Started your course back home? Finish it in Puerto Rico

Who comes to us for a referral

We’re a tropical island in the Caribbean, and a lot of people picture piña coladas on the beach, which is totally OK. But for many of them, home is somewhere landlocked without easy access to dive sites, or somewhere cold they’re trying to get away from, especially up north.

We get referral students from all over the world who are coming to Puerto Rico on vacation. A lot of them come from New York, since it’s a direct, easy round-trip flight, and we also see people from the middle of the U.S., Canada and Europe.

What to bring

Technically, a bathing suit, a towel, and the right paperwork: your PADI Referral Form, signed by your original instructor, and your record of what you’ve already completed, like your eLearning record. Without the paperwork we can’t start, so double-check it before you fly. The full list is here.

Ideally, do your academics with PADI eLearning. If you went the paper book route, there’s an extra $60 PADI certification processing fee, plus tax. With eLearning, there’s no fee.

How long it takes

Usually 1 to 2 days, depending on how many dives you still need.

The ocean vs. a quarry back home

We’ve been told that even on a bad-visibility day here, people get to see fish, corals and marine life they would never see in a quarry or lake back home. Nothing wrong with quarries and lakes, though. People get certified with what they have easy access to, and the idea is just to become a better, more comfortable diver, no matter where you get certified.

Plan for the weather

When you’re planning to finish your course on vacation, it’s very important to plan ahead, because weather can affect your days of diving. And bad weather doesn’t always mean rain. It can be super sunny outside while the ocean conditions just don’t allow for diving.

So try to plan your trip around the best time of year for diving where you’re staying, since the north, south, east and west coasts all change with the season. Then book your dives toward the beginning of your trip. That way the rest of your vacation is free for other things, and if we have to move a day or two, you still have time to get it done.

If you can’t finish before you fly home, we’ll give you a new referral form so you can finish at another PADI dive center within 12 months. How weather and unfinished courses work.