On Thursday, March 5th, local tour company Belize Diving Adventures (BDA) began its first scuba diving training session for public officials. The first group, consisting of three police officers and one customs officer, were trained on scuba diving basics. Police officer Tyrone Hensley told The San Pedro Sun that they were drilled on how to perform hand signs underwater, floating, sinking, and the mechanics of the tank. The first group will be meeting once a week on Thursdays until the program concludes. Owner of BDA, Everette Anderson is teaching the course and shared with The San Pedro Sun his hopes for the initiative.
“I decided to offer a training program for public servants within the community. People will find it beneficial for their profession, especially when dealing with tourist related incidents.” Everette has been involved in many community projects, through the organizations San Pedro Tour Operators Association and San Pedro Tour Guide Association, of which he is a member. Most notable is the annual summer scuba diving program, “Kids in Action”, which aims to train participants in open water diving. The program also intends to pass down skills from older professionals to the younger generation.
Everette hopes that this training has a ripple effect within the community and that the public officials will take their newfound knowledge and educate the people around them. His target goal for the end of the year is to fully train and certify 24 public officials. He also said that the program is flexible and they work around the schedules of everyone who participates. Participants can also stop or advance at any level of certification they feel comfortable with. BDA encourages interested parties to take advantage of the program and they can be via Facebook (facebook.com/belizedivingadventures/) for additional information.
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