Belize Water Temps?? (Dec 2010)

[LazyWarg]

I've done Hol Chan a couple of times in early November (a couple of years ago), and didn't wear any exposure protection. I was perfectly comfortable.

We will be there again in a couple of weeks...how does the average temp compare? Can I get away with no wetsuit, or is the temp going to be noticably colder than the last time?

BTW, I live in Canada, and wear shorts about 80% of the year!

 

[peterbj7]

I'd say it is indeed noticeably colder than it was a couple of months ago. I have been cold on just about every dive I've made over the past week, though to be fair a couple of people were on the boat were wearing shorties and didn't complain. I think a safe course would be to wear a well-fitting 5/3mm.

 

[drl]

Thanks, Hank. I expect the 5mm will be fine too. I feel like a wimp wearing that much neoprene in the tropics but I get cold easily, especially when I'm doing 4-5 dives a day!

 

[calicant]

I was warm in a 5mm wet suit last Wednesday at the Blue Hole in colder conditions. Water temperature was 74. It was 76 at the Aquarium.

 

[HowardE]

74?!? :frosty:

 

[JimJam2]

For future reference as this thread was started a few weeks ago:

Ambergris Caye Average Water Temperatures:
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
80 79 80 82 83 83 83 84 84 84 81 80
The temperature at the Blue Hole however at 130ft.....about 76f with hardly any change throughout the year at that depth.

 

[Webad]

Hey Howard let us know how your dives went.... I dove in Feb one year and it was chilly for me. I prefer mid eighties. LOL

 

[Hank49]

I've done Hol Chan a couple of times in early November (a couple of years ago), and didn't wear any exposure protection. I was perfectly comfortable.

We will be there again in a couple of weeks...how does the average temp compare? Can I get away with no wetsuit, or is the temp going to be noticably colder than the last time?

BTW, I live in Canada, and wear shorts about 80% of the year!

Hol Chan is a deep cut in the reef where a lot of water passes through with the tide changes.
After a week or two of cold weather (for here ) the temperature of the shallow water inside the reef drops pretty quickly. If you're in the cut when the tide is dropping, the water will be a few degrees cooler than the deep, open ocean water outside the reef.

 

[cany920]

I am in Belize right now and have been diving in a 3/2. I find that I get a little chilly by the end of the second dive. Most of the other folks I'm with are wearing more. No diving this morning as it is very windy and rough out beyond the reef. Hope it clears up so we can get some diving in this afternoon.

 

[Hank49]

I am in Belize right now and have been diving in a 3/2. I find that I get a little chilly by the end of the second dive. Most of the other folks I'm with are wearing more. No diving this morning as it is very windy and rough out beyond the reef. Hope it clears up so we can get some diving in this afternoon.

Yeah, it's ugly this morning. Cold, windy and gray. Windfinder - Wind & weather forecast Belize
I used this site for weather. It's a lot more accurate than the Belize government site.
Looks like it'll be windy until tomorrow afternoon but calming down over the weekend. And, of course, on Monday morning it's going to be perfect glass.

Everyone is different, but I currently wear a 3.5mm full suit with a 3mm hooded vest underneath. I"m mostly free diving and am in the water for 2-3 hours stretches.