My husband and I are planning a dive trip to Belize. May 26, 2007 to June 2. I'm looking for recommendations on dive resorts and dive sites. I was told that the diving around Ambergris Caye is not that great. Is that true? If we stay at one of the outer cayes do I get better diving? Any suggestions are welcome.
Belize
- Thread starter Starzzzz
- Start date
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diver 85
Contributor
We last dove Ambergris in '86 I believe, dirty little fishing village back then & you're right wasn't that good of diving back then, no telling what it's like now....We moved onto Cayman then Roatan..Wish I could help you out......I'm thinking you need to concentrate a little further south of Ambergris......good luck......
Nudgeroni
Contributor
Starzzzz,
I am new to diving and will be making a trip in 2 weeks to Caye Caulker. It is just south of Ambergris and a bit more laid back. I have heard great things about the dives, particularly Hol Chan Marine Park. I'll be happy to touch base with you on my return.
You might want to take your inquiry to a different board section, like Regional Travel and Dive Clubs - Central America. You will more likely find what you are looking for there.
Best of luck,
Nudgeroni
I am new to diving and will be making a trip in 2 weeks to Caye Caulker. It is just south of Ambergris and a bit more laid back. I have heard great things about the dives, particularly Hol Chan Marine Park. I'll be happy to touch base with you on my return.
You might want to take your inquiry to a different board section, like Regional Travel and Dive Clubs - Central America. You will more likely find what you are looking for there.
Best of luck,
Nudgeroni
CharlieSierra
Registered
We dove with Hugh Parkey's as an excursion on a cruise Feb 06.
I should qualify this by saying we have never been to Belize on any other occasion, but this operation seemed well run. In fact, it was the best diving experience of the cruise we had out of the stops in Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize. They kept 4 divers to 2 DM's. The lead DM would guide the group to 'something' and the rear DM would leapfrog ahead and tap on his tank when he found something. It kept you moving from one DM to the next. The DM's also used under water etch-a-sketches to write down what it was they were showing you. "Drum" or "Spotted Eel" would be displayed as the DM pointed to the subject.
On board the boat, the crew made a point of having you relax and let them to the work for you. It was a very nice experience. Rental gear is a little dicey. The guages were off - my wife's showed 80' mine was at 65' and the computer we used showed 70' - and I had a tiny leak where the regulator attaches to the tank. That type of equipment was consistent with all the locations (Cozumel, Roatan, Belize) be dove on the cruise - a very real exercise in why it's a good idea to buy your own equipment. They also had a lead fish tied off 15' down on the anchor line so there was no guessing as to where your safety stop was.
I don't know much about the resort itself, but a couple we were diving with said they stayed there for a week the year prior and loved it for whatever that's worth. You can probably find a lot of posts about it by searching this site.
Hope that helps a little.
Chris
I should qualify this by saying we have never been to Belize on any other occasion, but this operation seemed well run. In fact, it was the best diving experience of the cruise we had out of the stops in Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize. They kept 4 divers to 2 DM's. The lead DM would guide the group to 'something' and the rear DM would leapfrog ahead and tap on his tank when he found something. It kept you moving from one DM to the next. The DM's also used under water etch-a-sketches to write down what it was they were showing you. "Drum" or "Spotted Eel" would be displayed as the DM pointed to the subject.
On board the boat, the crew made a point of having you relax and let them to the work for you. It was a very nice experience. Rental gear is a little dicey. The guages were off - my wife's showed 80' mine was at 65' and the computer we used showed 70' - and I had a tiny leak where the regulator attaches to the tank. That type of equipment was consistent with all the locations (Cozumel, Roatan, Belize) be dove on the cruise - a very real exercise in why it's a good idea to buy your own equipment. They also had a lead fish tied off 15' down on the anchor line so there was no guessing as to where your safety stop was.
I don't know much about the resort itself, but a couple we were diving with said they stayed there for a week the year prior and loved it for whatever that's worth. You can probably find a lot of posts about it by searching this site.
Hope that helps a little.
Chris
I stayed at Ramon's at the end of Jan. It was ok but I wouldn't stay there again unless I stayed in a cabin on the beach. The other cabins are next to the road and are very noisy both in the morning and at night. Also, breakfast is ok but don't eat lunch or dinner there. Next to Ramon's is the Tides. Looked really nice and that's worth looking into for a place to stay.
Ambergris Caye is a fun little island and the town has many good restaurants that are fairly priced. Mickey's restaurant is great as is the Blue Water.
As for diving, it was fair to good. Some dives much better than others. The wind can create some rough water and make it tough to get out past the reef. I really had a good time overall and it was nice to explore a new place. If I had to go back to Belize, I would try to stay and dive at the Turneffe Atoll. I had 2 dives there after diving the Blue Hole and I thought it was excellent.
Ambergris Caye is a fun little island and the town has many good restaurants that are fairly priced. Mickey's restaurant is great as is the Blue Water.
As for diving, it was fair to good. Some dives much better than others. The wind can create some rough water and make it tough to get out past the reef. I really had a good time overall and it was nice to explore a new place. If I had to go back to Belize, I would try to stay and dive at the Turneffe Atoll. I had 2 dives there after diving the Blue Hole and I thought it was excellent.
Lightning Fish
Contributor
I was in Belize in February and stayed at Turneffe Island Lodge. It was a first class operation, every step of the way. It is a small private island, so if the only reason you are going is to dive, then this is a good choice. If you want to check out some of the local culture, then somewhere else might be better.
Bill.
Bill.
EnronX
Contributor
We dove there in 2005 and had a very nice trip experience....I highly recomment Amigos Del Mar....the best dive operator we could find and they really did a nice job of explaining each location and their DM's are top-notch...Did the Blue HOle but enjoyed Tacklebox Canyon and the marine reserve much more honestly...Belize is a beautiful place and the diving is 8/10
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