best diving in belize? turneffe vs. lighthouse?

[spectralsepia]

hi all,

i am on a super tight budget and would like to experience diving in belize. from the looks of photos, it seems like lighthouse reef is one of the most spectacular dives in the world, but it is about $100 more to dive there than turneffe. my plans are really flexible, and im willing to splurge on a day of diving lighthouse if it really is significantly better (and overall mindblowing), but im also open to other ideas for any of the other atolls/reefs. ive read a strong preference for the atolls over the local reefs near caye caulker (the current plan for accommodation, but changeable!)

any input would be much appreciated, thank you!!

 

[lostcajun]

There's great diving in Belize. My best experiences are on the reefs around Lighthouse. Great visibility, colors, and lots of fish. It takes time to get there on a day boat, and any resorts out that way are not for "tight budgets." You might try Half Moon Caye which is stunningly beautiful. I know people can stay there in their bunk houses on a tight budget, but I'm not sure about diving services or about transport to and from. If you dive out of Belize City go with Sea Sports Belize. John and Linda Searle go out of their way and above and beyond the call. If you dive out of Caye Caulker both Belize Dive Service and Frenchie's are great. They both take a little different approach.

 

[spectralsepia]

thank you!! any experience with turneffe or glovers? how do they compare to lighthouse?

 

[OnTheSpot]

Here are some extracts from a recent Dive The World trip report which might help (full report here: Liveaboard Diving: Belize Aggressor Trip Report - Lighthouse Reef, The Blue Hole and Turneffe Reef)

The diving at Lighthouse Reef is relatively easy if you chose to stay in the shallow gardens, which for most divers were the main attraction anyway. The absence of currents makes the destination appealing to a wide range of experience levels - our trip had several liveaboard first-timers and some divers that did nothing but liveaboard cruises. It may be that the lack of strong currents is why there were not so many shark encounters and big schools of fish, but we did see Caribbean reef sharks and blacktips at some of the sites.

The Belize Aggressor offers standard 27-dive week long cruises, with the main focus being on Lighthouse Reef at Half Moon Caye and Long Caye. A dive at Blue Hole and a few dives at Turneffe Reef are also included. The Blue Hole is such an iconic dive site that I suppose I better pass comment ... it was a 42m dive, well guided and thoroughly briefed, to see some underwater stalactites formed many thousands of years ago. I have ticked that box in my dive log book now but it didn't excite me much. There is usually 1 land visit at the picturesque Half Moon Caye Island to visit the red-footed booby sanctuary. This was a welcome interlude and added some fun and variation to the itinerary.

As for diving at Lighthouse Reef in Belize? I'd suggest that it measures very well against other destinations in the Caribbean. The colours and health of the reef are second to none. It offers easy diving conditions but with the option to choose deeper dives if you prefer. Belize is very easy to get to for North Americans so it is an obvious attraction to divers of all experience levels from there. And for divers that are more used to diving in other parts of the world, you will get to see lots of species that are unique to the Caribbean Sea too, making a diving trip here worthwhile too.

 

[zeppelindiver]

The diving around Half Moon Cay & Long Cay on Lighthouse is outstanding, some of the best we have seen anywhere. The reason it is more expensive than Turneffe is simply the distance that the boats have to travel from the mainland & inner cays to get there and back, gas plus time equals money. If I was only going to dive one place in Belize it would be there.

There is also excellent diving on Glovers, same issue with access as Lighthouse. There is a nice small resort at the southeast end of Glovers that is close to most of the better dive sites, you can either stay with them or they will take you out for the day, you just have to find transport out to the resort, they could probably help you with that. You can find their website at Isla Marisol Resort Isla Marisol Resort. The diving there is also great & the people are terrific, although if pressed I would have to say go to Lighthouse.

 

[peterbj7]

A lot depends on just how "super tight" your budget is. If you're staying on either Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) you'll spend an awful lot less if you go for local diving. And on either there is budget accommodation available. Anywhere else, mainland or atolls, will cost dramatically more. Although accommodation will cost much more than the minimum available in town, if you stay on the northern end of Ambergris Caye you'll find superb diving there.

Although I don't like Tobacco Caye itself (a tropical slum) there is superb diving in the Southwater Caye Marine Reserve nearby. There are several other options for accommodation in the area, including fairly cheap on Southwater Caye itself. In that area I've always stayed on Thatch Caye, but unless they have a special that won't be a cheap option. I've often stayed (and worked) there under previous management.

A good resource for maps and other information is Belize Vacations, Tours, Resorts, News, Hotels, Travels, Flights, Weather, Maps, Real Estate. Ask me if you need further advice.

 

[WPaDiver]

Any more specific recommendations for accommodations/diving on the north end of Ambergris Caye?

 

[chillyinCanada]

When you say the north end of Ambergris Caye, how far north are you talking? What sort of acco are you looking for? Most of the places up north are spendy. The dive op recommendations will be determined by where you ultimate choose to stay.

 

[WPaDiver]

So unlike the originator of this thread I'm not on particularly tight budget, sorry for the hijack. How far north I don't know. Just looking for some names to investigate with maybe better sites than closer to San Pedro but not so expensive as Turniffe.


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[AWMIII]

Have you dove off of San Pedro?