they go to these sites. We had to plan a separate excursion with White Sands to Hol Chan to go there which worked out because it can either be a 1x dive 1x snorkel stop or 2x snorkel stops so my husband was able to come with me while I dove.
Some other sites we went to were: Sandy Point, Charlie’s Reef, Windmills, and Blue Reef Canyon. I was told Tackle Box and San Pedro Canyon were too far.
They were able to give us the same BCD and regulator every time which was great and allowed me to give them my mouth piece and know I would have it on the day / I knew my BCD so didn’t have to do a new check every time to see where everything was.
Lastly, Jocelyn made booking our dives seamless. She even would check in with us via WhatsApp before our dives to confirm pickup. That was really nice.
She also responded to my emails / questions really quickly before our trip. Some of the other shops took a lot longer to respond, but I always heard back from white sands within a day (remember the time difference).
All in all, great time with White Sands but note the location! I would definitely recommend them.
I then did the next 3 days diving with them, including a last minute trip to Hol Chan to dive / snorkel. My husband unfortunately started having some problems with his ears so decided to stop diving after day 2 and they refunded us his last dive no questions asked.
I liked White Sands because it was a smaller shop so I knew that we would get more attention. The most amount of divers that were with us were 3 total + Chino / Raul as our dive master.
Chino was our dive master most of the time but Raul was our dive master for one of the days. Both of them are very nice and took time to answer any questions.
White Sands also picked us up at our hotel which was a huge plus. We were staying on the northern part of the island, but having them pick us up was really nice instead of having to drive to and from. A lot of the dive shops on Ambergris Caye seemed to charge for a pickup / drop off. Maybe it was because of where we were staying but either way, that was really nice.
One thing to note, because the shop is at the northern part of the island, I felt that we didn’t go to some of the more popular dive sites due to them being “too far”, but with that, every dive we did we were the only boat around (except for Mexico Rocks and Hol Chan obviously). If seeing specific sites is important to you, I would plan that out in advance to see if they go to these sites. We had to plan a separate excursion with White Sands to Hol Chan to go there which worked out because it can either be a 1x dive 1x snorkel stop or 2x snorkel stops so my husband was able to come with me while I dove.
Some other sites we went to were: Sandy Point, Charlie’s Reef, Windmills, and Blue Reef Canyon. I was told Tackle Box and San Pedro Canyon were too far.
They were able to give us the same BCD and regulator every time which was great and allowed me to give them my mouth piece and know I would have it on the day / I knew my BCD so didn’t have to do a new check every time to see where everything was.
Lastly, Jocelyn made booking our dives seamless. She even would check in with us via WhatsApp before our dives to confirm pickup. That was really nice.
She also responded to my emails / questions really quickly before our trip. Some of the other shops took a lot longer to respond, but I always heard back from white sands within a day (remember the time difference).
All in all, great time with White Sands but note the location! I would definitely recommend them.
Written May 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tscott101
Indianapolis, IN11 contributions
Feb 2020
The Team consisting of Julie, Ernesto, Raul were absoultly the best.
They are friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and honest.
They informed me on best time and place for weather conditions and were very accurate after talking to other couples that went out that day with a different dive shop. The current and visibility were great at Mexico Rocks for a windy day. Had a great time and the other couples did not have same exprience on same day. Would like to tell the team great job and I'll definitely be back to the ideal setting they have for their dive shop. Very safe and clean operation. So, if your planning a dive or snorkel trip, stop in and talk with Julie. She will set you up with the best day and trip due to weather conditions.
They are friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and honest.
They informed me on best time and place for weather conditions and were very accurate after talking to other couples that went out that day with a different dive shop. The current and visibility were great at Mexico Rocks for a windy day. Had a great time and the other couples did not have same exprience on same day. Would like to tell the team great job and I'll definitely be back to the ideal setting they have for their dive shop. Very safe and clean operation. So, if your planning a dive or snorkel trip, stop in and talk with Julie. She will set you up with the best day and trip due to weather conditions.
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OneGForce
Philadelphia, PA24 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
My wife and I went with our son to Mexico Rocks to do a half day snorkel trip. Henry picked us up at the dock in downtown San Pedro, which was nice since their place is located further up north. Boat trip was about 15 to 20 min on a comfortable and open motorized longboat.
Henry and his dad (Chino) accompanied us and took care of everything on the short trip out to Mexico Rocks. We brought our own snorkeling equipment, so we left pretty promptly upon arriving at the dive shop. The snorkeling was great, and Henry took time to point out several interesting fish and sea creatures. He let us pretty much swim around wherever we wanted but he steered us in the direction of where we were more likely to see interesting things. We saw a very large moray eel swimming out in the open, and it was clearly used to seeing tourists as it was completely unafraid of us. Very cool!
Overall, we felt the trip was very enjoyable and the White Sand Dive Shop team took great care of us. Their prices were comparable, or perhaps even a little lower than several other places we considered. They also are an excellent place to do dive trips. Not surprising they are one of the highest rated PADI certified dive shops in Ambergris Caye on Google.
Henry and his dad (Chino) accompanied us and took care of everything on the short trip out to Mexico Rocks. We brought our own snorkeling equipment, so we left pretty promptly upon arriving at the dive shop. The snorkeling was great, and Henry took time to point out several interesting fish and sea creatures. He let us pretty much swim around wherever we wanted but he steered us in the direction of where we were more likely to see interesting things. We saw a very large moray eel swimming out in the open, and it was clearly used to seeing tourists as it was completely unafraid of us. Very cool!
Overall, we felt the trip was very enjoyable and the White Sand Dive Shop team took great care of us. Their prices were comparable, or perhaps even a little lower than several other places we considered. They also are an excellent place to do dive trips. Not surprising they are one of the highest rated PADI certified dive shops in Ambergris Caye on Google.
Written March 31, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yes you do rent snorkel and diving gear-whichever you choose to do.
Written April 21, 2018
gabeporitzky
Boxford, Massachusetts
Are the groups small?
My family and I want to go but we want a small group.
Written December 2, 2017
Is this company respectful of the marine life? We are looking to book with a company that doesn't handle the animals.
Written September 19, 2017
Yes, they are very respectful of the marine life. The reefs along the Island are all part of a protected area and contact with the coral and marine life should always be avoided. The staff instructs all divers of this several times during the trip.
Written September 20, 2017
Is it still by journeys end hotel or did that get taken over by Las Terrazas?
Written November 29, 2016
Yes it is. But I've stayed as far away as The Palms by the airport and they pick you up and drop you off. Very convenient.
Written November 29, 2016
We will be there next week and want to do a scuba dive; what sites do you go to. Interested in Mexico rocks and Tres Palmas. Will snorkel in Hol chan marine and shark alley. What is the cost? We'll need the intro dive lesson and would like a 2 tank dive. Thank you
Written April 14, 2016
gigimba.....the fastest way to get an answer to all of your questions is to simply email them to Elbert Greer. He is the owner of White Sands Dive Shop and will normally get back to you within a couple of hours. I got my Open Water certification with them in November last year and they are great folks to deal with. They actually go to several locations and can tailor everything to meet your needs. Email him at elbertgreer@fastmail.fm
Written April 15, 2016
Hello there, we are arriving tomorrow and staying at turtle bay. wondering if you do pick ups on their wharf and what days you head ou to the blue hole, we would like to join in on that trip for sure.
thanks
Jen
Written January 15, 2016
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