Belize for the New Year - help please

[Gaucho]

Hello to all. Im organizing a trip to Belize for the end of this year, 12/26 - 01/03 approximately, I think we will be a group of approx 9-12 divers.

Ive never been to Belize, so I need all the help I can get. Ive read on these boards that Hugh's diving operation is a good choice, where does he operate? What are the main places to dive in Belize. Does it make sense for me to make base camp in Belize City, or should I seek accomodations elsewhere?

Im of course going to do more extended research on the web, Im sure Belize has a good tourism board website that will have info., but I nevertheless thought I would ask all the experts on the boards to share their experiences.

Thanks !!! - Gaucho

 

[Zagnut]

Unless you plan on spending alot of time in Belize, you should plan on spending your time at or near the place you make base camp. There are several land based attractions like Mayan ruins, wildlife reserves, manatee watching in the rivers, and bird watching(if thats what your into) which is supposed to some of the best in this hemisphere. As is the diving. If you are going for the diving, you will probably find that where ever you stay, there will be so many different dive sites in that area that you won't need to do much venturing out. We stayed on Ambergris Caye when we were there. The diving rocked! The main city on that island, San Pedro, has several restaurants and night life, and the land based attractions are accessible from Ambergris Caye. Several of the restaurants are very good. At least I was told by other people at our resort. We were only there long enough to eat at a couple of them, and they were good( I wish we would have had time to try them all). Between the resort restaurant and the town restaurants, we ate so much great seafood. We stayed at Journey's End Resort which is a few miles north of San Pedro by boat. I haven't been to alot of exotic diving places, but I thought the diving was great!...and the people were very friendly. Before you go, you definately should buy a book called "Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Belize". You can get it from http://www.amazon.com for $12.76. That's where I got mine. It is an excellent source of info on dive sites in Belize. It has maps that show you where all the popular dive sites are, and gives info on depth, visibility, different types of fish and coral at that site, and it rates the skill level recommended for that site(although there was no real current where we were at and I felt all the dives we did were pretty easy regardless of the skill level given in the book). You can take the book with you for a reference guide(I wish I had taken mine). Read my posts "My Trip Report(Belize is Paradise!!)" and "Journey's End(Belize)?" in the Central America section of the board. If you read the "Journey's End(Belize)?" post, then you should also go over to the General Travel Section here on the board and read my "PADI Travel Network a big disappointment" post. It will explain how PADI jerked me around and how Natasha hooked me up with a really good deal. Also, do some searching on the internet. There are alot of really good sites out there. Oh, and one more thing, if things haven't changed with the airlines since 9/11, I believe you are allowed two pieces of checked luggage. You really should consider letting me stow away in one of your suitcases. I don't weigh a whole lot and I can squeeze into some pretty cramped spaces... Please?...

 

[Hawk]

Zagnut, that reminds me of that investment commercial where grandma gets sent in the luggage and they open it up and she is all cramped up inside as the grandkid yells"grandma!"
Too funny!



Later, Hawk.

 

[Gaucho]

Zagnut, thanks a million for all your help. Im a little busy right now but will look into all your tips... as to stowing you in my luggage, let me get back to you on that !!!

Cheers,
Gaucho

 

[terrydarc]

Gaucho,
Check out this link. There are pictures for a bunch of Belizean and Honduran dive resorts, prices, and naturally people willing to make reservations for you.

http://www.roatan.com/

Depending on what you want (I've never been to Belize), check out the prices for the Bay Islands in Honduras which are about 100 miles south of Belize's islands. I think you'll find they're less expensive and just a good for diving. We've used Roatan Charter twice this year and been very happy with their service: once to Roatan and once to Cayos Cochinos. Given the current travel scene, I wouldn't hesitate to bargain with them either. Roatan Charter also has a nice full color brochure with pix of resorts for the asking.
Terry

 

[Bob]

Gaucho,
We were on our way to Belize and were caught in Miami on Black Tuesday. We have rescheduled our trip for the first week in December. I won't be able to help with accomodations because I'm staying with friends in Belize City. After we return, I will update you on dive charters, conditions and places to dive if you would like. We will be back by the fifteenth of December.:tree:Bob

 

[Gaucho]

Thanks very much to Terrydarc & Bob !!!

 

[Zagnut]

In my other post, I only spoke of Ambergris Caye. I forgot to mention some of the other spots. Actually there is supposed to be better diving than Ambergris Caye, but we picked it for the proximity to SanPedro. Some of the other spots are Turneffe Atoll, Lighthouse Reef, and Glovers Reef. Of these places Turneffe Atoll is the largest of the three atolls and the closest to Belize City. Lighthouse Reef is the farthest atoll from the mainland and is where the Blue Hole is found. I've never been to the Blue Hole, but I have read from many different sources that it is cool, and worth seeing, but there is better diving elsewhere. I have even read that it is more impressive from the air than it is from a diving standpoint. Glover's Reef is the most southern of the three atolls and is not as frequently visited as the others because of it's distance from Belize City and Ambergris Caye. It sits offshore about midway down the coastline between Belize City and Placencia. I have read that there are alot of sharks at the dive sites at Glovers Reef, and it seems like I read somewhere that there are places down around southern Belize in the Glover's Reef area that you can see lots of hammerhead sharks. The trips on these offshore atolls are more expensive than the places on Ambergris Caye, but the diving is supposed to be better there.