Best place to go diving 1st week of March

[k374]

Which place closest to Los Angeles has the best diving around first week of March? Right now I'm thinking either Belize or Honduras. What is the viz in March in these places and is it peak diving season? Thanks!

 

[robint]

first week of March can be the best time to go anywhere in the Caribbean as winter winds are settled down and water is starting to warm up. The hurricane season doesn't start until June so you aren't looking at any bit storms. March is still the peak season in most places.
There are occasional smaller spring storms - I was in Cozumel last year at the end of March and we had windy conditions several days (very unusual for that time of year). Boats still went out daily in Coz, but over in PDC they cancelled diving in ocean 3-4 days in a row.

I would go to either Belize or Honduras during March, do you have any other criteria for picking your trip?

 

[k374]

nope, just want 80-100 foot viz and 70+ water temp and of course lots of marine life (interested in seeing some hammerheads if possible)

 

[Doc]

Sometimes, "viz is highly over rated".

In neither place are you really very likely to see Hammerheads, but if you do, it will be by looking off into the blue while you are quite deep.

For the most part, Belize and Honduras, at least the "best of" that these destinations has to offer... is not all that deep.

Belize and Honduras have one thing to offer that you really can't find elsewhere in the Caribbean, shallow stuff and cool little critters.

Go to this unique diving area and seek out what it is known for. If you want great viz or Hammerheads, you might want to look at other destinations.

Check out my "sig line" link to Alert Diver Magazine....

 

[diver 85]

nope, just want 80-100 foot viz and 70+ water temp and of course lots of marine life (interested in seeing some hammerheads if possible)

Hammerheads @ that time???---go to the Flower Gardens, weather permitting of course, don't think you'll see many in Honduras or Belize....

hammerheads flower gardens - Google Search

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

Both have great viz and water temps but not much in the way of Hammerheads, you would be better off going to Socorro island out of Cabo San Lucas for that, we have a group trip going in Dec.
You might have a chance to see Whale Sharks however in Placentia Belize, look up Splash Dive Center. Or in Utila Honduras.

 

[vladimir]

The seasonal dive planner at Undercurrent.org is a good place to get an overview:

Undercurrent Scuba Diving Magazine: Seasonal Dive Planner

 

[vladimir]

nope, just want 80-100 foot viz and 70+ water temp and of course lots of marine life (interested in seeing some hammerheads if possible)

Cocos Island is one of the few places in the world where you can still reliably see hammerheads. I have seen one in my ~60 dives in Belize, from a distance, and I considered myself lucky to have seen it. In Cocos I saw dozens on almost every dive, often from a meter or two away.

 

[tadeotadeo]

I have a group of divers, 5 confirmed 6 other possible, going to Old Providence for the first week in March, 6-13th, Consider joining us. The reefs are similar to Bay Island’s and Bonaire with lots of wildlife and walls. There is an occasional sighting of hammerhead sharks but not common. Contact me if you are interested in joining us.
There are two scubaboard members in on this trip “Woodman” and “Cambell”
I think Cambell is from the LA area also
Ciao
Tad

 

[robint]

nope, just want 80-100 foot viz and 70+ water temp and of course lots of marine life (interested in seeing some hammerheads if possible)

Hammerheads? I have been diving for 10+ yrs, all over the world, and have yet to see a hammerhead. You are pretty new to diving, try starting a bit smaller with your wish list. Galapagos, Cocos Islands, and Socorro Island trips, all on liveaboards, are the only guaranteed hammerhead diving destinations. Occasionally people do see a hammerhead at almost any destination around the world, but they are very, very rare. Hammerheads tend to stay in colder water and not on reefs, they congregate at Galapagos and Cocos and Socorro most likely for mating before they head off to deeper, colder water.
Nurse sharks and Caribbean reef sharks can be seen at both Belize and Roatan and also the Bahamas. I have quite a bit of shark video footage from both my Nekton liveaboards trips and also my Palau liveaboard trip.

80-100' vis is doable in both Belize and Honduras. But as RoatanMan says, great clear water is not always the best. Lower vis can mean more nutrients in the water which means that the 'circle of life' is in full effect. Just remember to go slow and you will see so much more when diving, but always keep an eye out on the blue as that is when a shark or ray may swim by.