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If you want to get the bookwork of certification out of way before you get here, get in touch with White Sands Dive Shop. My nieces did PADI online before they got here and could get right in the pool and then Hol Chan first day

Go to XTan Ha resort site and go to activities ... you will see the dive / tour company that is on site there at the resort. You can call the owner of the dive shop (Hill) and get all the information you need. We have stayed at XTan a few times and Hill does a great job.

Budgeting for food and drink can be any amount that you want to spend ... food and drink is expensive on the island when going out. Where you are staying they have little kitchens and you are well advised to get some things from town ... You can have a provisioning company get things for you ahead of time and they will be in your room when you arrive ... we usually just shop when we get to the island.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. My wife and I are still trying to decide on the diving part of the trip.
Is there a big difference in snorkeling and diving? I understand the concept, but I see it is an investment to get certified, and then for rental of equipment.
Snorkeling obviously is limited, but I had a great experience.
I just want to avoid the dive commitment, and find out we dive once and are distracted with all the other fun activities.
I hope this post makes sense, and somebody can elaborate if it is worth the investment for first timers.
Thanks!

There is a danger in getting certified - you may never want to ever do anything again but dive. smile

Honestly you sound like you really don't know f you want to dive or not. You have lots of options and one may be to take a resort course. We all have our favorite dive shops (there must be about 50 of them here on the island - LOL) and dive instructors.

One of the fun things to do would be to, on your first day here, visit a number of different shops.

I think everyone charges about the same so don't go looking for something cheap - your life may depend on who you choose. After some time watching a video and getting basic instruction you will be taken to a safe dive site that is not deep. After the first experience you will know if this is something you really want to do.

After I had done all the book and pool stuff but before I had done my open water I went to Mexico and found 'Victor' who agreed to take me out. It was him, me and the boat captain. Fearfully I back rolled into the water, the dive master held my hand, we descended down a rock wall, I cried in my mask it was so beautiful and I knew I wanted to do this as much as I could for the rest of my life. Upon surfacing I said "Let's go again."

So be warned! This is an expensive addiction.

Another alternative is you can go on line to PADI and do all the book work and bring the papers here and do the open water dives in nice warm Caribbean water.

I'll be perfectly honest with you. On this trip just enjoy the snorkeling. If you come away from the trip thinking snorkeling is just not enough, get certified or certification ready for your next trip. As Subsidy said, diving is addictive and an expensive hobby. My whole life is different because I became a diver, different good but life has become more expensive than I'd originally expected it to be. Not that I'd change a thing . . .unless it was to dive even more!

Anyway, your thinking that it might not be the best thing to do on THIS trip, is probably the right approach this time. Have a wonderful time! I know you will.

I have the property just south of X'tan Ha and a golf cart is not an option. You are also almost directly in front of Mexico Rocks. The second best snorkeling spot on the island. You will have kayaks at you disposal there, and you can tie up and snorkel at Mexico Rocks.
Conciser the water taxi similar to a bus service in the states. They run on a schedule and it is an easy thing to use. I also recommend stocking up on groceries in town. The restaurant there is good but a little pricey (as to be expected up north). We eat there at least once on every visit we make. Make sure you try the burgers. The chef is DJ, formally from DJ's, in San Pedro
Oliver, the manager, is very nice and will help you out with your questions.

Also remember when you are staying at XTan Ha question what days they have free rides to town on a boat ... when you are taking a water taxi to town it is 12US each way from there to town per person ... so keep that in mind if you decide to save some money and take dive courses in town.

About diving - you can usually find a shop that does a "resort course" whereby you have a couple of hours instruction in the morning and then do a shallow dive in the company of an instructor in the afternoon. This is an excellent way to discover if you like the diving experience. I highly recommend it.
Diving is actually less physical than snorkeling - I loved it but discovered that an ear condition made it impossible for me to go deeper than 30 feet and I could not pursue this most wonderful of activities. To me, diving was serene and glorious beyond words. Diving is not for everybody, but it is an amazing experience for many.

My wife and I are on Ambergris Caye for our second trip right now. Both times we had provisioning done for us by Mata Grande. You can order what you want online ahead of time and it will be delivered to your room and waiting for you when you get there. (that means you will have cold Belekins in your fridge waiting for you).

We have ordered the bare essentials pack which has rum, vodka, beer and some sodas along with groceries. As I said, it's not cheap but I think you save quite a bit over getting all your drinks and food from resorts or restaurants. You also get to play "what in the hell can I make from this." This moringings scrambled eggs with calabrese salami was awesome.

Have a great trip.

We are getting close to our trip, and was curious should we bring cash for our daily spending, or is Credit cards accepted most places?