Belize vs. Southern Red Sea

[narcosis]

Hi there,

My diving friends and I (all of us fairly inexperienced, with about 20 dives to our names) are contemplating a week long diving trip at a resort in mid June and we're trying to decide between Belize and the Red Sea (i.e. not Sharm, where we went last August, but somewhere more southerly, around Marsa Alam perhaps). So I just wanted to solicit the opinions of the wise and experienced divers on this board as to which of the two would be the better destination. My own inclination is to go to Belize, among other things because we were just in the Red Sea, and also my experience of Egypt is that you're pretty much trapped in the resort for the duration--there might be some interesting excursions to take, but mostly there isn't much to do. I'd imagine Belize would have more to offer on the non-diving-related score: more to see, and an overall more congenial atmosphere than desert. However, one of my diving partners, an older gentleman who is the sort of patriarch of the crew, is quite intent on going to the Red Sea simply because it would be easier to get there and also there wouldn't be much of a time-zone change involved. It would be nicer to do things on the slightly cheaper side, although that's not really of too much importance.

So, what do you think? Where would we be more likely at this time of year to sea interesting marine life? Which offers the better diving? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Marc

 

[weeksd]

Red Sea. Is far better diving than belize. Better visibility and alot more fish.

 

[altaskier]

If there's not much else to do at the resort, why not go for a liveaboard in the Red Sea?

 

[narcosis]

That's something we had considered, but I'm a little wary. Seems to me that if you're on a liveaboard, then you're *really* trapped. One thing I like about people is being able to get away from them from time to time.

 

[Damselfish]

Belize diving is nice for the Caribbean, but if I were close to the Red Sea there is no way I would be choosing it over a liveaboard in the Red Sea.

Belize does have a lot of cool things to do on land, but most of those things are inland and not very convenient to where you would be diving from, so it's really better to go for more than a week and do them separately. I would say on average, the better the diving easily accessible from where you are staying is, the less accessible the land stuff is. (And the the best diving in Belize is accessed mostly by liveaboard, so you're back to that choice again.)

Feeling trapped and not able to get away from people is a concern often expressed when someone hasn't tried a liveaboard yet. I had similar concerns once and it prevented me from trying it for way too long. But I don't think I've heard anyone who has been on a liveaboard say this was actually an issue. It might be a problem on a boat that is relatively small for the number of people. But on any boat with private ensuite cabins, dining room, lounges, sundecks, etc. - pretty much the norm now - I doubt you'll find it an issue.

 

[narcosis]

Interesting. Thank you, Damselfish. I'll look into the liveaboard option with a slightly more open mind.

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

We think that Belize has some of the most pristine reefs in the Caribbean but if we had to choose between diving there or the red sea we think the Red Sea is better. We also agree that if you are going to dive the Red Sea and especially in the south a liveaboard is the way to go and you will probably get a better price for that than compared to Belize as it is a little expensive for what you get.
If you do decide on Belize we would recommend going down south to Placentia as you can not only dive down there but also do other eco tours as well. Google Splash Dive Center in Placentia.

 

[HBO MD]

I wish I had your dilemma narcosis. Good for you. I have to agree with the other divers....Red Sea. It's after Passover so it should be all flowing together and easy to do by live aboard. I found the thought of a live aboard to be daunting, especially if you go alone, but it seems that you have a group and therefore are pretty set socially.
A live aboard can take you to places far out of reach of day travelers, and if your team is in the majority, you can sometimes organize a better deal for a group, and you're less likely to be bothered by unsavory characters...or you can just throw them over board. When not diving, what better time can be had than snorkelling or just relaxing on the water?
Take lots of pics and enjoy!

 

[DeputyDan]

Red Sea liveaboard hands down.

Travelling alone - the liveaboard is a much better option.

Bottom line - If the liveaboard does not impose a financial strain then it is almost always the way to go! Exception would be where you can do all the same dives from land based locales.

 

[narcosis]

Hey folks,

Thanks so much for all the thoughtful responses. I've done a bit more research, though, and discovered that all of the famous diving sites, like Dedalus, Brothers and so on, require 50+ logged dives due to currents and more challenging diving conditions. I'm a little bummed out by this. Am I right in thinking that all the best stuff in the south would be off-limits to me?

So the crew and I are now leaning a bit more towards Dahab, since it's easier to get to than southern locales and its seems to have quite a vibrant and interesting town there. I'm familiar with the Canyon and the Blue Hole, and the consensus seems to be that it's got great macro (I'm assuming this means coral? ) and decent fish, but I'm a little worried that it'll be mobbed in mid June. I was in Sharm last year in August, as I mentioned, and that was a bit of a cluster f***, so I hope Dahab won't be as bad.

Anyway, I'm still quite keen on this liveaboard idea, but it might be something that I'll have to do some other time, and on my own.