Best and Cheapest Locales To Dive in Belize?

[Pat Sharman]

A friend and I are planning a trip to Belize in January.

Which places should we go for the best diving that time of year?

What places are there with good diving that are the most affordable?

The things I'm seeing online are $135 US and up for a two tank dive with equipment. Seems more than a little preposterous to me... Might be worth it for the very best sites, but for most of our diving we'll want it cheaper than that.

 

[large_diver]

Best Belize diving = small Cayes far from the mainland or via liveaboard. That said, you haven't mentioned whether the trip is 100% diving or you are trying to mix in mainland activities. Also worth noting that it is harder to get to these off-shore Cayes for less than a week. Some of the dive ops based in southern Belize as well as Ambergris Caye do day trips to these locations, but it is probably not every day. We've been to Glover's Reef atoll the past few years in Dec-Jan and the diving has been great (Long Caye = Slickrock & Off the Wall Divers). Usually about 1 day/week we've seen day boats out there (I think it is a 1 hour+ trip from the Hopkins/Dangriga area on the southern Belize mainland by boat). Sorry to be vague, but fill in some of the blanks re: the rest of your itinerary and others can chime in.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Prices out of Placencia and, Hopkins area are going to be higher then Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker because the distance to the dive sites is greater.

My recommendation is that you go to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye and enjoy the diving from there, for your first time in Belize. Depending on what time of year you go, you shouldn't need to book your Dives until you arrive.

 

[Pat Sharman]

We're going in January. Is Caye Caulker a decent spot to dive from?

 

[Downing]

"Best" and "Cheapest" probably don't belong in the same sentence for the reasons stated above.

Go to San Pedro. Lots of dive ops completing for your business. You'll probably find the best deals there.

Pat, I haven't been to Caye Caulker, sorry. There are some threads on CC here. Most folks go to AC (haven't been there either).

 

[northernone]

Glover's Reef atoll combines elements of best and cheapest.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[Lorenzoid]

Caye Caulker has long been known as a backpacker's haven. I suppose that is changing with the times (I was there 10 years ago), but there are probably still a number of places to stay and dive that are less expensive than those in San Pedro (Ambergris Caye). I tried a couple of Caye Caulker dive ops, one of which I liked (they're no longer in business) and another of which I did not like. Be wary of the ploy in which a dive op will tell you "sure, we're going to dive tomorrow; just come by the dive shop at 8 am," and when you arrive at the dive shop at 8 am there is a sign saying diving is canceled due to insufficient number of divers signing up for the trip. I suspect this happens on Caye Caulker more than San Pedro because Caulker is smaller--fewer visitors are there to dive. As always, check the reviews of prospective dive ops, and try to make an informed decision about which one to use.

 

[scrane]

I would second San Pedro.
Caulker is not so focused on scuba. It is a fun place to visit, but San Pedro offers more dive opportunities.
When I was in C Caulker my son and I booked a snorkel trip from a couple of Rasta guys. When we reached the reef we were hustled off the boat at which time the two "guides" threw out a fishing line for Snapper and lit up an impressive spliff. A good time was had by all.
At the time of my visit, the resorts on the outer cayes were really expensive.

 

[katzgar]

best and cheapest are different critters

 

[lthomas132]

We're going in January. Is Caye Caulker a decent spot to dive from?

It's a great place to visit and just chill out. It's all foot travel or golf carts. Diving is mostly done at the same sites as you would from San Pedro around Ambergris Caye although it is somewhat closer to Turneffe Atoll which is the best diving in my opinion. We did our diving with Simeon who owns Black Durgon Dives. He has a great boat with twin engines, which is plenty to get you out to Turneffe (Black Durgon Dives). San Pedro is getting way to crowded, beaucoups of cars & trucks. Caye Caulker is the way San Pedro used to be. I would highly recommend it. Not too many places there have AC. We stayed at Seaside Cabanas (Seaside Cabanas, Hotel, Caye Caulker, Belize). Nice place with AC and a pool, a rarity there!