Single diver, mix of diver ability on Lighthouse v.s. Turneffe trips?

[KeithG]

My reading of the Belize forum history suggested the local reef transitions from spur and groove to slope around 80' and that DMs often exceed planned depths to this transition. Maybe for the interest, or maybe to get back sooner. Belize requires DM presence, part of the document cited above. I'm very happy at 80', but with no one around I know I can trust, I figure I'm solo with hopefully a boat still above, and should be equipped that way.


A 63 might be a local substitute, if no 40 or less can be found. Or I'll fly one. No camera, but that is an attractive reason for one.

I believe that spur and groove terrain can be found around Ambergris Caye. The terrain at Long Caye and Half Moon Caye is very different. No spur and groove.The few Turneffe sites I have dove have not been spur and groove, just gentle slopes similar to Bonaire but a little steeper.

To the best of my knowledge, Belize does not require a DM. It DOES have rules for any dive that involves a DM.

The cited document is more about rules for dive operators than rules for divers.

 

[Coztick]

Think Dressel divers at an Ibeostar. Fully competent, very safe, but geared to DSDs. Two 27 minute dives to 35 feet EVERY day!

My last dive with them was 60 min. with a max. depth of 98 ft. And 3 nice swimthroughs.

 

[KeithG]

My last dive with them was 60 min. with a max. depth of 98 ft. And 3 nice swimthroughs.

Please provide more details - which dive site and what was the boat group like?

 

[Coztick]

The OP and some responders are talking at a level way beyond anything expected or allowed by most vacation diver operators. Before you talk about this stuff, find out if you will be forced to nanny dive.

I'm very happy at 80', but with no one around I know I can trust, I figure I'm solo with hopefully a boat still above, and should be equipped that way.

I think the op's concern and solutions mirror mine actually.

 

[KeithG]

I think the op's concern and solutions mirror mine actually.

Maybe you should think about doing a LOB?

I have only visited Belize on a LOB trip. Several times. Same boat. We were always allowed to buddy dive as we saw fit.

 

[MichaelMc]

My reading of the rules is as any for hire tours. Though not for training. I need a boat to get to the sites, so all is for hire dives. So it seems to apply when I dive, so a guide/DM. But needing a guide is beside the point. I'm diving with people I do not know to moderately deep depths in not my waters. A nice compact 19/30/40/LP50 will be minimal encumbrance to me. Mild relative pain, but minimal. That the masses do not think of this, is not my issue but theirs. Its in the Padi curricula.

For allowed, it would seem interesting. For me, in practice, on the dock and in the water, I will look and be rather competent. Starting from a BP/W, long hose, and SMB. For the general case, most are Padi ops. Many teaching through the DM level, so much of a full non-tech, non-pro curricula. Padi self reliant diver, seems a recommended part of the non-pro non-tech Padi progression. I'm just 1) planing to carry some convenient form of the recommended alternate air, and 2) asking about which version of that they have around as standard. .

LOB sound cool, but I'm with non-divers. San Pedro seems to fit that.

 

[Coztick]

Please provide more details - which dive site and what was the boat group like?

Sure, Tues. 8am is to Colombia Cordillera for 60 min. with a pretty good group of 5 other divers (3 groups on the boat).
Everyone else was at the safety stop or surfaced by 60 min. but I took 2 80s in sm. and ended with 1500# on the left and 1400# on the right. Overall they do OK with sorting out groups and they do hit most of the popular sites. My wife doesn't dive so it works for us.
That said, I've considered using an outside op for a different experience.

 

[Coztick]

Maybe you should think about doing a LOB?

I have only visited Belize on a LOB trip. Several times. Same boat. We were always allowed to buddy dive as we saw fit.

Even if I could afford a lob, my wife doesn't dive and I like a little vacation with my diving. I usually do 2 a day and a couple of night dives on Francesca or Punta Dallilia.
over a 14 day stay.
Maybe in another life...
I do see the allure.
As far as buddies, no thanks. Sticking near a group is fine by me!

 

[AWMIII]

I have done more than 200 local dives off San Pedro. I have never seen a pony tank or doubles on a single dive. I have seen 2 people sling an AL80 for the Blue Hole dive. The buddy system is pretty loose in Belize. All dives are required to be lead by a licensed Belize Tour Guide. This is pretty strictly enforced as the Tour Guide association is basically a labor union. Having a real DM is almost always enforced, but not always. The guides are limited to 6 guests per guide and most dives are lead as a group dive. Occasionally, regulars are allowed to stray from the group, but almost all of the San Pedro dives are drift dives, so staying near the group is common sense. This is not how the dives are done by the LOBs. They are usually "pools open" buddy dives.

Fills may or may not be problematic for a pony as most shops do not have a compressor. I have heard one report that someone had a pony filled at Amigos Del Mar one time.

I hope Elbert will chime in soon as he has much more credibility than I do when it comes to San Pedro diving.

I rarely have an official buddy that I am not related to or "watching"

 

[MichaelMc]

Thanks AWMIII. I'm happy swimming about moving slowly that-a-way with a guided group, without specific buddy responsibility. I've done slow drift dives that way in Hawaii, though not yet any stronger current drifts.

The pony is for contingency. My SAC is fairly low; with an AL80 I'll outlast most groups. If I need to bring a 19cu.ft., it would just be filling it once, with my understanding Amigos may be the only compressor on AC, absent maybe Tranquility Bay.

A pony just makes sense if I'm someplace new with unknown divers, particularly as I'm moving to one and sidemount here, for recreational redundancy.