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Need some advice: Background:  I was NAUI-certified 40 years ago and loved diving in N. Fla.  I haven't had tanks on in 35 years. I am still a good, strong swimmer.  When you turn 60 in my family the deal is you get to go somewhere you have never been and always wanted to go.  I'd like to go diving for a week somewhere tropical  (FL Keys or Caribbean are what is affordable).  My expectations are modest, 35-60' depths, visibility, reefs, fish.  After this dive, I will probably not dive again because I live far from water.  When I go, I'd like to take my 11yr old son diving too. 60 is three years away.  There is a dive shop where I live and can get certified thru them. Q1.  Can a 10-11 year old get certified? Q2.  What is the lowest level of certification (PADI or NAUI) one can have to do open water dives with a /good/ dive operator?  This is a time/money question for me for getting certified to be 'good enuf.' We'd show up with mask, fins, and rent the rest. Q3.  Where would you go to dive for the best bang for the buck? Belize, Caymans, Bahamas, FL Keys....? I am interested in- competent dive masters, good water and underwater sights, shorter rather than longer transit time from shore to dive; affordability, minimal immigration and language hassles near enuf to airport. Do Not care about night life, beach scene.  Prefer somewhere with little of that so I can sleep at night.... TIA,   Still a fan of Mike Nelson

TIA,   Still a fan of Mike Nelson Just like all the rest of us old timers. Lee

Q3.  Where would you go to dive for the best bang for the buck? Belize, Caymans, Bahamas, FL Keys....? I am interested in- competent dive masters, good water and underwater sights, shorter rather than longer transit time from shore to dive; affordability, minimal immigration and language hassles near enuf to airport. You might be OK on one of the sister islands, as long as you and all your luggage can make it there, but Grand Cayman is a bit over the hill for diving, its best spots long tarnished by cruise ships, overdevelopment, hurricanes, you name it.  Plus, it's ultra- expensive.  You can try to save by doing a meal plan at a dedicated resort like Cobalt Coast, but you can do that in many other places in the Caribbean with better diving for less money.  Whoever suggested Grand Cayman to you doesn't know what he's talking about. Roatan is the popular best bang for the buck island, but I don't care for it much.  YMMV.  Certainly it's a good deal.  Cozumel has better diving, IMO, but it may be overwhelming for new divers as the currents can be tricky and depths hard to gauge in the clear water. Personally, I prefer Bonaire, as it's easy to stretch a dollar there. Not only is the exchange rate still somewhat favorable, making dining out cheaper than in the states, but most of the lodgings come with complete kitchens so you can make your own meals.  Diving is similar: you can pay a very decent price for dive master-led boat dives or you can literally dive for free by shore diving with one of the ubiquitous unlimited air or nitrox packages. You also might want to consider a liveaboard, particularly Nekton since they cover the Bahamas and Belize itineraries you mention.  If you price it out, they are very competitive with land-_base_d operations, especially when you consider the amount of bottom time you can get in.  Plus they have a special for new divers where you can not only get your certification referral dives for free, but they reimburse your training costs up to $150.  What a deal.