Going Negative with Topic
- Thread starter WizardTrips
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I do not work in San Pedro. I live and work in Philly. I do not own or have any interest in any businesses there. I keep going back to San Pedro because I really like it there. I have done about 35 dives at the atolls split between Turneffe and Lighthouse. I have also dove Utila, Saba, St Kitts, Coz, up and down the Florida Keys, as well as Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The key to diving San Pedro is diving the tops of the canyons and the top of the reef. The DMS usually rush down to the bottoms of the canyons to the wall where it is dark and deep. The canyon walls are dead and probably have been for thousands of years. That's why they haven't grown over or closed up. Take a look at that video that I linked. Most of it was filmed along the tops of the canyons and between the canyons. It was dark because it was a bit stormy and the viz was probably only about 80ft. The coral is alive and healthy. I have dove the reef in front of San Pedro to about 170 while hunting lionfish. Most of the life is above 75ft. I see you take a lot of macro photographs. It is probably not a place that lends itself to macro. That reef is a rough angry place that is the lee shore to the entire Caribbean. When it is calm the diving above 40ft is wonderful. But its rarely calm enough to do so. The tops of the walls and the reef between the canyons is healthy and doing well. I actually think it is getting better. There are definitely fewer lionfish than a few years ago. It has also been longer since a hurricane. Along the reef at Tackle Box, there was a whaleshark and a manta spotted in February. We saw a bunch of Black Tips in February, and a sailfish was spotted the day I flew home last week. That's just at one spot. It is also a spot that is right in front of town. Many of the DM are anxious to create nurse shark and eel spectacles at Esmeralda. Most photographer could care less about seeing that particularly more than once. The DMs need to know that. Most people are not trying to set personal depth records every dive. The DMs need to know that too. However, where else can you show up at 9, be diving by 9:20, do your surface interval in town at your choice of cafés, be diving again by 11:30, be back at the dock by 12:30 and eating lunch by 12:40 at a selection of restaurants? I realize it exists, but I haven't found it. But as far as the reef being dead, you are mistaken. It is too bad that you were poorly guided.
mbs
Contributor
I loved the Blue Tang Inn, Chuck and Robbies, the town, the people and the spectacular canyons. But I must say I was surprised at the lack of fish on the reef. Plenty of overly friendly nurse sharks, but not a ton of other fish around. I really really wanted to love it because everything else was great, but for me I missed the sea life. Definitely worth a visit and the outer atolls were spectacular, but I won't be adding it to my list of places I visit regularly. That's my unsolicited opinion...
Robbie's one of the great guys. Love him! I've been diving Belize for years but have more than enough dives elsewhere to be able to be discerning. To me the reef is looking healthier than in has in a while, especially after hurricane Keith (I started diving it shortly after Mitch).
This past November, there was barely a dive went by without at least one shark looking us over (not talking nurse shark ). This is fairly new within the last couple of years and is evidence of a healthy reef system. It's also my opinion that there's some missing fish.
rightly or wrongly I've attributed this to lionfish. I've noticed that there are fewer lionfish around, at least at the more frequented dive sites. This is a good thing but probably not good enough, those hungry sob's.
Sailfish were also spotted on a dive I was on, again it was in November. Unfortunately for me I was busy looking at something else at the time. Phooey. But in both November, the preceding May and the July before that, we had dolphins checking us out. Thrilling. Hope I never get used to it . . .even as it seems to becoming a regular event.
If they're keeping the lionfish down, the other fish are likely to bounce back. Seems to me I've seen lots of Angel fish around. I'll have to pay more attention if they aren't.
Like AWMIII, it isn't just the diving that draws me back again and again. Diving at 9 a.m. vs and only having to roll out of bed and roll onto the boat to be under by 9:20 finished two dives and having a great lunch on the beach it's hard to beat
This past November, there was barely a dive went by without at least one shark looking us over (not talking nurse shark ). This is fairly new within the last couple of years and is evidence of a healthy reef system. It's also my opinion that there's some missing fish.
rightly or wrongly I've attributed this to lionfish. I've noticed that there are fewer lionfish around, at least at the more frequented dive sites. This is a good thing but probably not good enough, those hungry sob's.Sailfish were also spotted on a dive I was on, again it was in November. Unfortunately for me I was busy looking at something else at the time. Phooey. But in both November, the preceding May and the July before that, we had dolphins checking us out. Thrilling. Hope I never get used to it . . .even as it seems to becoming a regular event.
If they're keeping the lionfish down, the other fish are likely to bounce back. Seems to me I've seen lots of Angel fish around. I'll have to pay more attention if they aren't.
Like AWMIII, it isn't just the diving that draws me back again and again. Diving at 9 a.m. vs and only having to roll out of bed and roll onto the boat to be under by 9:20 finished two dives and having a great lunch on the beach it's hard to beat
Saltyhawg
Contributor
Ambergris Caye Feb 2015
I guess you could cram a couple of other kinds of corals in there somewhere...not sure though.
The montipora on the left was almost 4' across. The one on the right was over a foot.
I guess you could cram a couple of other kinds of corals in there somewhere...not sure though.
The montipora on the left was almost 4' across. The one on the right was over a foot.
joshr502
Registered
yeah, i'm not sure where you guys are diving in ambergris that you aren't seeing a lot of fish and no coral. i've dove down there several times and have always seen plenty. i have experience in Cancun/Cozumel, Antigua, the Red Sea and various other places in the States. Ambergris is some of the best diving I have ever done. But hey, if people don't want to go there, fine by me. Leaves San Pedro nice and quiet and more diving for me!
Downing
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joshr502
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kumimonster
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