Call us on regular phone In the USA (broadband) 305 420 5959 From the USA to Honduras 011 504 4253326 (cell phone) 011 504 33732521 In the UK (broadband) 0203 3719488 From the UK to Honduras 00 504 425 3326 (mobile phone) 00 504 33732521
Beautiful Oceans is an exciting new training organization, similar to PADI or DAN, however they are unique, distinctive and specialize in coral reef marine science courses for dive professionals and their customers. Prior to 2006 if a scuba diver or professional wanted to learn more about marine biology they would have to enroll in a college program or join an expedition which could be expensive, time consuming, beyond the scope of their needs with excessive information, and existing environmental programs did not fulfill their needs.
The founders of Beautiful Oceans are marine biologists, from prestigious and world renowned McGill University, Canada, and have participated in numerous expeditions and conservation programs in the Caribbean, their knowledge and experience are unsurpassed and their programs reflect years of education, training and experience.
Beautiful Oceans programs lead to the distinctive Science Instructor rating and certification, designed to provide dive professionals with a detailed understanding in selected topics of marine biology, ecology, species and ecosystems. Science Instructors are authorized to teach coral reef biology to divers and snorkelers while at the same time providing them with the tools and the know-how for conducting state-of-the-art dive briefings. Becoming a Beautiful Oceans Science Instructor will make you more employable, knowledgeable and provides better experiences that today's diver and snorkeller seeks from their adventures. Utila Dive Centre offers two formulas to dive professionals that want to add the distinctive Science Instructor rating to their curriculum:
Enroll in a Science Instructor Development Course (SIDC) upon your arrival at Utila
Book a Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Guardian or Science Instructor course with our PADI Divemaster or Instructor training and receive immediate online access to the Beautiful Oceans e-Academy.
This second option allows you to make the most productive and constructive use of your time prior to arriving at Utila Dive Centre and you'll get online access to the Beautiful Oceans state-of-the-art online course material, videos, quizzes and exams. You'll rapidly improve your knowledge of the Caribbean coral reef ecosystem, its architecture and the food web, and arrive on the island of Utila, Honduras, with an intimate knowledge and scientific understanding of the environment where you'll soon be working as a dive professional. Whilst studying online, our staff will be able to guide you through the materials and grade your assignments. Upon arrival we'll then hand out your Science Instructor materials, schedule your Science Instructor Examination (SIE) and take you out to our amazing coral reefs so you can apply in-water what you learned during the course and immediately enhance your enjoyment of coral reefs. There's no better way to start your training and education, and no need to count down the days till you join us, just contact us to see how you can get the best start to your dive education and training in the Caribbean, today!
Download more information about Beautiful Oceans for free!
Your Science Instructor course fees include:
• Application fees and annual membership fees for courses ‘Coral Reef Architecture & Organisms’ and/or ‘Coral Reef Ecosystem & Foodweb’
• Science Instructor Online Development Course (begin learning online today in preparation of your examination, your personal Science Instructor Trainer will make sure that you are never neglected and that you will always succeed!)
• SciencePAK GOLD (deluxe course binder, full-color state-of-the-art course manual)
• One (1) Creature Discovery Kit, comprised of collector’s binder insert & pocket dive slate
• One (1) Coral Reef Exploration Kit, comprised of a 3D coral reef map for dive briefing examination
• Science Instructor Manual (containing General Standards & procedures, course presentation notes, quizzes & exams for your students, SIDC workbooks with answer sheets)
• Three (3) Science Instructor Examinations: General Standards & Procedures Examination, Course Theory Examination, Dive Briefing Examination
• Full-colour (giant!) plasticized dive briefing slate 11”x17” for each course
• In-class Course Review Presentation CD-ROM
• Official diploma delivered by the Beautiful Oceans eAcademy
• Plastic certification card ‘Science Instructor’ for the current year
• Two dives
The two coral reef biology curriculum that Beautiful Oceans offers cover:
Did you know that the plural of fish is "fishes" when referring to a group of more than one species, but "fish" when referring to a group that consists of just one species? This and lots of other interesting science facts about the architecture of coral reefs, the different coral reef zones and the creatures and behaviour of them, you will learn in this outstanding program. After taking the Coral Reef Guardian course, every dive will be a new challenge, and the reef a playground for nature lovers. Discover the amazing relationships between the organisms that inhabit a fringing reef, learn the Scientific names of the different species and what they mean, and spend 2 dives and a snorkeling tour investigating the different zones of the reef.
As part of our commitment to protecting the underwater environment, and advocating environmental education, we are proud to be able to offer the popular, marine science educational courses from Beautiful Oceans. The course fee includes Coral Reef Guardian Manual, online access to the Beautiful Oceans eAcademy, 2 dives, creature discovery kit and certification. This course is ideal for all divers from entry level who wish to gain more from their dives, to dive professionals who wish to become coral reef experts in order to give their students and divers a better diving experience. A unique benefit of taking your training with the Utila Dive Centre is that you can immediately enroll in the online portion of this program! Come and be part of it! For more info on Beautiful Oceans check www.beautifuloceans.com.
Detailed course description and benefits
Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Architecture & Organisms is your map of the reef and its creatures - This program will familiarize you with the six zones of a typical fringing coral reef and some of the organisms found in each zone. You will discover a simple system to recognize specific coral reef zones and understand why some species are more abundant in some zones than others. The most common behaviors exhibited by coral reef organisms will be studied. You will understand why scientific names of coral reef species are important, and discover an easy way to help you learn these names. This program will also introduce you to the process by which fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls are formed. The online portion of this program is comprised of 30 online topics containing compelling text, beautiful pictures, fascinating videos, over 100 interactive online quizzes, a final comprehensive knowledge review and an online certificate of completion for print out. You will receive the following accompanying program materials upon arrival at Utila: an 80-pages strong full-color course manual, a luxury collector's binder, two [2] Creature Discovery Kits (comprised of two letter-sized paper insert and two plastic pocket dive slates).
• Understanding fringing reef zonation allows divers and snorkelers to get the most from each and every discovery dive or snorkel tour. If you are interested in locating a specific species, or family of organisms, knowledge of each zone will give you better chance of finding your own, personal 'creature of interest'. Knowing how to identify coral reef zones allows you to better communicate with other divers and snorkelers, your Divemaster or Instructor; this is particularly useful when you wish to describe what you saw and where you saw it. • Knowing which coral reef organism can be found in which zones of the coral reef helps you better orient your dive or snorkel tour. • Learning the behaviour of typical coral reef organisms allows you to better understand what you see underwater. • Learning the scientific names of coral reef organisms will help you identify, describe and discuss them. This course makes it easy and fun to learn the scientific names of all organisms encountered. • Understanding fringing reef zonation allows you to add more detail to your dive or snorkel logbook, allowing you to associate a species, or family of organisms,with a particular zone on the reef. This may also prove useful when returning to previous dive or snorkel sites for further exploration. • Understanding that atolls were formally barrier reefs and fringing reefs, allows divers to recognize the similarity between the zones found on these different reeftypes. By the end of this course
• You will be able to distinguish between the six different zones of a typical fringing reef. • You will also be able to identify and scientifically name some of the organisms that typify each zone. • You will know why certain species are more abundant in some coral reef zones compared to others. • You will understand some behaviours of typical coral reef organisms. • You will know the difference between a fringing reef, barrier reef and atoll and will understand how they are formed.
Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Ecosystem & Food Web
Did you know that Nassau groupers - although they are mostly solitary - sometimes appear in enormous schools, particularly during annual spawning events when aggregations of up to 30,000 individuals have been recorded? This and lots of other interesting science facts about the coral reef ecosystem and food web, you will learn in this outstanding program. After taking the Coral Reef Guardian course, every dive will be a new challenge, and the reef a playground for nature lovers. Discover the amazing feeding relationships between the organisms that inhabit a fringing reef, learn how energy travels through the coral reef ecosystem, and spend 2 dives and a snorkeling tour investigating the different feeding behaviors on the reef. As part of our commitment to protecting the underwater environment, and advocating environmental education, we are proud to be able to offer the popular, marine science educational courses from Beautiful Oceans. The course fee includes Coral Reef Guardian Manual, online access to the Beautiful Oceans eAcademy, 2 dives, creature discovery kit and certification. This course is ideal for all divers from entry level who wish to gain more from their dives, to dive professionals who wish to become coral reef experts in order to give their students and divers a better diving experience. A unique benefit of taking your training with the Utila Dive Centre is that you can immediately enroll in the online portion of this program! Come and be part of it! For more info on Beautiful Oceans check www.beautifuloceans.com.
Detailed course description and benefits
Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Ecosystem & Food Web is the 'Who Eats Who' of the coral reef - This program will help you understand what constitutes a coral reef ecosystem and how food webs result in the movement of energy from organism to organism. You will also learn about seagrass and mangrove ecosystems, which are associated with coral reefs. This program will introduce you to some of the major groups of organisms that live on coral reefs, such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, algae, plants, coral, fish, sponges, echinoderms, arthropods, worms and mollusks. You will also learn some of the basic interactions that occur between these groups, discover example species and learn some of their interesting behaviors. Finally, this program will introduce you to the Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Organism Behavior Tool and will provide you with an easy way to apply this tool to creatures you encounter on coral reefs. This tool will teach you how your creature of interest gets the energy it needs to survive and when the best time to observe the creature is. The online portion of this program is comprised of 30 online topics containing compelling text, beautiful pictures, fascinating videos, over 100 interactive online quizzes, a final comprehensive knowledge review and an online certificate of completion for print out. You will receive the following accompanying program materials upon arrival at Utila: an 130-pages strong full-color course manual, a luxury collector's binder, 2 Creature Discovery Kits (comprised of a letter-sized paper insert and a plastic pocket dive slate). Course benefits
• Understanding how coral reefs function as an ecosystem allows you observe the big picture of life on the reef and appreciate the importance of each individual organism • Recognizing the major organisms that exist on coral reefs and their position in the food web helps you familiarize yourself with the entire ecosystem • Knowing how one organism interacts with another can tell us a great deal about its role in the ecosystem—what scientists refer to as its ecological niche. Knowing an organism's niche can help us understand and even predict some of the behaviours and interactions we witness during our exploration of coral reefs through both scuba diving and snorkeling • Understanding the morphology of an organism tell divers and snorkelers a lot about the lifestyle and behaviour of an organism • To help us learn more about the coral reef food web and some of Caribbean's most common reef organisms, we have created the Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Organism Behaviour Tool—Food Web. This tool will help you understand more about each organism you encounter on your discovery dives and snorkel tours— WHAT is the position of a particular organism in the food web, HOW does it gain energy, and WHEN does it gain energy— allowing to you find creatures, and observe and predict behaviours that you may otherwise miss.
By the end of this course
• You will be able to describe the characteristics of a coral reef ecosystem • You will understand the connection between coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass ecosystems • You will understand how predation, competition and symbiosis are part of a healthy functioning ecosystem • You be able to describe the process of photosynthesis • You will be able to explain the difference between a herbivore, omnivore and carnivore • You will be able to name the major groups of organisms on coral reefs • You will able to identify and name example species in each of these groups • You will be able to understand and even predict some of the common behaviours of coral reef organisms • You will discover what, when and how certain example species eat • You will learn to appreciate all life on coral reefs from the tiniest phytoplankton to the shark
The student materials are comprised of course manuals, well designed in layout, graphic rich and interactive, with submersible slates for the optional discovery dives. Beautiful Oceans has taken great care to design knowledge that can be directly applied in-water by divers and dive professionals: Creature Discovery Kits allow for easy species identification and provide in-depth knowledge about three major groups of behaviors that can be observed in-water: Feeding behaviours, attack and defense behaviours and reproductive behaviours.
In addition to the student manuals Instructors have Instructor manuals, CD Roms for presentations, giant dive briefing slates and online support from the Utila Dive Centre and Beautiful Oceans team.
These programs are taught exclusively by Beautiful Oceans Science Instructors and are open to all PADI Divemasters & Instructors to qualify, you do not need to have been a diver for 6 months to take a Beautiful Oceans Science Instructor, as all learning is designed to take place online or in the classroom with optional application on discovery dives in the water.
We run Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Guardian courses through the ‘Utila Centre for Marine Ecology’ on Utila and were the 1st, and currently only, Beautiful Oceans Science Instructor Development Centre in Honduras, and Central America.
We schedule Beautiful Oceans Science Diver/Instructor packages every month for our Divemasters and Instructors with immediate 0nline registration and access to the course, don't delay and use your time more productively, start today!
As a dive professional are you interested in increasing your chances of finding employment?
As a dive professional are you interested in teaching fun coral reef biology courses?
As a dive professional are you interested in adding new skills to your curriculum?
As a working dive professional are you interested in earning additional income from the job that you love?
By adding the distinctive rating 'Science Instructor' to your curriculum you will be qualified to teach coral reef biology to divers and snorkelers, issue official Coral reef Guardian C-cards and significantly increase your chances of finding employment.
Read on to hear testimonials from some of the dive industries leading professionals from the most acclaimed and prestigious training facilities, in the world, have to say about Beautiful Oceans programs;
"I wanted to let you know that my course materials arrived today. I must say those are some of the nicest course materials I have ever seen. In 2 years of college and throughout all my PADI/DAN training I haven't seen materials that well put together, organized with such great images and descriptions. Thanks!"
Jeremy Gosnell, Divemaster
Oakland, California
"Comparing Beautiful Oceans courses and materials to any other existing programs out there is like comparing a pea shooter to an atomic bomb. Beautiful Oceans is an eye-opener and a must for any dive pro interested in coral reefs!"
Dr. Alex Bryslke
Senior Editor, Dive Training Magazine
"WOW is all I can say. I have learned so much in the first course, that I can't wait for the next. I just need to do my webcam presentation, and then get the rest of my assignments graded. Thanks so much for creating a great program!"
Colyn Zylka, PADI Course Director
Delafield, Wisconsin
"It's amazing that after so many years of diving your SIDC was able to completely change the way I look at coral reefs. Taking the 'Coral Reef Architecture & Organims' course was like switching on a light. By understanding the amazing interactions that occur between different reef organisms, I now even look at organisms like turf algae in a completely new way."
Errol, Divemaster,
Holetown, Barbados
“I have been thoroughly impressed by the quality of the training provided by Beautiful Oceans. Their coral reef biology courses promise to be a hit for Utila Dive Center and I am looking forward to passing this knowledge on to future Science Instructors and to customers that visit our local reefs.” -- Andy Phillips, PADI Course Director and Director of Professional Training, Utila Dive Centre ( www.utiladivecentre.com)
“I have been very impressed by the quality of the course material available to both the students and the instructor. The material is of the highest possible quality. It is, in fact, extremely impressive. Honestly.” -- Darcy Kieran, PADI Course Director and Owner of ‘Total Diving’ Montreal-based PADI Career Development Center ( www.totaldiving.com)
The Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Guardian/Science Instructor package course can be completed in just 2 days per module, and is open to ALL PADI Divemasters and Instructors, exclusively in Honduras through the ‘Utila Dive Centre/Utila Centre for Marine Ecology’. We run Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Guardian/Science Instructor packages every month on Utila with dives on our local reef systems.
When you think that based on an average class of 4 students, earning $25 per head, for teaching a fun 1 day course, you can earn $100, then it only takes 5 classes to make a ‘return on investment’ what an opportunity to get qualified and paid for the job that you love!!!!!!!!!
For more information on our Beautiful Oceans programs please contact Beautiful Oceans Science Instructor Trainer Andy Phillips on
