Recommendations for scuba instruction, good snorkeling and quiet beaches

I’ve been doing research for a couple months now and I feel like the more I read about the Caribbean and the Bahamas, the more confused I get about where to go.

My mom and I are looking to get open water diving certified. My mom also likes snorkeling, and we would like to be able to access fairly uncrowded beaches with pretty water and preferably white sand. We aren’t party people and would like to avoid crowds and noise. We will probably skip islands where some residents only speak French, as we don’t speak any French.

I’m probably avoiding the ABC islands because of the happenings in Venezuela. I definitely want to go diving in Bonaire one day though.

I thought I had decided on the Bahamas, specifically the Exumas, but then I read some concerning reviews about Dive Exuma. So I thought maybe southern New Providence, then I read some concerning reviews about the Stuart’s Cove scuba center. Has anyone had any experience with these scuba centers?

I was planning on spending the first 3-4 days of the trip on scuba instruction, then hopping around to different beaches where we can go snorkeling and swimming. We could do at least seven days if the accommodations are not very expensive (max about $300/night).