How to Get Certified as a Professional Scuba Diver on Your Vacation

How to Get Certified as a Professional Scuba Diver on Your Vacation

If you have a thrill for adventure then you have landed on the right article. Check out the Alaia Belize, Autograph Collection to live the underwater adventure. Located at the dreamy Caribbean paradise of Ambergris Caye, this newly opened resort offers professional PADI certification as a recreational scuba diver. Let’s check out how to add a professional tag to your scuba diving passion here.

The Certification Program

With rich Caribbean underwater treasure, Alaia is one of the most coveted scuba diving spots in the world. So, there is probably no better place to get certified as a professional scuba diver, while enjoying your vacation. The on-site dive shop of the Alaia Belize resort offers an open-water scuba diving course including conversations with field experts and longtime divers. After the course, there comes the PADI certification. Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is a trusted name in the scuba diving world, and the PADI certification allows you to rent dive gears and explore the underwater with adequate safety training. Also, PADI is the world’s largest dive training organization with numerous dive centers across the world. The Alaia Belize resort partners with on-site The Belize Pro Dive Center to carry out certification programs.

Details of the Program

How to Get Certified as a Professional Scuba Diver on Your Vacation

A weekend trip is not ideal here, as the PADI Open Water Diver Certification takes a minimum of three days. The instructors-monitored certification course is intense but really well managed. You have to take your time to complete the course works, skill tests, and diving demonstrations. Thorough theoretical knowledge of scuba diving, using the gears, underwater communication, and avoiding potential risks are included in the course work. After passing the coursework exam, you will be learning and practicing open-water diving skills in a pool. The final step is the open-water diving demonstration with a personal instructor, focusing on skills and handling emergency situations. If everything goes well, you are all set to be welcomed in the professional scuba diving world.

30+ Popular Stereotypes About China That Couldn’t Be Further From the Truth

The world’s most populous nation is China. It is also the world’s most diverse nation. China has more than 40 different ethnic groups, and each group speaks a staggering number of languages. This impressive amount of diversity stems from its vast geographical expanse. The Chinese are a very delicate race greatly affected by their surroundings, which has led to different perceptions from different countries and cultures over China. Below is a list of stereotypes that are generally prevalent in society.

Look-Alikes

In Canada and the US, the Chinese are seen to be homogenous because of their similar cultural background. This in turn, leads other Canadians and Americans to think that their faces all look alike.

Look-Alikes

In reality, the Chinese are multifaceted with different cultural backgrounds leading them to have distinct facial features. Just look at the many kinds of celebrities that have come out of the Chinese entertainment industry – they’re as different from each other as they would be from Caucasians.

Poor Quality Goods

This is not true and can be seen from how people in China form business connections known as Guanxi. Guanxi is a significant way in which the Chinese create quality goods.

Poor Quality Goods

It is a network of relationships that helps to create a standardized social structure. It also involves personal trust and commitment on the part of the manufacturer and consideration for customer satisfaction.

No Manners

The Chinese have no civility, but it is just our opinion on politeness. A well-behaved Chinese individual possesses a wide range of social skills that are typically lacking in Westerners. Blowing your nose into a tissue or allowing your companion to cover for lunch are both extremely impolite.

No Manners

Yet, a courteous Chinese person will never bring it up to avoid embarrassment. They are always concerned about others. If you ask a Chinese person to take your photo, they will never refuse. The only thing to keep in mind is that the image is always kept free of personal effects or religious symbols.

Eating Dogs in China

The Chinese often eat dogs because they are a status symbol. This practice is common in South China. Dogs are cheaper than cattle and pigs, making them an excellent option for people who want to show off their wealth.

Eating Dogs in China

The rodents in China aren’t too clean, so the Chinese believe that they’re getting rid of all the negative energy by eating dogs. But after an uproar among activists at home and abroad, the government banned dog and cat eating in 2007.

The Rice-Only Country

We know that they ate rice early on in history, but how long ago this was, whether they still did this in modern times, and if the practice has changed over time is difficult to determine.

The Rice-Only Country

The Chinese people are known for their rice dishes, but they also have many other dishes that they eat. One popular dish is sweet and sour pork. There are many varieties of this dish, and the one I like to order has pineapples. Common street foods include sweet corn on the cob, squid on a stick, and crispy duck with sugar cane juice.

Marriage to Foreign Ladies

Chinese men can not get married to foreign women due to strict customs. For some Chinese men, it is not as difficult to marry a foreign woman. These men can marry a foreign woman because their parents will help them find a foreign Chinese wife.

Marriage to Foreign Ladies

A lot of these women have been brought up in China and speak fluent Chinese. The initial customs in China are that most of the women have to be citizens of China. But in recent times, most ladies who are well acquainted with Chinese traditions often marry their men.

Chinese Kung Fu

The Chinese martial art of kung fu, celebrated for its diversity and reached across China, has been popularized in Hollywood movies and popular culture. It’s a cultural fad that Westerners have long been fascinated with. In turn, it has created some stereotypes about China along the way.

Chinese Kung Fu

Kung fu is a Chinese term, which means “skill, technique, or art of war.” It can refer to several schools of martial arts. Originally from southern China, the oldest kung fu styles have developed around the 12th and 13th centuries during the late Tang Dynasty.

One-Child Rule

The One-child policy is the government’s family planning program. It is designed to lower the birth rate of China’s citizens. The government implemented this policy nationwide in 1979, and it was modified in 2013 to allow some parents a second child if either parent has no siblings.

One-Child Rule

The procedure was designed to slow the growth of the Chinese population. China’s population is one of the fastest-growing in the world, growing from roughly 650 million in 1950 to over 1.36 billion in 2015

Left Driving in China

Only Chinese people drive on the left side of the street. This misconception may have originated since China was under Japanese occupation for many years during World War II.

Left Driving in China

Their culture did not change at all during this period until decades later, when they started developing an economy independent from Japan. Also, some of the Japanese immigrated to China in the 1800s. So this same idea is present in Japan as well.

Chinese Made Kimchi

Chinese people must love kimchi since they eat it every day. Maybe true, but the dish did not originate from China. Kimchi is a staple dish in South Korean cuisine, and it is famous for its relish flavor.

Chinese Made Kimchi

It is made of salted and fermented vegetables like Napa cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, or scallions combined with different seasonings like garlic or ginger. The taste can vary depending on the type of vegetables used to make it. The dish often contains the addition of soybean paste called -dipping sauce- which has a very savory taste.

Costly Female Hygiene Products

Female hygiene products are expensive in China. The Chinese government puts a high tax on female hygiene products to encourage people to have smaller families. China has an aging population, and there’s a fear that it will not support its retiring generation (pension system).

Costly Female Hygiene Products

The most significant factor in the price of female hygiene products is not government policy. The majority of the price tag comes from the cost of raw materials.

Bald Men in China

In China, the culture dictates that men with bony foreheads are more masculine. To facilitate this, many men in China shave their heads until the hair falls off.

Bald Men in China

The traditional Chinese bangs are also a common practice, and they’re sometimes dyed a bright color to stand out. Outside of China, however, the bony forehead stereotype is rarely seen. A head full of hair is still considered attractive to most Westerners.

Chinese Women

Many people often believe that although there are so many beautiful women in Asia, they are all Chinese. This is not true. China isn’t the only country in Asia, so it’s not the place with the most beautiful women.

Chinese Women

Inevitably, once someone finds out that there are places like Thailand with beautiful women, they may find themselves asking the question: “why did people think China is full of beautiful women?” Some may think of this as a past misconception that has been corrected.

English Speaking in China

Don’t believe in the notion that ‘No one in China can speak English.’ According to some estimates, fewer than 10 million Chinese speak English or less than 1% of the population.

English Speaking in China

Indeed, China’s education system doesn’t require English-language instruction in schools. Nonetheless, English is one of the most widely-used languages in China, as it’s taught in many universities and other educational institutions.

Traditional Hats

Chinese men wear funny hats because they believe that the shape of their heads gives them magical powers. The design of the caps is based on the condition of their head.

Traditional Hats

It has been thought that a person’s head shapes have a significant influence on their lives. The shape of the head can even be used in diagnosing diseases and illnesses. These are all funny myths from movie characters. Most Chinese do not wear flat and long hats.

Expensive Travelling

Travel is cheap; efficient for other popular destinations in Asia as well as across the Asia sector. Some believe the journey will be expensive in Asia, but it is super cheap; easy.

Expensive Travelling

You can use buses, trains or taxis to travel to other cities; popular attractions in Beijing or Shanghai. It is not recommended to drive in China, as Chinese traffic law is not similar to other countries.

The Watermelon Culture

In several parts of China, different types of watermelons are grown so that people can have treats in various forms, as every region has a preference when it comes to picking out the watermelons.

The Watermelon Culture

Other factors have lead Chinese people to love watermelon- they have been shown to ease stomach ailments and thereby be very advantageous in helping individuals who suffer from stomach ailments such as diarrhea. The watermelons used in this article were grown in China.

Living Together

All Chinese people live in one place. Only the wealthy and high-class in China can afford to travel and live in different areas. The traditional families in China live together because they provide for each other and help care for the young ones.

Living Together

Most Chinese people have several siblings, and all of them live together in the same house. The children in China are taught to listen to their parents and always follow the rules.

Everyone Fights Karate

Karate is an individual sport. Everyone in China can’t fight Karate. There are just over 2 million Karate practitioners in the country, which means there are more Karate practitioners than the entire population of Shanghai.

Everyone Fights Karate

Most women often avoid this sport for several reasons. China has a rich and varied past that isn’t just about fighting. Karate is a self-defense system that has been around for thousands of years.

Source of Chinese Wealth

Some westerners often believe that Chinese parents became rich by selling their daughters to foreigners. However, many rich kids from China are into technology. The government of China has boost its tech industry by attracting more and more developers and engineers with attractive incentives.

Source of Chinese Wealth

As the skillset has increased, so have the salaries. This has given rise to a new idea of what it means to succeed in today’s society. The high salary packages and spending power of people working in these companies have resulted in many businesses sprouting up, catering to their newfound niche.

Anime and Manga

Chinese people love anime and manga, but it is not a Chinese invention. Anime originated from Japan, where the manga was created. Manga is a form of sequential art or comic books that are created in Japan. Today, manga can be found worldwide and is famous for its non-traditional imagery, exaggerated action scenes, colorful characters, and comedy.

Anime and Manga

Manga originated from different cultures worldwide; originally, it was called “manga” in Japan but soon became known as “anime” everywhere else. Some other cultures which have their origins include Italy with Manga Roma.

Chinese Social Media

Indeed, social media in China does not include Facebook and Instagram. However, Chinese youths are big on their social media platforms. There were 475 million internet users in China as of December 2013.

Chinese Social Media

The popularity of the WeChat app gives it a huge lead over its competitors, such as Google Search, Twitter, and Facebook. Since its launch in 2011, the app has reached 220 million active users. It is free to download and allows everyone to create their microblog on the social platform. The online chat service is available on all major mobile platforms and desktop computers.

Buddhist Population

Of course, there are many Buddhists in China. However, there are other cultural practices and religions as well. Taoism is an indigenous religion of China. It was founded on the teachings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.

Buddhist Population

Taoism has been classified as one of the schools of Chinese philosophy that pertains to formal settings in which rituals and other observances are held. The people who are a part of this faith believe that the harmonious integration between humanity and nature, with life itself, is cultivated through these rituals and observances.

Smiling at Strangers

It is popularly believed that in China, people do not smile at strangers. This is a stereotype. It is also popularly believed that Chinese people are very reserved and do not have much to say.

Smiling at Strangers

Indeed, the Chinese are not as open and friendly as Westerners when they meet new people. However, if you get to know them better, they soon become talkative and friendly. People from China have a very particular sense of humor which is different from the Western sense of humor.

Year of the Pig

There is a lot of misinformation about the ‘Year of The Pig’ celebration in China. Many people believe that it is a holiday that promotes over-consumption, such as pork and alcohol.

Year of the Pig

But, in reality, this type of celebration is just an excuse for people to gather together and enjoy food together with their families. The Year of the Pig celebration encourages people to use various colorful ingredients and flavors in their food. Its origins are not as rooted in dollars or cents as many belief.

Sports in China

All Chinese sports are martial arts. Wrong! The Chinese enjoy all sorts of sports, anything from badminton to volleyball. If you’re lucky enough to try them all, you’ll likely be impressed with the strength and ambition of the Chinese people! While Karate may be extensive in other parts of Asia, it’s a minority sport here.

Sports in China

The dominant sport in China is, by most measures, basketball. It’s also the national game of China and has been since the 1920s. To top it off, China has produced some of the best players globally, such as Yao Ming and Lin Dan.

Manufacturing Country

China’s economy is based on manufacturing. This is very true, but China is one of the biggest markets for technology, with many investment opportunities for those who wish to enter into this field and support from government policies.

Manufacturing Country

This has contributed significantly towards growth and success for tech giants such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, and Xiaomi. Many successful tech companies in China are advertised as one of the top 25 companies to work for. However, all tech companies are not similar, and not all employees get the same paychecks.

No Computers

Computer usage in China has proliferated in the past ten years. There are approximately 300 million computer users in China, and their dependency on the internet increased from almost zero to 80%.

No Computers

This is a massive number of computers, indicating that more persons are using computers than ever before. From technology research data, scholars recognized that many employees have to conduct their tasks while multitasking or even while fully engaging another location for some form of entertainment.

Chinese are Vegetarians

In China, the majority of people are not vegetarians. They do eat meat and fish to some degree. In general, it is believed that most people will eat meat or an animal product in their lifetime.

Chinese are Vegetarians

This is a common misconception because of how this country was portrayed in various books, movies, and TV commercials. So when you see a lot of plants on-screen or photos in novels, it looks like they are eating less flesh than what they genuinely do consume.

Chinese Military

Many believe that China is an emerging military power in the world. It has been investing heavily, for many years, in its armed forces. China focuses not only on one specific sector of its armed forces, but it invests equally in all the three sectors of its Armed Forces such as Army, Navy, and AirForce.

Chinese Military

It has 14 aircraft carriers which are in various stages of development. China’s development of modern military started in 1949, and since then, China has maintained its low profile on the global stage.

Kite or Airplane?

The airplane may be a US invention, but the earliest history of a flying object started in China. Kite flying has an account that is about 2,000 years old. It used to be described as the art of grasping the wind in one’s hands and soaring into the sky with it.

Kite or Airplane?

The earliest evidence of kite playing in China can be traced to 220 BC, where kites were used for ceremonial purposes. It was banned for some time by Ming dynasty rulers because they thought it was superstitious. However, earlier this year, China lifted the ban on kites after 40 years to promote Chinese culture and traditional values.

Maths and Science Genius

The Chinese are known for excelling in the field of science. They are currently ranked as one of the top-performing countries regarding the number of patents filed per year.

Maths and Science Genius

The Chinese are also ranked fifth worldwide according to the number of research articles published by their scientists. But they are not unique in this field of learning. The US, Sweden, and Switzerland are all ranked in the top 25 countries according to their scientists’ number of research articles.

Zero Nightlife

The assumption that there is no nightlife in China is based on the strict rules and regulations of the communist party.

Zero Nightlife

Even after nightfall, you’ll discover many stores open and a variety of operations to do such as parties, concerts, after-parties, and thrilling gaming centers that the younger generation would appreciate when traveling around China’s significant areas with an abundance of excellent food products and attractive plazas hoping to make the nightlife spectacle. It is known as the ‘Never Sleeping City.’

High Pollution

Specks of Dirt and dumping pollution in China is a significant problem that has been a source of contention. In recent years, the government has taken measures to reduce waste and improve the environment for both residents and tourists.

High Pollution

These initiatives have been successful enough to mitigate the impacts of air pollution. One of these programs includes an experiment conducted with plants that can purify polluted air using their leaves.

Chinese Short Height

The average height of Chinese men in the early 1900s was around 5’3″, but in the 2000s, Chinese men on average would be about 5’7″. In the 1980s, many predicted that because China has transitioned from an agricultural country to an industrial one, and with such dietary changes, that their height would decrease.

Chinese Short Height

Many people believed that this prediction was wrong because China had a very high rate of malnutrition. There are many tall individuals in China today, including the tallest basketball player in the NBA, Yao Ming.

Poor Vision

When people from western countries observe Chinese people, they often see that they all wear glasses and are deeply concerned about how long these people’s lives are going to be short. One can see this misconception in movies and TV shows such as The Karate Kid.

Poor Vision

This movie gives the impression that all Asians have a poor vision and therefore must wear glasses. This is just not the case. In China, most people have their vision corrected with corrective lenses, so there was no need for them to be wearing glasses in the first place. This implies that if a person doesn’t have any vision problems, they can get rid of glasses.

Unsafe Country

China is a country with good regulations that are in place for people to follow. The people have a history of following the law, and they are also expected to obey the law by themselves.

Unsafe Country

This has led to some stringent regulations on business. Since China has established such strict rules, it is a safe country that protects all citizens from violence and exploitation. The Chinese often find it hard to relate well with foreigners who come because they break the rules without knowing them.

Chinese Population

Though China is still an exceptionally crowded place, its population growth rate has slowed down – it’s even dropped by 1.3 million people in 2016. China is still the most populated country today but maybe history in the next ten years.

Chinese Population

Experts believe that the population of India and China could be equal by 2024 or 2027. The Chinese population is aging at a very rapid pace from ages 15 to 64. The average age of Chinese people is 42 years old, but it’s still above the average global age.

No Luxury in China

No, it is not valid. People in China buy luxury goods to keep up with their more well-off neighbors and friends. China also enjoys a strong work ethic, and the average Chinese worker puts in over 60 hours at work per week.

No Luxury in China

This work ethic often translates to a good amount of income which helps get the luxury goods they like.

Bad Air Quality

In northern China, the smog is so bad that people have to wear masks every day to avoid suffocating and getting sick. The government is working hard on this pollution problem.

Bad Air Quality

They have created a plan with new solutions for factories. They are also trying to reduce the number of cars on the road. In addition, the government is trying to get people to use public transportation and to use solar power instead of polluting gas. They are also trying to educate the people so that they can change their habits.

China’s Economic Miracle

Since China’s economic miracle in the 1970s, there has been a growth in the Chinese economy that has continued to increase. Businesses were flourishing, and China was becoming a global power.

China’s Economic Miracle

However, over the last decade, many people think there has been a growth of an upper-middle-class in China, causing issues for businesses. However, China is a capitalist country like most western countries, and its economic growth is based on the same principles. Like other western countries, China uses free-market principles to ensure growth in the economy.

Capital Punishments

People believe this because China is a communist country with a human rights record that has been criticized in the past. China, therefore, appears to believe in capital punishment as it is seen more as an act for the protection of human rights rather than as an execution.

Capital Punishments

China has also been implicated in using torture and coercion techniques on their detainees to extract confessions. However, death sentences and other capital punishments have been suspended in recent times by the government.

Urinating in Public

There are many pictures on social media about how people in China often urinate in public. These pictures are responsible for the general belief that most citizens are fond of the act.

Urinating in Public

The Chinese government has employed three strategies to remedy the problems of public urination in China: Changing social norms that discourage public urination; Regulating alcohol consumption; and Implementing campaigns that explain why people should use public restrooms and encourage getting rid of old habits.

Cheap Country

The price of goods sold in China varies depending on the type of goods and the seller. For example, because of higher manufacturing costs and lower wages, producing a laptop in China is much higher than in other countries.

Cheap Country

A lot of people think that things in China are cheaper for different reasons. However, this is not always the case. Rice is one of the most important food staples in China, and it is as expensive as it is in other countries.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall is so long, and I heard it takes two hours to walk from one end to the other. The Great Wall of China is listed as the world’s most extended artificial structure, stretching more than 8,850 kilometers from Bo Hai (where it meets the Bohai Sea) to Jixi County in Gansu.

The Great Wall of China

Most parts are at least 15 meters wide, but it fades to a width frequently less than two meters in some places. The top tier height ranges from 5 to 7 meters, while the bottom tier varies in height. Walking through this wall may take from days to months.