Dive shops in Ambergris Caye

[Downing]

I think you're going to hear that you don't have to make arrangements ahead of time. I know other people have posted that's how they did it. That way, they could see the dive centers and meet the operators in person before making the decision which way you want to go.

As an aside, do you have to go to SP? I know from personal experience that Splash Dive Center in Placencia answers phone calls, lol, and so far no one there has hung up on me. I don't know if they carry steel 100's though.

Just throwing that out there.

 

[peterbj7]

I'd be interested to know the rationale for your selection. White Sands is a long way from town, the other two are in town.

Responses to queries depend on several factors, not least the time of day they're received. These shops don't generally have a full time administrative staff. There's nothing "shady" about it.

If those shops are able to offer Al100s then that means Amigos have some, because they all use amigos tanks (though Ecologic may have their own small compressor). But note what I said above about numbers of such tanks.

At the time you're coming I would have booked the first morning's dives with someone apparently suitable, and then looked around that afternoon to decide whether to stay with them. The logistics of that would depend to a great extent on where you're staying though.

 

[Scubamech]

Ya I think I made bad decision to stay at SP, placencia has much better dive shops. Whale shark dives too. I make my decision based on the fact that the reef is very close to SP and I can do my diving in the morning and head to mainland after to explore the rest of Belize. I planed this trip very quick without any thought. Kinda spontaneous.

I wish I could get some while shark dives too since I am there.

 

[Scubamech]

Peterbj,

White sand offer to pick us up at the dock. I am staying a bit south of San Pedro. Matarock.

I wonder how crowded dive shops this time of the year? I am more or less used to seeing 5-6 ppl on the boat.

 

[Downing]

I don't think you made a bad decision. AC gets by far the bulk of the diving business with lots of repeat visitors so they must be doing something right.

You can never experience it all in one trip anyway. Just look at it as this one may be the first of many.

 

[peterbj7]

Most dive shops aren't at all busy now, though (as you may have seen) the sea's pretty rough at present and several operators won't go out in it.

White Sands are based several miles north of San Pedro, so I'll be interested to know their logistics and where they'll take you diving.

You say Placencia has "much better dive shops". I don't think that's true. Placencia has some good ones, but so does San Pedro. Don't dismiss them because of communications difficulties. And most importantly don't approach the dive shop of your choosing on the basis that it's "second best". That's a way to guarantee you'll have a lousy vacation.

 

[yakivet]

Peter Jones (PeterBJ7) was spot on when he commented about your lack of communication from the dive shops as being the result of a lack of "office" support staff. For better or worse, I'm not sure if you can call many businesses on Ambergris and "always" get an answer. As suggested, I also agree that it would be a great idea to book only your morning dives for the first day. Actually, if you're arriving on Ambergris before 3pm on the day before you dive, I wouldn't pre-book at all until you size up the situation.

Amigo's is certainly the largest shop on the Island with the biggest boats. It may be the source of your AL100 tanks but is also likely to have the larger numbers of divers on their boats. If I had talked to the rude woman that you had talked to, I don't think I'd have them even close to being on "my short list" Personally, I'd use them for the longer atoll trips but I'd stick to smaller shops for the local diving. Hence my previous suggestion of Island Divers.

As far as making a mistake, don't make that decision until you see what develops. I don't think you'll be sorry. Of the many diving destinations I've visited, with the exception of the Cayman Sister Islands, Ambergris is the only one that I've made multiple repeat visits to. With the right dive shop that meets your personal tastes, you're going to have some great reef diving. Combine it with some fantastic food and spend some time enjoying all the things that make San Pedro a great little destination. Visit Estelles for breakfast and Wild Mango's for dinner. Have some Ceviche' at the Hurricane bar or the Key Lime Pie at Blue Water Grill. The Sushi is pretty good there too on Tuesday's and Thursdays. Belikin tastes good everywhere. Though it will be much different than your Kokanee, Moosehead or Molson.

If you're staying at Mata Rocks, I'd certainly rent a golf cart for your visit. Walking back and forth can certainly be done, but you are bit south of town and I think it would get a bit old. Having a cart will increase the spontaneity of your travels. Besides, its the island way of life.

Relax. Enjoy the trip and maybe I'll see you there. I'll be the one staying at Banyan Bay, diving an AL80 with Island divers, eating breakfast at Estelle's and drinking a Belikin while driving my golf cart. Ken :42:

 

[peterbj7]

the reef is very close to SP and I can do my diving in the morning and head to mainland after

No you can't, not on a routine basis. Going to the mainland is an all-day affair.

 

[AWMIII]

My experience with Placencia is from 1997, but I seem to remember diving at Laughingbird Caye. It was a longish boat ride. Maybe 50 minutes? Most of the sites off of AC can be reached in 10 or less. You will have a great time. I also would not fly to the mainland after two tanks off of AC in the morning. You will probably be seriously saturated. Its not worth the risk. We have never run out of things to do on AC. We are headed down next week.

 

[garydemos]

I will be at San Pedro May 5-7 and have a 4-tank dive set up and paid in advance. Peter gave me some great advice on that and I got my Nitrox cert. and will still opt out of the final dive if I need to depending on how the dives go. Anyhow I booked with Reef Adventures and have handled everything via email. That has worked well - now if the dives go good i"m all set! We plan on flying to AC and then I may take the boat back to the mainland the day after the dives to avoid any possible DC issues.