I've got a trip planned for late February, and I was wondering if anyone out there has any operator that they recommend diving with. Also any suggestions about where to go. I've read about turneffe atoll and lighthouse reef. Does anyone recommend one over the other? How is the diving off of Ambergris Caye itself? I would appreciate any help out there....
advice: Ambergris Caye
- Thread starter sabidaddy
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DivePartner1
Contributor
sabidaddy:
I was there over the new year's holiday. I dove with Aqua Blue Divers but wasn't thrilled with them--- I'd rate them adequate. The boats aren't in great shape and exits are on small-ish ladders, which is s problem for some if the seas are up. I don't recommend their night dive--crossing a tidal inlet in shallow water full of half-buried stingray. The tide was sucking out when I did it and I thought it was a potential recipe for disaster for some of the newer divers.
Don't miss Turneffe--it's worth the trip. Blue Hole is less so--especially in the smallish boats of ABD in 6 foot seas, although you might do it just to day you did it once (like a quarry dive in warm water--yawn).
The close in reefs aren't as rich as Turneffe but there are plenty of nurse sharks and southern stringrays--and we saw a number of magnificent spotted Eagle Rays at Eagle Ray Canyon. It's not quite the South Pacific or Little Cayman but it is worthwhile. Have fun and safe bubbles!
I was their a year ago. Diving off ambergis is very nice and convient. I dove with Patajos. I would certainly recommend them. However, for the longer trips I would recommend Amigos Del Mar. They have a bigger boat for the long trip out to the atolls. (2 hour boat trip each way.) It is certainly worth the trip though.
I dove with amigos del mar. Great service for blue hole and light house reef. There are interesting dives around the Caye also. good luck.
Amigos del Mar
P.O Box 53, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize
ph/Fax (501) 21-3013 / Fax: (501) 2-34250
E-mail amigosdive@btl.net
Amigos del Mar
P.O Box 53, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize
ph/Fax (501) 21-3013 / Fax: (501) 2-34250
E-mail amigosdive@btl.net
Airhead
Guest
sabidaddy:
My wife and I went to Ambergris Caye (San Pedro, town) June 2003. We stayed at Ramon's Villiage, which is an old-style mid range resort. Not all inclusive, but definitely catered to a diving vacation.
No, there is no good shore diving in the San Pedro area of Ambergris, but the boat trips beyond the barrier reef take minutes to a half-hour. Some people were picked-up by our dive boats at the city pier on several of the trips, so that may give you an idea of the independants in town, of which there are MANY!
The blue hole is a deep, double-tank dive that requires some experience for real sport safety level. As a matter of fact, the plane we left on at end of vacation (a puddle-jumper to Belize City) held a young diver with deco sickness en route to Hyperbaric time. There is a chamber in Belize city, by the way. He did not dive with our boats, either.
Our last day of potential diving was literally washed out by extreme offshore wind, so we paid for a guided snorkling trip inside the reef to Hol Chan marine park, where we spent our first scuba dive for familiarization on day one. This is a protected area at a breech in the barrier reef to the open sea that is always full of large and small sea life. On the first dive there, the only sighting of a whale shark was along side of our boat just before we descended, not to be seen again all week! Also saw many rays, sharks, turtle,tarpon,etc.
If you haven't booked your hotel yet, you might compare rates at Ramon's,as there is nothing else much to do in Ambergris but scuba. They have a web sight easily looked by a google search. Happy diving,
Airhead.
DivePartner1
Contributor
Many boats go just outside the barrier reef and are one tank dives because the trip is generally 5 minutes or so. The park at the south end--where the snorkeling is--is about 15 minutes from the Ramon Village/town area. Those can be two tank, with snorkeling between dives. Diving outside the reef at the park was very good--we saw two large spotted eagle rays at Eagle Ray Canyon.
Blue Hole is unique and is probably something everyone should do once. That being said there was nothing to see but the stalagmites at 120 fsw. I do enough diving in cold green water quarries with nothing much to see that I wasn't much impressed with a warm blue water quarry--especially with good reefs so close. Still, I'm glad I did it once.
Blue Hole is unique and is probably something everyone should do once. That being said there was nothing to see but the stalagmites at 120 fsw. I do enough diving in cold green water quarries with nothing much to see that I wasn't much impressed with a warm blue water quarry--especially with good reefs so close. Still, I'm glad I did it once.
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