ScorpioScuba
Registered
We booked our first trip to AC, Belize through our LDS here in Mesa, AZ. Weve been on many trips through them and have always been happy with both the accommodations and the dive operators they select.
Saturday, 3/15: We flew into Ambergris Caye (a little late due to an issue on our connecting flight) Saturday evening. Checked into the Sunbreeze Resort. Accommodations were nice and clean; especially loved the large shower for rinsing dive gear. Restaurant onsite is Blue Water Grill; great food all around. We ate here several times during the week and were never disappointed. As for the weather there was a lot of wind, a trend that continued for most of the week.
Sunday, 3/16: Woke up to a windy day, made sure to take my bonine. Made 2 dives right off the reef with Aqua Dives. One person in our group got very ill due to the choppy waters from the wind. Low vis on the dive but as soon as we dropped in the nurse sharks were visible. Got to hold and pet them. Highlight of the dive! Ate dinner at Celis Restaurant on the beach. Food was good but not the best we found on the island.
Monday, 3/17: wind really picked up so the dives were cancelled for the day. We rented 4 golf carts for our group and toured the island. Ended up at the Palapa Bar over the bridge. Had some good ceviche and drinks. For dinner we went to Jambel Jerk excellent!!
Tuesday, 3/18: Trip to Turneffe Rode most of the trip inside the reef to stay in calmer waters. Once we were ready to cross over to Turneffe the Captain realized our bilge pump was not working properly. We stopped at St. Georges Caye and radioed to the dive shop to send another boat. Explored the island which was beautiful. Most of the homes are owned by well off Belizeans. After about an hour the 2nd boat came with a replacement bilge pump. 10 minutes later we were off to go over to Turneffe. Very bumpy ride but no one got sick. Got in only 2 dives due to the delay. Saw one sea turtle from a distance. Despite the issues getting there the DM, Eric, did everything he could to make sure we got there safe and still got to dive. We were very grateful! Had dinner at Ambergris Delights on Middle St.; again the food was good but not the best.
Wednesday, 3/19: Wind got really bad and another day of diving was cancelled. Found our way to the French Bakery and really enjoyed the variety of pastries available. Back at the hotel we decided to play card games and make our own bloody marys. A quick trip to the grocery store and we were in business. We made the best of a day of lost diving. Dinner was at Fidos. Again good food but service was really slow. Could be we were a large group so its not really their fault.
Thursday, 3/20: Finally the wind had stopped! It sprinkled a little in the morning but that didnt stop us. We took advantage of the weather and got in 4 dives on this day. On the second dive a pod of dolphins were circling above. A couple tried to come down to play but they soon were on their way. A new experience for me! Got to go through a couple different swim throughs. Visibility still wasn't great. Dinner was at Wild Mangos just a few steps from our hotel on the beach. Absolutely the best meal in AC. We wished we had found it earlier and eaten there more. A little pricey but compared to the prices for similar quality of food at home it was a bargain.
Friday, 3/21: Another calm day. No white caps at all. Finally got to make our way to the marine park and dove eagle ray alley, snorkeled at shark ray alley during our SI with nurse sharks and rays then a nice long shallow dive where we saw lots of spotted eagle rays. Definitely the highlight of the trip for me.
In all we were able to get all 10 of our dives in despite the inclement weather. We had a great time. Our DM, Eric, at Aqua Dives really did everything he could to get our dives in and he succeeded. He felt horrible though that we happened to be there during one of the worst weeks weather-wise.
Saturday, 3/22: We flew into Belize City and were informed that there was a fuel shortage in Belize so wed have to fly to Cozumel to fuel up and then on to Dallas. No big deal except for the 30 min wait on the tarmac after we were fueled up for no good reason. Once we landed in Dallas we had less than 90 minutes to get through customs to make our connecting flight to Phoenix. The baggage handlers sent our bags to domestic and had to bring them back to international. Once we finally got our bags (over an hour of waiting and watching the time tick away) and to customs we had less than 20 minutes to make our connecting flight. Talk about running through the airport! My fiancé has a broken foot so it wasnt fun. They ended up holding the plane about 5 minutes and we all made it on. Unfortunately our bags didnt, though we werent surprised. Our bags arrived at our home Sunday afternoon so all is well that ends well.
Overall a great trip despite the travel difficulties. But, what else does one expect when traveling Internationally? Thanks to everyone for their recommendations on the board!
Oh and to anyone who is wondering - the day we left the weather was PERFECT! Would have been nice to stay another few days. But that just makes us want to go back!
Saturday, 3/15: We flew into Ambergris Caye (a little late due to an issue on our connecting flight) Saturday evening. Checked into the Sunbreeze Resort. Accommodations were nice and clean; especially loved the large shower for rinsing dive gear. Restaurant onsite is Blue Water Grill; great food all around. We ate here several times during the week and were never disappointed. As for the weather there was a lot of wind, a trend that continued for most of the week.
Sunday, 3/16: Woke up to a windy day, made sure to take my bonine. Made 2 dives right off the reef with Aqua Dives. One person in our group got very ill due to the choppy waters from the wind. Low vis on the dive but as soon as we dropped in the nurse sharks were visible. Got to hold and pet them. Highlight of the dive! Ate dinner at Celis Restaurant on the beach. Food was good but not the best we found on the island.
Monday, 3/17: wind really picked up so the dives were cancelled for the day. We rented 4 golf carts for our group and toured the island. Ended up at the Palapa Bar over the bridge. Had some good ceviche and drinks. For dinner we went to Jambel Jerk excellent!!
Tuesday, 3/18: Trip to Turneffe Rode most of the trip inside the reef to stay in calmer waters. Once we were ready to cross over to Turneffe the Captain realized our bilge pump was not working properly. We stopped at St. Georges Caye and radioed to the dive shop to send another boat. Explored the island which was beautiful. Most of the homes are owned by well off Belizeans. After about an hour the 2nd boat came with a replacement bilge pump. 10 minutes later we were off to go over to Turneffe. Very bumpy ride but no one got sick. Got in only 2 dives due to the delay. Saw one sea turtle from a distance. Despite the issues getting there the DM, Eric, did everything he could to make sure we got there safe and still got to dive. We were very grateful! Had dinner at Ambergris Delights on Middle St.; again the food was good but not the best.
Wednesday, 3/19: Wind got really bad and another day of diving was cancelled. Found our way to the French Bakery and really enjoyed the variety of pastries available. Back at the hotel we decided to play card games and make our own bloody marys. A quick trip to the grocery store and we were in business. We made the best of a day of lost diving. Dinner was at Fidos. Again good food but service was really slow. Could be we were a large group so its not really their fault.
Thursday, 3/20: Finally the wind had stopped! It sprinkled a little in the morning but that didnt stop us. We took advantage of the weather and got in 4 dives on this day. On the second dive a pod of dolphins were circling above. A couple tried to come down to play but they soon were on their way. A new experience for me! Got to go through a couple different swim throughs. Visibility still wasn't great. Dinner was at Wild Mangos just a few steps from our hotel on the beach. Absolutely the best meal in AC. We wished we had found it earlier and eaten there more. A little pricey but compared to the prices for similar quality of food at home it was a bargain.
Friday, 3/21: Another calm day. No white caps at all. Finally got to make our way to the marine park and dove eagle ray alley, snorkeled at shark ray alley during our SI with nurse sharks and rays then a nice long shallow dive where we saw lots of spotted eagle rays. Definitely the highlight of the trip for me.
In all we were able to get all 10 of our dives in despite the inclement weather. We had a great time. Our DM, Eric, at Aqua Dives really did everything he could to get our dives in and he succeeded. He felt horrible though that we happened to be there during one of the worst weeks weather-wise.
Saturday, 3/22: We flew into Belize City and were informed that there was a fuel shortage in Belize so wed have to fly to Cozumel to fuel up and then on to Dallas. No big deal except for the 30 min wait on the tarmac after we were fueled up for no good reason. Once we landed in Dallas we had less than 90 minutes to get through customs to make our connecting flight to Phoenix. The baggage handlers sent our bags to domestic and had to bring them back to international. Once we finally got our bags (over an hour of waiting and watching the time tick away) and to customs we had less than 20 minutes to make our connecting flight. Talk about running through the airport! My fiancé has a broken foot so it wasnt fun. They ended up holding the plane about 5 minutes and we all made it on. Unfortunately our bags didnt, though we werent surprised. Our bags arrived at our home Sunday afternoon so all is well that ends well.
Overall a great trip despite the travel difficulties. But, what else does one expect when traveling Internationally? Thanks to everyone for their recommendations on the board!
Oh and to anyone who is wondering - the day we left the weather was PERFECT! Would have been nice to stay another few days. But that just makes us want to go back!
