Saltyhawg
Contributor
Just got back from my second dive trip (first was to Cozumel in August) to Belize. We dove with Hugh Parkey Dive Adventures and did the Blue Hole trip with Amigos Del Mar. We had a very good time. Weather was not great (overcast some days, lots of wind) but it didn't keep us from having a great trip.
I've read some reports that the barrier reef of Ambergris Caye was dead/dying. Not sure where they came up with that. The density of sea fans and gorgonians is amazing. Colors were not that great due to the cloud cover some days but when the sun was out it was very colorful. There were also a lot of hard corals, mainly staghorns, montipora, stylophora and hydnophora. I did see a few dead/dying staghorns but many more that were very healthy.
Excuse my lack of photography skills, I'm new to diving and photography.
---------- Post added February 23rd, 2015 at 12:44 PM ----------
Fish numbers were not what they were in Mexico except in Hol Chan Reserve where they were phenomenal. We did see tremendous numbers of Royal Gramma (hardly at all in Cozumel), a lot of Spainish Hogfish. Angels and some wrasses were not present in large numbers.
Peak-a-boo grunts
---------- Post added February 23rd, 2015 at 12:54 PM ----------
Large animals were very numerous, especially nurse sharks and sting rays. At one point we had 5 nursesharks following us at one time. Eagle rays were spotted on almost half the dives. We did have an encounter with a pod of spotted dolphins but I was slow getting the camera on and only got some poor footage of them as they swam away. Green morays were numerous and an occasional spotted moray was seen.
Nurse shark encounters were usually up close and personal.
For some reason I like this one of the nurse shark swimming up a canyon.
I've read some reports that the barrier reef of Ambergris Caye was dead/dying. Not sure where they came up with that. The density of sea fans and gorgonians is amazing. Colors were not that great due to the cloud cover some days but when the sun was out it was very colorful. There were also a lot of hard corals, mainly staghorns, montipora, stylophora and hydnophora. I did see a few dead/dying staghorns but many more that were very healthy.
Excuse my lack of photography skills, I'm new to diving and photography.
---------- Post added February 23rd, 2015 at 12:44 PM ----------
Fish numbers were not what they were in Mexico except in Hol Chan Reserve where they were phenomenal. We did see tremendous numbers of Royal Gramma (hardly at all in Cozumel), a lot of Spainish Hogfish. Angels and some wrasses were not present in large numbers.
Peak-a-boo grunts
---------- Post added February 23rd, 2015 at 12:54 PM ----------
Large animals were very numerous, especially nurse sharks and sting rays. At one point we had 5 nursesharks following us at one time. Eagle rays were spotted on almost half the dives. We did have an encounter with a pod of spotted dolphins but I was slow getting the camera on and only got some poor footage of them as they swam away. Green morays were numerous and an occasional spotted moray was seen.
Nurse shark encounters were usually up close and personal.
For some reason I like this one of the nurse shark swimming up a canyon.
