El Cid La Ceiba dive op

[Scubaschne]

Hi, may be doing a timeshare trade over labor day weekend and following week to this resort. Has anyone used the onsite dive op? Feedback? I have stayed and dived with Casa del Mar and Scuba Club in the past so this is why Im looking for info. I will most likely be coming alone since all of my reg dive buddies cant get the time off on short notice or flights are too expensive. Anyone going to be there sept 4th-11th? thanks for any feedback Karen

 

[budaman]

We just got back from La Ceiba last week & used Babieca on the days we dived. No frills, but good group of guys. They have one boat....small, fast panga. But, it was comfortable & had shade. We never went out with more than 6. We either did the SI on the boat or stopped at Naked Beach. All they provide onboard is water, so take your own fruit to get rid of the salt taste. You have to carry your own equipment to the dock, but they will set it up for you and they keep a bucket for cameras. One thing I enjoyed is they leave a little later in the morning, so you didn't have to get up super early & rush around trying to eat. Usually left around 9. Overall, it is pretty laid back.

Prices for guests are low, but if you want to go through the timeshare thing, you can get down to $45day for multiple days diving. We did it & got 2 days car rental along with some discounts for massages. We traded into La Cieba also, so we've learned how to say no to the pitch. One upside to going, we found out about the Whale Sharks & was able to arrange a trip there...we paid, but wouldn't have known about it.

Back to Babieca......they asked us every morning where we would like to dive, so if you had a specific reef you wanted to hit, it would be possible as long as conditions were favorable. They kind of had a time limit on dives, probably because there was only one DM, but we never hit that time. Everyone always hit their air limits first. 700 lbs was when you headed for safety stop. You didn't have to go up with your buddy however, if one of you got to 700. DM would deploy his sausage and everyone would just go to the 15ft knot when they needed to ascend.

One other thing.....don't do the AI. The restaurant is good, but nowhere near the quality of the ones in town. Unless you plan on drinking a WHOLE lot, there is no way you'll spend what they charge. The two meal/beverage plans are $70 & $90/day.

Mike

 

[Scubaschne]

Mike, how was the timeshare overall? It is supposedly a 2 br with partial kitchen? Was this the kind of unit you were in? I usually dont do the AI usually not a great value, would probably try for another dive op I think, we shall see. Have till tonight to lock this in, air is the kicker, no good deals out there from San Diego. thanks K

 

[budaman]

We had the 1bdrm.....very large. It was in the tower. 9th floor end unit. Nice views. Laid out nice with large bedroom w/balcony & full bath and a living room with a quenn murphy bed, kitchenette and another full bath and another balcony. Bed was a king & comfortable. The only negative,it was a unit that had not had the A/C replaced yet & whenever the compressor would kick in, it would make some racket.....didn't bother me that much because I actually sleep better with some noise(probably because I grew up on Air Force bases) but the better half had some issues with it. The hotel overall was very nice and all the staff were great.

You do have the cruise piers right in front, but they were usually gone between 5 & 6PM. Two beach areas with enough chairs & hammocks...that area reminded me a bit of a large Scuba Club...we stayed there last year. Really too far to walk to town, but cabs are around $7 each way. There is Ernesto's & a Chinese food place that are within a block for quick eats away from the hotel. Ernesto's was actually pretty good. We tried Kinta, El Capi Navigante, Camilo's & Casa Mission in town & all were excellent. The restaurant at La Ceiba was excellent for breakfast and snacking around the beach area. I would put it on par with Scuba Club.

La Ceiba was the only hotel other than the Coral Princess that we could trade into that wasn't mandatory AI...and there were a couple of girls diving with us that had originally booked into the CP & changed to La Ceiba after the first day.

If we were to exchange again, I wouldn't have a problem going back.

 

[rromero2]

Let me chime in.......

I have stayed at La Ceiba for the last three years (5th visit in Sept) and used Babieca every time we dove. As far as the dive shop goes, they have small crowed less than 8 divers, fast boat, and the availability to choose your dive site. Very economical rate especially if you purchased a three or five day dive package. They have a dunk tank for your gears at the dive shop, shower for after dive rinse, and even provide for lockers to hold your wet gears. It is also nice to hang out by the beach or on a hammock after diving and enjoy the cold refreshing drinks available.

Shore diving is also available. Unlimited free shore dive if you are diving with the shop. We always do shore dives for gear checkout and just to get more bottom time and night shore dives as well. Just in front of the resort, you can find a lot of life, so you don't need to pay for a night dive, but I do recommend that you go.

The shop also rents gears if you did not bring your own. The divemaster Luis is very good (experience) and is always mindful of the divers safety. He is great at finding fishes that you want to see. He lets us dive as long as we still have air (700 psi) before heading for our safety stop.

Just writing about this place makes me wish it was the end of Sept already, 8 days of diving.