Scuba Diving Trips and Snorkeling at Guanaja Clearwater Divers

Guanaja Clearwater Divers

Looking for SCUBA diving trips that are out of the ordinary, with truly pristine dive sites and usually not another dive boat in sight? Then we are the place for you! We can accommodate anywhere from two divers to a group of 20.

We are a full service dive operation complete with our owner/instructor trainer, George Peel, and our lead dive master, Witi Quinones. You won’t just get the normal 45 to 50 minute dive at Clearwater Paradise Resort. George has been accused of having gills behind his ears, he and Witi both have great air consumption, so you’ll be in the water as long as the dive profile and your air consumption allows. Most of our dives are an hour plus due to the way the reef comes up to the surface, and they take advantage of that during most dives.

We have a full gear rental department, and George can customize any class from that first Discover Diving class to certifications from Open Water all the way through Instructor. Bring your dive computer and underwater flashlight and leave the rest to us.

 

Dedicated Dive Professionals

Both George and Witi keep their certifications through PDIC current. There are no “non-current” or non certified Dive Masters at Clearwater Paradise Resort. All of our staff involved in diving are current on their certifications.

George has 9,000+ dives under his belt, with nearly 30 years experience. He owned Clearwater Divers dive shop in Austin, Texas for 16+ years before following his longtime dream and relocating to the tropics. He has experience in all levels of diving, is a PADI diver from OW to DM and also studied the NAUI program up to DM level (with no crossovers), became a PDIC Instructor in ‘97 with over 4,000 dives under his belt, and in 2002, became PDIC Instructor Trainer #11903. George was an avid certified Cave Diver through the 90’s and into the 2000’s, and he earned the Wakula Award for 500 safe cave dives and moved along, after 678 cave dives. He was also a commercial underwater construction specialist that worked on the Inks Lake bridge, the Red Bud Trail bridge, and the Pedestrian Crossing bridge across Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas area, along with numerous other commercial diving jobs before he retired from that part of his diving career to construct and open Clearwater Paradise Resort.

During his ownership of Clearwater Divers, George headed many dive group trips to the Caribbean with up to 40+ divers in the groups. It was during those dive trips that he visited and fell in love with the Bay Islands.

Probably his favorite student was Witi Quinones. Witi started working for Clearwater Paradise Resort as a young man of 16. He was one of the best workers we were fortunate to have with us, and he showed a huge interest in diving. George put him through Open Water and then Advanced Open Water, and, with no pun intended, he took to diving like a fish to water. He has since gone through George’s arduous Dive Master certification course, and is now referred to as “Mini George.” He has well over 550 dives and is an excellent Dive Master.

Dive Schedule

Our standard schedule is early breakfast with the dive boat leaving no later than 8:00AM, or 8:30AM with smaller groups, and going out for 2 dives with fruit, snacks, and juice in between dives, coming in for a lunch break, and going back out for the afternoon dive by 2:00PM, unless it happens to be a night diving night. We typically do one night dive per week. On those days when we go to more distant dive sites, we may stay out and have lunch on the dive boat.

Equipment and Pricing

Our dive/snorkel activities are included in our accommodations packages, but we also have pricing for walk up guests that might be on their sailboats or staying at other properties.

Our snorkel packages are the same as our dive packages. You will go on 2 to 3 boat snorkel trips per day to areas that have been described by our guests as world class snorkeling. We can even take you on a night snorkel, so bring your underwater light!

Check out our packages and rates

Getting Wet

We provide a selection of tanks, including aluminum 80’s, steel 95’s, and steel 80’s, as well as a few 63’s and 50’s for those that prefer smaller tanks. We dive out of the Miss G, our 26’ panga, which has a sun roof and ladder and can carry up to 8 divers/snorkelers, or Bay-B!, our 43’ Portofino Wellcraft cruiser that is outfitted for diving, island tours, or deep sea fishing. We are also equipped with 3 Cobra Fish n’ Dive kayaks for folks that want to get in some extra diving/snorkeling or flats fishing, and we have 3 Cobra Play kayaks for folks that want to just paddle around or tour the wildlife sanctuary for bird watching.

Our Marine Life

Our dive staff have sharp eyes, and not only keep close tabs on their divers but will seek to point out our Caribbean critters such as Angelfish, Barracuda, Butterfly fish, Crabs, Lobster, Dolphins, Grouper, Jackfish, Moray eels, Octopus, Parrotfish, Nurse sharks, and Seahorses! The amazingly diverse underwater ecosystem attracts and houses an astounding variety of tropical fish, Sea turtles, Sharks, and much much more.

During the average dive in Guanaja, you can expect excellent visibility of 80+ feet, depending on the weather, water temps that are typically 76 to 84 degrees and seas that are usually calm and generally current free.

Custom Dive Classes, Courses, and Training

If you are interested in Discover Diving, George will put you in his full day course at the end of which you will not only be familiar with some basic skills of diving, but will have had a great scuba diving experience. The cost for that day, including gear, is $175.00 per person. If you are interested in the Open Water or Advanced certifications, as well as Specialties, George is happy to accommodate. You will purchase your classroom package before your travel date from PDIC (Professional Diving Instructors Corporation; www.pdic-intl.com) and complete all reading and workbooks. Dive Master and Instructor courses are available. Contact George (george@clearwaterparadise.com) for more details.

Once you arrive at Clearwater Paradise Resort, George will get you in the water much sooner and incorporate class review and testing before and after dives as well as during meal breaks. That way, you get lots of extra diving time in and are much more comfortable in the water and ready to take that next dive vacation without your Guru Instructor George. The cost for Open Water certification is $400 per person, Advanced certification is $275, and pricing on Specialties varies. If you haven’t been diving in over a year, we suggest a refresher course before you come to enjoy the pristine reef here on Guanaja. If you prefer to do your refresher here, it is a one day course and the cost is $125.00+ gear. Once you get that done, you are on your way to more wonderful diving!