Dive shop and Dive Sites

[jjach]

We have all of our arrangements made for our trip to AC at the end of April. Now the most important part, the diving. I'm undecided if I want to do the Blue Hole or Turneffe. Particularly the Elbow. I've heard and read all about the Blue Hole, But is it really worth it. Or is this just one of those things that you have to do on your first trip to Belize. I'm interested in seeing fish and coral formations. I've read that Half Moon Caye and the Aquarium are supposed to be great dives, but how would they compare to the 3 dives at Turneffe. I would love to do both but finances say only one of the two.
Second question is about a dive shop for some local dives. I've read very good things about Chuck and Robbie's. I have e-mailed them twice through their website but no response. Does anyone know a better way to get in touch with them? From what I have read here on SB and on Trip Advisor they are a good operator, with personalized service.
Any other suggestions for a small dive shop with small boats and small groups? Any comments are greatly appreciated.Thanks

 

[peterbj7]

Where will you be staying? That may have a bearing on your choice of dive shop. You don't actually need a shop that uses small boats. That can be a disadvantage when seas are other than calm, when a larger boat is more comfortable and safer when passing through the barrier reef. There are shops which are larger, but which have a choice of boats, small and larger. One of those could also work well for you. Most shops will pick up from most hotels, though you may prefer (as I probably would) to be close enough to walk to the shop. One shop is owned by a person also from Chicago, and that may attract you. Most other shops are owned and run by locals.

I forgot the atolls. Most people agree with my assessment that the diving on Lighthouse Atoll is better than the other two, so even though you only have two open ocean dives on the typical Lighthouse day trip it may be preferred to the alternatives. In any case Glover's Atoll is unreachable on a day trip from San Pedro, and trips to Turneffe are less in demand than Lighthouse trips and run significantly less often. You may find it difficult to get to Turneffe, though a Lighthouse trip should happen whilst you're there even if there aren't many visitors. There are two main operators of these trips and a couple who run less often - the first two are AquaDives and Amigos del Mar, the second two are Ramon's and Ambergris Divers. If you approach these operators directly you may save considerably over having your operator for local diving organise it for you.

 

[jjach]

We are staying at the Tradewinds Paradise Villas. So we are very close to everything in town.
Several weeks ago I had a chance to talk to Peter from Ecologic Drivers at a dive show in Chicago. It sounds like he has a very good operation. Definitely talked highly of here on SB. But I am trying to compare several shops before I make our final decision on who to dive with.

 

[peterbj7]

That's Steve at Ecologic, not Peter (AFAIK). They're your closest dive shop, a short walk south down the beach, though there is another small shop almost as near going the other way whose name I can't remember (and probably wouldn't use)! A bit further north but still a short walk is Chuck 'n Robbies, a small operation that is highly regarded. Beyond Ecologic going south and still pretty close is Amigo's del Mar, who have for years set the "gold standard" in San Pedro and are still highly regarded. You're pretty close to the center of operations at Paradise Villas.

I have my own preferences, but the reality is that all of these shops will do you well. If you want to stay with one of these operators for everything then only Amigos have a large boat for atoll trips, by all accounts a superb boat and newly built.

 

[GatorCT]

I'd go with Ecologic. Steve runs a class operation. I just spent last week with them, diving every day. It's the little things that set them apart -- they'll bring along a digital camera, so you don't have to mess around with it. Hot towels onboard the dive boat. Refreshments between dives. The Dive masters are both knowledgeable and personable. Like all the operations, they'll pick you up at your place. I'd dive with them again.

 

[Darcey]

We did our diving with Reef Adventures last week and they were beyond great. Small operation, very small groups (our biggest was 5 divers) very nice boats, great prices and great divemasters. Very flexible in regards to times and what everyone whants to do too. Oh, and Ched, the co-owner is just great as well. Very knowledgable and helpful with everything. Reef Advenutres is right outside your resort, and as said above, Ecologic is just a bit down south from you. We stayed at the Blue Tang Inn (right next door to the Villas) and Reef Adventures is RIGHT outside of their gate.

I did hear (as well as personally expreicne) some things about Ecologic...good and bad. Bad being they were like used car salesmen when we stopped by to check their operation out. (Just our own personal expericne! Was quite a turn off!) However, I did hear good things about them from some divers we sat next to at the bar at Fidos, and they obviously have gotten decent reviews here on SB and would probably think about diving with them if we didn't like Reef Adventures or Amigos del Mar and if they hadn't made us feel like we were in a used car lot.

We dove with Amigos del Mar on our Blue Hole trip and I have nothing but good to say about them too. I was hesitant to do the Hole trip after hearing mixed reviews, but I'm so glad I did now. I can see how it's not a beginners dive though...and you HAVE to have good buoyancy (we had some divers with us that couldn't keep their buoyancy to save their lives. If anything about the dive was dangerous it was them not being able to control themselves and running into you and using their hands too much...almost knocked my reg out at one point!) and good air consumption. It was a great day though with great dives and great people. Fun was had by all! The two dives after the Blue Hole and stopping on Half Moon for lunch make it more than worth it. Oh, and not to mention the adult beverages (RUM!!!) on the ride back to AC! LOL!

 

[peterbj7]

Thanks for putting me right on Reef Adventures. I just couldn't remember their name, though I do know them. They're on the same dock as the famous Wet Willies.. Go there late on a Wednesday evening for Ladies Night!

 

[mlevi98]

I was in Belize in October and had a great time diving with Ecologic. I have done the Blue Hole twice, once with Amigos Del Mar (May 07) and once with Aqua Dives (Oct 08). The skill level of the divers (customers) I went with was much better with Aqua, and the Aquarium and Half Moon Caye dives are worth the trip to the Blue Hole, which is definitely a unique dive. But if you are terrified of sharks then don't go to the Blue Hole.

 

[Darcey]

Thanks for putting me right on Reef Adventures. I just couldn't remember their name, though I do know them. They're on the same dock as the famous Wet Willies.. Go there late on a Wednesday evening for Ladies Night!

Oh yes! Ladies night at Wet Willies is a MUST!!! :blinking: Or any other night of the week for that matter!

 

[GatorCT]

I heard good things about Reef Adventures too. I did like Ecologic. Sorry to hear the front office turned you off. It's hard to shake off a first impression like that, but the divers, boat crew, and most everybody there were terrific. The size of the groups varied, from day to day. Four of the days, there were less than six divers on the boat (on one day it was just my wife and I!). One day it was a zoo -- 13 divers. Kind of like the days in the Caymans, when all the big Tour Ships arrive for a stopover. We all know how that is. You do your best to try to avoid the newbies, and swim away from the crowd. On the plus side, you always have an opportunity to meet some interesting peeps. Ecologic doesn't do the Blue Hole trip. I thing they refer their divers to the next shop down the beach (can't remember the name, but they've got a big 65' vessel). I thought about trying several operators, but I REALLY liked the fact that Ecologic stored all our gear between dives so we didn't have to schlepp the stuff out each morning.
How was the Blue Tang? We saw it, while riding by on bikes, and I liked the look of the place, and the location seemed very convenient. (Thinking about next year already..)

We did our diving with Reef Adventures last week and they were beyond great. Small operation, very small groups (our biggest was 5 divers) very nice boats, great prices and great divemasters. Very flexible in regards to times and what everyone whants to do too. Oh, and Ched, the co-owner is just great as well. Very knowledgable and helpful with everything. Reef Advenutres is right outside your resort, and as said above, Ecologic is just a bit down south from you. We stayed at the Blue Tang Inn (right next door to the Villas) and Reef Adventures is RIGHT outside of their gate.

I did hear (as well as personally expreicne) some things about Ecologic...good and bad. Bad being they were like used car salesmen when we stopped by to check their operation out. (Just our own personal expericne! Was quite a turn off!) However, I did hear good things about them from some divers we sat next to at the bar at Fidos, and they obviously have gotten decent reviews here on SB and would probably think about diving with them if we didn't like Reef Adventures or Amigos del Mar and if they hadn't made us feel like we were in a used car lot.

We dove with Amigos del Mar on our Blue Hole trip and I have nothing but good to say about them too. I was hesitant to do the Hole trip after hearing mixed reviews, but I'm so glad I did now. I can see how it's not a beginners dive though...and you HAVE to have good buoyancy (we had some divers with us that couldn't keep their buoyancy to save their lives. If anything about the dive was dangerous it was them not being able to control themselves and running into you and using their hands too much...almost knocked my reg out at one point!) and good air consumption. It was a great day though with great dives and great people. Fun was had by all! The two dives after the Blue Hole and stopping on Half Moon for lunch make it more than worth it. Oh, and not to mention the adult beverages (RUM!!!) on the ride back to AC! LOL!