Belize V Honduras v Cozumel

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks, So cozumel is better than Belieze and Honduras for diving?

I visited all three on one trip about ten years ago.

The diving in all three is probably more similar than it is different, and like Hank49 said above, none of it will seem as nice to you as the Indo-Pacific region. It isn't like one of these places has outstanding diving and the other two don't. Maybe you're slightly more likely to see rays or large schools of fish in one over the other, but I can't imagine the likelihood is very skewed.

Maybe incorporate some non-diving criteria into your decision? Cozumel is geared for mass tourism, with big hotels, restaurants, etc. In Belize you can find peaceful out-of-the way places to stay if you wish. It's got a real tropical feel to it, and there are land activities inland like cave tubing. You can also visit Mayan ruins. The Bay Islands of Honduras are a mix of some modest resorts and some backpacker-type places, very laid back atmosphere, jungle-like terrain.

In five weeks, you could conceivably visit all three.

 

[robint]

"BEST" is such a relative term.

My favorite destination in the Caribbean is Cozumel, I have been there 8 times over the past 13 years. It has big life (nurse sharks, huge turtles, huge rays, huge parrotfish, huge schools of jacks) and small stuff galore. It is very "fishy" for the Caribbean. It is also drift diving, which means a little faster paced diving than most other Caribbean dives. Lots of deep walls, swim-throughs, low profile reefs.... just a great variety of dive sites. Variety. I have several trip reports on my website (see below my signature), as well as videos.

Roatan is great for healthy reefs, nice walls, nice shallows, lots of smaller fish and seahorses. I just got back a few weeks ago, so I have a long trip report and videos if you want to see.

Belize... we haven't been. The only reason I would go there is to split a trip with topside activities like visiting Mayan ruins, caves, jungle tours with the diving. The diving just isn't as good as the other two places, but the topside is probably better.

If you REALLY just want to see big fish, then I would go to the Pacific. Palau guarantees you mantas and sharks. Ditto Yap and Chuuk.

robin

 

[Mike]

HI All,
Which offers the better diving and why ?
Many thanks.
I like sharks, mantas, big schools of fish etc

Each is a great place to dive, but not specifically for sharks, mantas or big schools of fish. In the Caribbean if you want to see what you are looking for you must search out and find and work for sharks, mantas and big schools, experiences exist with all of these, but they are not simple nor common to just get them easily.

One example - you can dive every dive site in a 40 mile radius of Cozumel, from Isla Mujeres up north to Tulum down south to Cozumel to the east and everything in between and be lucky to see 1 shark that isn't a nurse shark. However, if you time your vacation to coincide with winter diving and dive off of Playa Del Carmen (sits on the main land across the channel from Cozumel) on a specific dive site, you will likely see bull sharks galore.

That is the nature of the Caribbean. Coming specifically for seeing sharks, mantas and big schools of fish without specific prior planning will result in failure.

 

[smokey braden]

scubajunky17,
my wife and i are going to cozumel next week.
she loves to snorkel and i love the drift diving.
why don't you come to cozumel for a week.
the locals are very gracious and love to share their island.

you could hook up with some expert dm's and they could show you drift diving.
as you whiz by the beautiful reefs they could show you splendid toads, turtles and nurse sharks.
you could do both shallow and deep dives.
there is lots to see and do both topside and underwater.

regards,

 

[chillyinCanada]

OP, you would not bevdis appointed in Belize, especially if you mixed it up with a combination of local dives of off Ambergris Caye and some time out at the Atolls. Or alternately opting for the longer rides but better sites offered out of Placencia or Hopkins.

Robint, while I respect your experience in Cozumel, and your recent trip to one resort on roatan, I don't believe you should also be comparing to diving Belize when you haven't been there.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Again, I've been to all three--Honduras, Belize and Cozumel--on the same trip, where I spent several months diving, and I wouldn't say any one of them is "better" than the other. I liked each one of them for a different reason. There is really no answer to this question, as it's completely subjective which is "better."

 

[diversteve]

None of the above.

If you're somewhat flexible with travel plans, one option is get to Puerto Penasco, Mexico by THIS SATURDAY - July 20th - the liveaboard Rocio Del Mar has 2 spaces left. $2295 for the week. http://www.rociodelmarliveaboard.com/midriff.html
They're diving the Sea of Cortez - Midriff Islands this summer -

Legendary diver Jacques Cousteau described the Sea of Cortez as the "world's aquarium" and the "Galapagos of North America.” Dive on untouched walls and reefs abounding in marine life. Encounter great and small whale species, whale sharks, manta and jumping mobula rays, and sea lion colonies.

Good diving, my buddy did it last summer.

Fly to Phoenix, AZ - it's a USAirways hub and they codeshare with British Airways. Virgin also flies here - you can get from London thru Las Vegas to Phoenix in as little as 13hrs. Sometimes thru LAX also. Either is an hour flight to Phoenix. Since you'd have to arrive a day early, there's both a Holiday Inn Express or Hilton near the Phoenix Airport - either is decent.

Rocio has a van shuttle from the Phoenix airport that takes guests directly to the boat on Saturday morning. Takes about 4 hrs., they cross the border at a minor entry point so there's usually no delay. $100 r/t IIRC. Most people diving with them do that.

Had it been winter, everything you want to see x10 would be at Socorros - their other destination. This late in summer all the Socorros trips have stopped. Those trips are also 10 days, $3K plus and sold out well in advance.

Afterward if you wanted to try one of your other choices, there are decent connections to Belize, Roatan or Cozumel from Phoenix. We can be on Roatan by noon, to Belize City by noon or Cozumel (direct not thru Cancun) by 3PM. All the flights leave at 5-6AM though so you'd have to overnite here on your return, I don't think the Rocio van gets back much before noon or later.

Sharks are a given on the shark dive off Roatan. Probably the only ones you'll see there though. From my personal experience we saw fish but not huge schools of them. We mostly dove the north side. Saw a few big grouper, turtles everywhere. I'd really classify it as a macro destination. Since I like bigger things also, I was disappointed.

 

[ronscuba]

Belize, Honduras and Cozumel. My 3 favorite places to dive in the Caribbean.

Belize on a liveaboard: relaxed, uncrowded diving. Healthy reef, really big sponges, no current makes for easy photo/video opportunities. Liveaboard conveniences can really spoil you. 5 dives a day if you want. Add land tours if you have time.

Honduras Roatan at Cocoview: relaxed diving, unlimited shore diving on house reef, healthy corals, no current and good macro life = good place for photo/video. 5 dives a day if you want.

Cozumel: drift diving, best visibility in Caribbean, fish/animal life bigger due to currents, healthy reef, current = difficult to get good photo/video. 2 dives a day the norm. 3 if you add a night dive. Eat in town for very good food.

 

[robint]

OP, you would not bevdis appointed in Belize, especially if you mixed it up with a combination of local dives of off Ambergris Caye and some time out at the Atolls. Or alternately opting for the longer rides but better sites offered out of Placencia or Hopkins.

Robint, while I respect your experience in Cozumel, and your recent trip to one resort on roatan, I don't believe you should also be comparing to diving Belize when you haven't been there.

True, I have not been to Belize, but I have diving friends and we are actively involved in the diving community, my husband is an instructor. Most of our friends have been to Belize, and all of them have given the report to me that diving is similar to Cozumel but not as good unless you do the outer atolls. My friends who have done it by liveaboard loved it, but that wasn't what the OP was asking about.

robin

 

[Lorenzoid]

True, I have not been to Belize, but I have diving friends and we are actively involved in the diving community, my husband is an instructor. Most of our friends have been to Belize, and all of them have given the report to me that diving is similar to Cozumel but not as good unless you do the outer atolls. My friends who have done it by liveaboard loved it, but that wasn't what the OP was asking about.

robin

The atolls are not difficult to get to. I'm not sure what qualifies as the outer atolls. Turneffe? Glover's? I would agree that the diving within 30 minutes of Ambergris and Caulker is not as good as the diving within 30 minutes of Cozumel.