Ourshop Reviews

Small Personable Dive Shop with Great Captains and Dive Masters White sands dive shop is a small dive shop located north of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye in Belize. It is a very small shop and has small dive boats for up to 8 people on a dive which is what I prefer. I picked this shop because it is smaller and has a good safety record and I felt incredibly safe the entire time. Albie was an amazing dive captain and he had such a great sense of humor and was very accommodating especially with an older crowd. The dive sites were always 10-15 minutes boat ride away so we spent a lot more time in the water which is always preferable. The dive captains Raul and Richard that accompanied us separately on our dives were both very knowledgable and showed us a lot of amazing sea life. The amount of nurse sharks, black tip sharks and giant sting rays were incredible in addition to all the other sea life out there. White sands will pick you up on your dock of your hotel so you do not need to drive anywhere which is great. Surface intervals are either spent at their small dive shop with fresh fruit or in San Pedro at the Dive Tank refill station. This was fine as there were sea horses and file fish around the docks so we had animals to observe as entertainment. Their shop has limited rental supplies and what they have is well used but fully functional and did not diminish our diving abilities. We did take a trip with a very large operation in San Pedro to the blue hole and their equipment was also well used so maybe this is standard in Belize. I would definitely book with White Sands again as they were able to accommodate our group of 7, all with different levels of diving experience and create a week long plan that ended up making everyone happy.

Snorkeling at Mexico Rocks! My husband and I had a wonderful time! Raoul was our captain and Chino was our guide. They were both great! Chino was extremely knowledgeable and pointed out so many different fish and wildlife at Mexico Rocks. Benjamin guided us through Shark Ray Alley and we saw so many nurse sharks & sting rays. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we’d highly recommend this dive shop! We went snorkeling but would love to come back for some diving!

Excellent service, friendly crew, focused 100% on diver safety PADI 5 * gold standard full service. Idid the refresher course with Chino as it had been a year since my last dive. Chino went above and beyond when it came to practicing my safety skills! He was patient, his focus was truly on safety and making sure I was capable and comfortable with my skills (removing face mask under water, clearing (purging my regulator, sharing air, buoyancy control, etc.) as a direct result of this course, the next 5 dives outside the reef were spectacular! Raoul was also a fantastic dive master and the crew was amazing. Their focus was 100% on ensuring everyone’s safety, from assisting us with our gear to back roll into the water (my personal favorite way to start the dive) from having us remove our gear and fins before climbing out of the boat. As a solo diver on this trip, I felt completely at ease both in the water and during surface intervals, and this has been one of the best dive experiences I’ve ever had. Highly recommend White Sands Dive Center. I will definitely dive with them again next time I’m on Ambergris Caye!!

Great Dive Shop north of San Pedro 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.

Great snorkelling experience We booked an afternoon snorkel excursion to Mexico Rock and Stingray City and had a great experience. Our guide Henry was very knowledgeable and friendly and took the time to point out different aquatic life that we may have otherwise missed. We lucked out with our timing, as the other couple scheduled to take the tour decided to reschedule, so we ended up with a private tour. Also based on our departure time and proximity of the dive shop to Mexico Rock, our boat was the only one there for the guest first 30 minutes of our time there. I was amazed at the aquatic life that we saw. We then headed over to Stingray City where we swam with nurse sharks and giant stingrays. Overall it was a great experience and we would recommend booking with White Sands.

Best dive shop! We can't say enough positive about this dive shop!!! Everyone was amazing. Safety is their top priority. All our dives and snorkel tours were fabulous and our divemasters and snorkel guides were fantastic. Super friendly and knowledgeable! They make you feel like friends by the time you leave:) I would love to dive with them again any time and hope I get the chance to return!!!

Great time at Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley We booked a trip with the friendly and professional team at White Sands Dive Shop. Located on the doorstep of Mexico Rocks, a fantastic place to dive, 6 miles north of San Pedro. Today we chose to go south to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. Lucy was extremely responsive and immediately scheduled us on the calmest day of the week. Thank you to our three local island guides Chino, Albie, and Henry who were very responsible and knowledgeable. They educated us and kept us safe! I HIGHY recommend them, especially for tourists staying north of town. You won't be disappointed.

Great outfit to do a half or full day snorkel or dive 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.

Amazing diving This trip our dives wet not done with white sands, and we would go back to white sands ! They were amazing! Professional and safe! Any dive skill level and staff was beyond compare! The best

Great experience. Another fabulous experience with White Sands! This was our third year diving with White Sands - hands down our favorite shop (we have over 250 dives around the world between us) - we come for the winter and stay on the north side of San Pedro just to dive with White Sands. We love the crew and the ladies at the desk - always feel safe and have a great time. We love the small group dives - often five or fewer total - never more than eight or nine, and how close it is to great sites - usually within a 10 minute boat ride. Albie, Juan, Raul and Chino are the best - knowledgeable, professional, personable and fun. They help with getting into and out of your gear, know the area and adapt to the experience level of the divers. We will be back!

A great outfit to work with I did a snorkeling tour with these guys to Hol Chan and Shark Alley. Henry was the guide and Juan was our captain. They did an excellent job. Friendly and well informed. I highly recommend them

Amazing diving experience! My boyfriend and I did the discover dive with Chino and I couldn't recommend both the dive and the company more. This was my first dive and Chino was so patient and understanding with me, allowing me to get to grips with equipment in the water and pointing out more wildlife than I ever thought we would see. Chino held my hand the entire time, reassuring me and made me feel so safe underwater that I could start to really enjoy myself, all the wildlife around me, gain confidence to swim on my own and definitely made me want to dive again which I never thought would be the case. He was so knowledgeable on the area, diving and all of the wildlife underwater. Couldn't recommend more!

Go to dive shop on Ambegris after successful first Scuba experience. Our resort set us up with a last minute discover scuba tour with White sands. After a successful snorkel venture at Hol Chan we wanted to try some shallow water scuba at different spot in the area. Raul was our dive master. He took us for a quick but effective pool session. A refresher for me and an introduction to scuba for my partner. Raul was excellent. we learned some basic skills and hopped in a boat. Once in the ocean at Mexico Rock Raul kept us calm and comfortable as we acclimated to our first ocean dive. Raul made sure we saw all the Wild life. Rays, lion fish, puffer fish, barracuda, etc. I even found a bit of treasure on the ocean floor, a lost earring. Capped the whole life changing experience off with some under water photos.

A Northern Gem for Divers White Sands Dive Shop is the quintessential small and personable dive shop. It stands out as an ideal choice for those staying in northern Ambergris Caye, offering a level of service and intimacy that turns a simple dive into an unforgettable experience. Whether you’re looking to explore the unique underwater landscapes or just wanting a dive shop that feels like home, White Sands is the place to be. The customer service was exceptional. What sets White Sands apart is their personal touch. Unlike the bustling shops closer to town, this is a place where they remember your name and treat you like family. The convenience they offer is unparalleled; they picked us up right at our northern resort dock at no additional charge, a courtesy many divers won’t find elsewhere. Diving with White Sands was an adventure that took us off the beaten path to the serene, less-traveled dive sites on the northern part of the island. Mexico Rocks, a site they frequent, was a particular highlight. The shallow waters there were teeming with a vibrant variety of marine life, offering a tranquil yet enthralling underwater escapade, perfect for both novice snorkelers and seasoned divers. I look forward to diving with White Sands again on my next trip to Ambergris Caye and I strongly urge you to give them a try as well.