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Protech Belize Dive Centre

Dive Centre Center (English)

Service:
  • Air
  • Dive Shops
  • Diving Charter Boat
  • Equipment Gear Rentals
  • Gear Equipment Servicing
  • IANTD
  • NITROX
  • PADI
  • Rebreather Course
  • Rebreather Rental
  • School Course Learn to Dive
  • TDI
  • TRIMIX
  • Technical Diving
  • Vacation Holiday Scuba Diving
Company description Protech Belize is a ``full service`` dive centre on the sub-tropical Caribbean island of Ambergris Caye. The island was originally a part of the Yucatan Peninsula, but was separated by a canal the Mayans dug hundreds of years ago to link their habitations to their fishing grounds. The resulting ``island`` is actually two islands, as it is further divided by another channel (misleadingly known as the ``river``) that cuts across at the northern end of the only town, San Pedro.
As a PADI 5* IDC centre (#20696) we offer most PADI courses and specialities all the way up to Instructor Development Courses and have several MSDT instructors. Most courses are taught one-to-one or one-to-a-few, and are arranged to suit customer’s timetables. As well as complete courses we will handle the uncompleted parts of courses started elsewhere and evidenced by the appropriate paperwork - these are called ``referral courses``
With certain courses it is best to prepare at home by reading a manual and writing some tests. These include the basic Open Water course (and the restricted Scuba Diver) and the Nitrox course. We will advise on how to get hold of the manuals. It is also beneficial for the Advanced Open Water course. We offer free learning by email and telephone – we will answer any questions, however detailed, and will mark and return tests. This process is now recognised by PADI as a teaching method, but we have always offered it. It can save a great deal of precious holiday time when the last thing you want to be doing is reading books indoors. PADI`s system is actually quite restrictive and we don`t participate in it, as you`ll see on their website.
For those who want to go beyond normal recreational courses we also offer IANTD training up to Advanced Nitrox Diver. Most people who go this far find the demands placed on them exceed anything they have ever before been asked to deliver underwater, and even though they may have no ambitions to become technical divers they find these courses make them better divers. Have a look at their course Standards.
Protech was set up by technical divers and we do this sort of diving ourselves, and support qualified divers who want to explore the excellent deep air or trimix diving available here.
We can support any deep air or trimix diving down to around 300’, both OC and CCR. Although we keep some helium, guests requiring it should let us know well ahead of time. Guests must be aware that gases here are very expensive compared with the USA or Europe. With helium especially, although we keep a small amount for us to use in our own rebreathers, we have to order in specially to guests` requirements.
We keep genuine Sofnolime for rebreathers, though again we need to know expected demand well ahead of time. The lead time for importing more is very long.
We currently have one Inspiration rebreather, which is sometimes available for rental.
For the time being we request any guests requiring helium to bring their own analyser.
There are several barely explored sea caves in the vicinity and a number of others on land (like the Mexican cenotes just up the coast), and although we have no cave diving credentials we can support suitably qualified divers wanting to explore them.
Protech operates a BAUER 26 cfm compressor using their Secure 10 triple filtration system. All air we pump is totally clean, and is independently checked every quarter to meet with PADI 5* requirements.
We have an air-driven Haskel Oxygen Booster to fill tanks completely whatever the mix.
We generate oxygen from air for nitrox mixes up to 40% and use bought medical-grade oxygen for richer mixes. Our standard mixes of 32%, 36% and 28% are always available. We also keep helium for technical diving.
We have many air and nitrox tanks and supply both to a number of other dive centres. For technical divers we also keep many small stage bottles and over 30 original Inspiration steel tanks.
Location description: Ambergris Caye is half a mile west of the Meso-American Barrier Reef, which runs from Guatemala northwards to Cozumel in Mexico, and is the second longest barrier reef in the world. It`s also the longest in the northern hemisphere and is said to be the longest in the western hemisphere (though I don`t know what that means), and it`s on this reef that we do our local diving. Apart from one dive site that is inside the reef (Hol Chan Marine Reserve), all others are marked by permanent buoys in water around 30’-50’ deep outside.
Although it varies at different sites along its length, the reef and diving can be summarised in four sections. The shallowest extends from the reef where it meets the surface down to around 50’/60`. This area suffers from surge and storm damage when seas are rough, so hard corals are unable to grow there. It comprises a sloping plain covered with soft corals, mostly greens & browns, with occasional sandy patches. These patches are ideal for early student training as we take great pains not to touch the coral – a single touch with a fingertip can cause damage that takes years to mend.
From around 50’ to 120’ there is a fascinating area of spur-and-groove formations, where the coral slowly drops away like a range of hills, with erratic and sometimes dramatic canyons suddenly appearing, with lots of overhangs and swim-throughs. Care must be taken here not to get carried away by the scenery and forget your depth, as these canyons can easily drop 20’ or 30’. As this area is much more protected from the effects of storms, you can find many hard corals here with some splendidly bright colours.
• Below around 130’ we are getting into technical diving territory. There is generally a sloping sandy plain with coral outcrops and much interest, providing a wonderfully relaxing environment for a gentle ramble. Perfect rebreather territory.
• At around 200’ a vertical wall commences, falling away into the abyss, although in some places a shelf can be seen at least 350` down. Although not generally colourful this wall is very impressive for people able to dive to those depths.
Belize has three of the four atolls to be found in the northern hemisphere. From Ambergris Caye it makes sense to visit two of them – Lighthouse and Turneffe. The third, Glover’s, is sufficiently further south to make a different base more appropriate. If all you want to do is dive a particular atoll then each has its own resort, but most people prefer the variety of staying in a bigger centre, such as San Pedro.
The biggest draw in Belize is the Great Blue Hole. Located in shallow water inside Lighthouse Atoll, it is almost perfectly circular, 1000’ feet across, and was found recently to be 365` deep at the SE point which is most commonly dived. An earlier expedition found it to be about 100` deeper in the middle. As the visibility is usually only around 25’ most divers hope never to see the bottom!

Website: Preview http://www.protechdive.com/ by Thumbshots.org http://www.protechdive.com/
Offers both recreational and technical training. Includes information on the courses, the boats, and accommodations.

Contact information:
Phone: (+501) 226-3008
Fax: (+501) 226-2768
Street Address:
PO Box 130
Belize Yacht Club
San Pedro
Ambergris Caye
Belize
Spoken language(s): English
Open: from 09-00 till 17-00
Local time:  GMT - 6 Mexico, Monterrey, Guadalajara
Note: No guarantee is made to the accuracy of these details.

If you are a representative of Protech Belize Dive Centre , you may update your options or details in our scuba diving directory. Please use contact form or email us at info@divingfinder.com.


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