Cruise Botat Diving in Belize and Roatan

[pleasan7]

Which dive site would you want to dive if you were in Belize and then in Roatan for just one day?
Background:
I am a newbie diver and my husband is an experience diver who likes to shoredive best but boats are ok. We have never been to either Belize or Roatan but will be available to dive weather permitting for about 8 hours each day.
Thanks for you help!
{Ok, here goes again. These things happen - if you posted earlier please repost as I was off line and had not read any responses - Thanks!}

 

[Doc]

Which dive site would you want to dive if you were in Belize and then in Roatan for just one day? I am a newbie diver and my husband is an experience diver who likes to shoredive best but boats are ok. We have never been to either Belize or Roatan but will be available to dive weather permitting for about 8 hours each day.QUOTE]

In Belize, you may take any of the fast boats that leave from the Belize City docks and race out to the dive sites, which are a ways away from there. I'll let the experts fill you in on Belize because I only know it from the perspective of the liveaboard.

Roatan, I know pretty well.

Three of the simpler options:

Most of the cruise ship folks go with the flow over to AKR (Anthony's Key) and do the Dolphin deal. They claim shore diving. http://www.anthonyskey.com/index.html

The best 'day dive-op' is run out of the French Harbour Yacht Club- see Subway Watersports. http://www.roatanyachtclub.com/dive_shop.html

Others have mentioned CoCoView, my favorite. It has the best and only real resort based shore dive on Roatan. Right there is the 140' wreck, 300' from shore in 35-65fsw. They can easily deal with day trip divers. Contact them thru the website at http://www.cocoviewresort.com or see their FAQ at http://www.cocoviewresort.com/faq_ccv.htm#CRUISE SHIP GUESTS:

The biggest problem with CoCoView is it might break you of your cruise ship habit

 

[pharmguy]

Which dive site would you want to dive if you were in Belize and then in Roatan for just one day?
Background:
I am a newbie diver and my husband is an experience diver who likes to shoredive best but boats are ok.

In Belize it depends where you are staying but most of the really good diving in Belize is done from a boat. The sites most operators would go to are the Blue Hole (of Cousteau fame) and Turneffe. I did both in Feb of this year from operators on Caye Caulker.

As a newbie (< 15 dives?) the Blue Hole may not be the ideal.
1. It is deep (125 ft plus) - I hit 140 on the gauge for 15 seconds when I had to swim under a stalagtite (-mite?). 2 people from our boat got mildly narc'd on this dive.
2. There are sharks - Three 6-10 foot bull sharks swam 30 ft below us during one part of the dive.
3. The first dive is short - total time in the water was maybe 35 minutes.
4. There is much less coral, macro, etc inside the Blue Hole.

Turneffe has several sites where you will see the typical tropical things. The profiles allow for more bottom time and I found the marine life to be denser and in better condition.

I would chose Turneffe for the overall experience but the Blue Hole for the adrenaline rush and notoriety.

Chose the boat that gets you there carefully - it's a lengthy trip and the boat makes a big difference.

 

[diverchuck]

I have not been to Belize yet but I was in Roatan last year and I enjoyed diving with Native Sons dive shop. The owner is the only "native" (actually from the island!) dive shop owner on the island and he has a lot of knowledge and history to share. All the dives were great but I probably enjoyed "Spooky Channel" the most.

 

[pleasan7]

Thanks again for the help!
Belize will be a boat dive? Then I will try to do the refresher dive here at campus with the dive club. Further question - Ok, so who has a really nice boat to ride out the 6-8ft swells that I might see in March?
Thanks,
Carol

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Carol ... another option in Belize is Ambergris Caye, north of Belize City. There's a small town there, San Pedro, that exists primarily to support divers. The reef is about a half-mile offshore, and it's all boat diving. A great operation is Amigos del Mar ... although there are others that are equally reputable and fun.

Most of the dive sites are "slot" canyons ... the boat picks up a mooring and you drop down 50 feet or so to the bottom, then swim into these little coral canyons that meander along. The reef life is beautiful. The boat rides from shore to these sites are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.

Most diving is done in the morning. In the afternoon you can go snorkeling off the beach, or take a trip to Hol Chan Marine Sanctuary, just a short distance down coast, where you can "play" with the resident nurse sharks and sting rays. This place is mostly very shallow, and a great place to snorkel ... but there's an "amphitheatre" surrounded by coral reef that's also a great night dive.

I did this trip back when I was a very new diver, and it's quite suitable for newer divers.

On your non-dive day, you might want to take a boat ride to the mainland and upriver to visit one of the Mayan ruins. We did, and it was a lot of fun.

BTW - where in Tennessee are you? I was raised in Greeneville (east 10SE) ... lovely country down there.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DandyDon]

Belize:

I don't think that Carol mentioned that they'll be coming off of a cruise boat at both places. It may have been in her first thread, but that got pulled accidentally by one of our trusted servants. Some who posted may have been missed by Carol, too.

I stayed at San Pedro in June, but I think it's too far from the cruise boat docks. You'll probably want to arrange in advance for a boat to take you to Turneffe. The Blue Hole trip also includes lunch at Lighthouse with Booby Birds, but - while the operators often take barnd new paper C-card divers down to 140 feet there, I would not suggest it.

Roatan:

You can do shore dives there if you really want to, but you'll miss Spooky Channel, etc. I think Roatanman gave you good counsel there.

Sadly, I cannot help much, as I find being locked up in a nice hotel like a cruise boat a boring experience. Especially for the 2 "fun days at sea." :wacko:

How about it, cruise boat divers? What have y'all done? (Hmm? I wonder if a Mod could change the title of this thread to "Cruise Boat Diving in Belize and Roatan"??)

Okay, H2Andy got the title changed! We've got some great Mods!

 

[pleasan7]

Hi Bob,
Great description. I can't wait to get in the water! The Dive you mention does sound great and will go in my list of definite possiblities.
Yep! I am an East Tennessean - Knoxville born but now live up on a hill with a great view toward the Smokies. Beautiful in the morning.

Thanks again for the detail!
Carol

Carol ... another option in Belize is Ambergris Caye, north of Belize City. There's a small town there, San Pedro, that exists primarily to support divers. The reef is about a half-mile offshore, and it's all boat diving. A great operation is Amigos del Mar ... although there are others that are equally reputable and fun.

Most of the dive sites are "slot" canyons ... the boat picks up a mooring and you drop down 50 feet or so to the bottom, then swim into these little coral canyons that meander along. The reef life is beautiful. The boat rides from shore to these sites are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.

Most diving is done in the morning. In the afternoon you can go snorkeling off the beach, or take a trip to Hol Chan Marine Sanctuary, just a short distance down coast, where you can "play" with the resident nurse sharks and sting rays. This place is mostly very shallow, and a great place to snorkel ... but there's an "amphitheatre" surrounded by coral reef that's also a great night dive.

I did this trip back when I was a very new diver, and it's quite suitable for newer divers.

On your non-dive day, you might want to take a boat ride to the mainland and upriver to visit one of the Mayan ruins. We did, and it was a lot of fun.

BTW - where in Tennessee are you? I was raised in Greeneville (east 10SE) ... lovely country down there.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Doc]

Thanks again for the help!
Belize will be a boat dive? Then I will try to do the refresher dive here at campus with the dive club. Further question - Ok, so who has a really nice boat to ride out the 6-8ft swells that I might see in March?
Thanks,
Carol

and a reply....
As a newbie (< 15 dives?) the Blue Hole may not be the ideal.
1. It is deep (125 ft plus) - I hit 140 on the gauge for 15 seconds when I had to swim under a stalagtite (-mite?). 2 people from our boat got mildly narc'd on this dive.<<<<<<<<<<<

Blue Hole?

Amen to that. Add to this equation that the dive site is many miles away. Not only a difficult long ride, but a distant evacuation if medical issues arrise.

I recommend skipping this, a "log book" dive, getting your ticket punched, as it were. Belize has many other great possibilities!

 

[Hawkeye Mark]

Last week was first cruise in ten years and first time to do dives off a ship. Few comments:

1. Since ship left from Houston and I live there, it was a cheap vacation. Bought cheapest room and got upgraded. I would not go on another cruise any time soon. Dont like those "fun days at sea".
2. Dove in Cozumel and Roatan. Booked diving with Dive Paradise. Two good dives.
3. In Roatan did two dives with Subway Watersports. Two good dives.

Did not dive in Belize or Cancun.

Bottom line. I would not do this again. It was a fairly cheap vacation but I'm not into mass tourism. Windjammer, Blackbeards would be good but no more mainstream cruise ships. NCL Norwegian Sea was not too big(1600) but I cant imagine being on one of the big ones with 3500 people.

Liked the diving but not much into cruise ship experience