Belize in October

[msnunn]

Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Belize some time in October (my dates are flexible) and I was hoping to get some quality diving while I'm down there. Some friends and I were thinking about renting a house on Ambergris Caye.

However, before I spend my money to go down there, I had a few questions that I was hoping those of you who have been down there could help me with.

1. What's the diving in October going to be like?
2. Can anyone recommend some good dive shops in there area?
3. What are the good dive spots? I currently have my advanced certification and will be going with some friends who have just received their open water certs. I really want to see some cool things, but I don't what to put them in a position where they feel uncomfortable.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Steve Nunn

 

[Gaz]

Hey Steve

1. What's the diving in October going to be like?

Diving will be fine although you can expect frequent showers during October on a positve is the quietest month of the year so no crowded boats.

2. Can anyone recommend some good dive shops in there area?

There are several excellent operators such as Chuck and Robbies, Ecologic divers to name a couple

3. What are the good dive spots? I currently have my advanced certification and will be going with some friends who have just received their open water certs. I really want to see some cool things, but I don't what to put them in a position where they feel uncomfortable.

During October seas should be calm and there are no sites that are any more difficult than each other some great sites are the Hol chan marine reserve, tackle box, Cyprus gardens, I also wrote a short article on the top 5 dive sites on Ambergris caye based on a poll i ran you can read it here Ambergris Cayes TOP 5 Dive Sites | DIVE BELIZE The Complete Guide to Diving Belize

Hope that helps

Gaz Cooper


Thanks for the help everyone!

Steve Nunn[/QUOTE]

 

[msnunn]

Awesome, thanks for the help Gaz!

 

[msnunn]

Do you think Blue hole is worth the trip?

 

[Gaz]

Hey Steve

Personally I think its a great day out diving and the Blue Hole is one of 3 dives for the day the Blue Hole is an iconic dive that is synonymes with Belize and a great unusual dive compared to any other dive in Belize

I wrote an article on the Blue Hole which explains the dive in detail and the arguments for if its worth diving

Belize?s Great Blue Hole | DIVE BELIZE The Complete Guide to Diving Belize

Gaz Cooper

 

[Downing]

Do you think Blue hole is worth the trip?

Steve, in addition to Gaz's article, you may want to check out the thread "To Blue Hole or Not Blue Hole" near the top of page 2 of this Forum. As you will see, this topic was debated nearly to death a couple of months ago with strong opinions on both sides.

Obviously, whether it's worth the trip is ultimately a matter of personal opinion. I've done it twice and will do it again in about two weeks, so like Gaz I'm firmly in the "hell yeah it's worth it" camp.

 

[msnunn]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out the other thread. Also, good article Gaz. It helped lay it out for me.

 

[Hank49]

Be aware that Oct is still the tail end of hurricane season. So far it's been really quiet but if the law of averages works out, we're due for some close passes.
I'm starting to tie loose parts down on our farm and house. Just in case. Odds are you won't have a problem but if Belize gets hit, it's usually late in the season.

 

[peterbj7]

FWIW, my recommendations on the Blue Hole vary according to who I'm making them to. There are undoubtedly people who do it and shouldn't have - I've met four such in the past week - and for people like them (inexperienced, not totally confident of their buoyancy, unadventurous) I say don't do it. If they insist then I suggest a programme of dives which will progressively introduce them to the quite considerable depth they will go to. Even then, they must understand that the dive as normally done breaks every rule in the experienced conservative diver's book. Even though most get away with it it can hardly be called intrinsically "safe".

To people who have considerable relevant experience it's different matter. Especially those who are trained and equipped to do it as a technical dive. But that's another story.

Just to clarify, the dive is to see the stalactites and stalagmites above a shelf at the side of the hole. The shelf is at about 150 ft (45 mtr), and most divers come pretty close to it. It is NOT a 130 ft recreational dive, no matter what anyone may tell you (usually those with a commercial interest in getting you to go). It is possible to stop at 130 ft obviously, but most don't. The hole itself is slightly conical, so there really is NOTHING below you (except when you're briefly in the shallow alcove above the shelf) until the bottom around 225 ft further down. Other than the stalactites and stalagmites there's little of interest on the wall of the hole so almost no visual references, so you really do need proficient buoyancy control and good depth awareness. Not to say a quietly confident and slow breathing style - some people really do drain their tanks before they start to ascend. And lastly, on air at that depth most inexperienced divers become considerably narced so are neither fully aware of their surroundings nor really in control of their diving - they become utterly dependent on the DMs around them. There is a great benefit in "building up" to the dive with progressively deeper dives on the San Pedro barrier reef - I usually recommend three days of suitably planned local diving to achieve this.

Another thing you must realise that seems not to be explained very well to divers before they pay their money. The dive is to the shelf or just above it, and it is a group dive. UNLESS you have previously made special arrangements, and only one current operator will even countenance such arrangements, you will NOT be permitted to do the dive but stay substantially shallower. Either you are going to stay with the group throughout or you don't get in the water in the first place. If you change your mind on the way down obviously no-one is going to hold you at depth, but a DM will ascend to the surface with you (not just to a shallower depth). As there is often a critical number of DMs (two recent trips I have monitored had one DM per 10 divers on this dive), the loss of that DM (who obviously can't rejoin the group) may spoil the dive for everyone.

There's a lot more I could say about this dive but won't unless I feel the need. I am one of very few people who has actually dived to the bottom of the Blue Hole (several times), so I do have a reasonable idea of what I am talking about.

 

[msnunn]

Thank you for the info Peter. I reading about the depth of the dive and some of the environmental factors and was worried about taking my friends new to diving on the trip.

I will discuss with them and explain some of the more dangerous aspects on the dive.