Belize

[richhagelin]

I'm considering Belize for my next dive trip. Where is the best place to go. What are good hotels. Which dives not to miss. Is it mostly shore diving or boat diving? Etc, Etc.

Thanks for any information.

Rich Hagelin

 

[Diver Lori]

I highly recommend Turneffe Island Lodge. Primo service and great diving!

 

[Redondoscubadude]

Kind of hard to give a recommendation on the best place to go and stay without knowing what your criteria are.

Shore diving is very limited depending on location so it's mainly boat dives.

Ambergris Caye offers the most choice of accomodations, dining and dive operators. Most sites are quick 10-15 minute boat ride away. Interesting spur and groove coral formations. You can find a free guide to hotels from the writer who does Fodor's guide book on Belize here - Belize First Magazine, the # 1 magazine on travel, life and retirement in Belize. . Nearby Caye Caulker is smaller, less expensive, popular with backpackers/budget travellers, and is a little closer to Lighthouse (Blue Hole) and Turneffe.

The atolls (Belize has three of four in the hemisphere) are incredible but remote which is a good thing if you want to get away from it all. Diver Lori mentions a place to stay at Turneffe above. Isla Marisol resort on Glover's is very remote and has awesome diving. Come in the spring before and after a full moon if you want the opportunity to see whale sharks at Gladden Spit.

Placencia is a very cool beach side village and has some great sites - like Laughing Bird Caye- that are father away requiring longer boat rides.

There's also small operations on Thatch Caye that have been mentioned here and Tobacco Caye.

 

[jomaflo]

I would highly recommend Turneffe Island Lodge as well. They offer multiple dives per day with a very nice added touch of 'valet diving'. It is not your typical diving lodge as they definitely create an experience, not just a place to dive. TIL is in the middle of the mainland and the Lighthouse Reef which makes the diving commute more like a Sunday stroll. Request BRAD as your dive master!!!

 

[Gr8ful Diver]

qucik answer....if you are looking for things like shoppoing, restaurants, bars, etc. and you are ok with decent, but not great diving -then San Pedro is the place for you.

if you are looking for great diving, then staying at Turneffe Atoll is the way to go. only issue there is it is pretty expensive.

I'm pretty sure you can dive Turneffe from San Pedro, but there are limited diver operators that go and it can take quite some time.

If you don't want to afford staying at a place like Turneffe Island Lodge, you can look at a place like Hugh Parkey's Belize Adventure Lodge. It's close enough to Turneffe that you could dive there every day. They also offer trips to the Lighthouse Atoll and the Blue Hole. The accomodations are comfortable, but the dive operation is top notch.

 

[Bubba1]

Turneffe is some good diving. Gr8ulDiver has some good advice.
Redondoscubadude's advice is good too
but...lighthouse and turneffe have no place to go but underwater. no night live no local hangs just diving. hea don't get me wrong great diving. just nothing else.
and you can dive turneffe and light house from ambergris caye.

 

[underseasian]

If you want great diving and a superb Caribbean Caye to stay on check the website for thatch caye in southern Belize.

All boat diving, small groups, they do trips out to the Blue Hole/Lighthouse, Turneffe, Glovers and the whale sharks further south. The caye itself is magnificent.......

 

[peterbj7]

Agree about Thatch Caye. Why don't you do a search on "Belize" - you'll throw up a lot of threads.