Belize dive itinerary

[Downing]

You might want to grab a guide book. I'd recommend Guatemala, Belize & Yucatan Insight Guide or if you want to go cheap get a used 2002 edition of Insight Pocket Guide Yucatan Peninsula for as little as a penny plus shipping.

You don't need cave training to do cenotes but as has been noted you do need to have good buoyancy control and the confidence to dive in the dark. My first dives post-certification were cenotes dives, and I found it fairly easy and a really good way to dial in my buoyancy. It helped that I went with an instructor one on one, and he gave me lots of pointers. I remember there was one tight spot where we had to enter one at a time horizontally, then take a deep breath to rise up to the point where we could keep moving forward. Very cool.

I love cenotes. The water is incredibly clear and in places where the sunlight shines in the scenery is beyond breathtaking it's so beautiful. In a couple of weeks, we're going to try to get in a Dos Ojos dive on our way back from a country I can't name because it's illegal for US citizens to go there.

As noted in the guide books, there are hostels and other cheap places to stay and eat all up and down the Yucatan. In a lot of places to the south, you can simply sleep on the beach or in the jungle for free. You should definitely check out Tulum and go early in the morning before the cruise ship buses arrive.

 

[adimi24]

I agree with what's been said. It'll take most of a day each way getting here and although Pedro's is cheap (and good) it'll cost getting on for US$300 for day trip out to the Blue Hole, which in any case I wouldn't recommend so early in your diving career. But if you do decide to come here, you catch an ADO bus in Playa del Carmen (or Cancun City) to Chetumal and catch a ferry from there direct to San Pedro. There's only one ferry a day, in mid afternoon.

From my experience I don't think much of the diving or most of the dive centers in PdC. I'd be inclined to go further south and stay in Tulum, where there's good diving and of course the Mayan ruins to see. I'd skip the cenotes for now unless you turn out to be an exceptionally good diver. If you think you want to try them, by far the most professional dive operation in the area is Protec, based in PdC and I believe with a satellite operation in Tulum. They focus on cenote and cave diving here and in Europe, but also do some open ocean stuff. They can quickly assess you to see how suited you might be to easy cenote diving.

I will actually have more experience by this time than I thought I would and what I told you. After I complete my Advanced ow, I will be diving 2, sometimes 3 dives a day, 6 days a week, for almost 3 full weeks. I was told I'd have between 30-40 dives by the end of this. But yes doing some ocean dives and seeing what they think sounds like a good idea.

And anyway, would it be worth doing any sort of cavern diving course, through padi or anyone else, before diving the cenotes?

 

[adimi24]

I would love to see whale sharks and won't be able to according to the schedules I saw for gladden spit in belize. This claims that on Isla Halbox in Mexico the season is from May 15 to September something..Whale Sharks | Yucatan Today

But I don't get why I would be able to see whale sharks at Halbox betwen May 14 ( when I get to mexico) and May 22 ( my flight home) if I can't see them then in Belize considering the moon cycle will be the same..... The sites I looked at for gladden spit said end of April to May 4 and May 23 to June 1. Right in the middle of those dates is when I can travel/dive so that doesn't work but can I do it in Mexico instead?

 

[Damselfish]

Animals migrate different places at different times for different reasons. The whale sharks in Belize are there to feed on the spawn of various fish, and the spawning occurs around certain full moons. Whale sharks are at Holbox when they are at because there's something to eat then.

 

[Downing]

And anyway, would it be worth doing any sort of cavern diving course, through padi or anyone else, before diving the cenotes?

It certainly wouldn't hurt but it's not necessary. As you probably already know, PADI offers a Cavern Diver course. If nothing else, it will give you some experience you won't otherwise have. Note that you have to be AOW certified before you can take the course, so you may have difficulty finding someone to teach it in your time frame.

If the course is out, try to do a couple of night dives and as had been said already make sure you're dialed in with your buoyancy control.

 

[Edward3c]

I've done 5 survey type trips to Belize with various companies.

For this one just concentrate on learning to dive and leave the 'Blue Hole' until another time - personally there are much better dives than the Blue Hole, but if you must do it go back and plan it properly.

Still one of my most memorable dives was a night dive in the San Pedro reserve that I did in 1994.

Kind regards

 

[BettyfromToronto]

I believe you can dive with the whale sharks in Belize but can only snorkel with them in Mexico. Either way it would be an awesome trip.

Betty