Going to San Pedro, need advice?

[Hostage]

My family is planning a trip there in Nov and we are planning on staying at the Victoria House. Any suggestions on where to go and what to consider? We have been their a couple of times when we were younger, we did a lot of fishing and snorkeling. We hired the same guy to take us out fishing and snorkeling both times in the past. My old man is an AOW, I am going to finish my OW cert next weekend and I hope to take an AOW in early Sept. My g/f, mom, sis, and her b/f will all be snorkeling.

Should we go with a dive master or dive with just the two of us, while the rest of the family snorkels? What are the good places to go, i.e. shark and ray alley? My father and I are a little more cautious when it comes to things. I did do the cave tube thing last time we were there, it was awesome, though don't know if we have time for it.

Thanks in advance,

Hostage

 

[mclaughlincm]

As far as I could tell there wasn't actually any shore diving, so you will have to dive with an outfit of some sort. I used Chuck & Robbies they are on the beach near the town center. I found them to have excellent equipment, great with experienced divers as well as new ones. I would highly recommend them, they were both safe and fun to dive with, great boat crew and dive masters. They also do snorkel trips. I can't make any suggestions about fishing, but I'm sure they could give you a referral to someone. You can email them @ Robbie@ambergriscaydiving.com to get more information.

Cheers

Christine

 

[peterbj7]

You will certainly need to dive with a registered Tour Guide. My suggestion would be Island Divers, just south of the town center on the beach. They do diving, snorkelling and fishing.

 

[driftwood]

Hi Peter,

There was another thread, http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/central-america/393995-best-guide-use-belize.html, where both of us hoped you would chime in.

 

[peterbj7]

Sorry, didn't see that! I'll have a look.

 

[LobShot88]

I followed Driftwood's advice to try Island Divers of Belize when my son and I went to San Pedro in the first week of August 2011. I am an experienced diver and my son had just completed his open water and advanced certs in Northern Virginia.

Even though Rudy and his crew were in the middle of moving to a pier a little further south on the beach, his staff took very good care of us. They are small enough to get to know you and cater to your needs. They are easygoing with great local knowledge. They will give you as much or as little attention as you need.

Rudy booked us on the Amigos boat for the "Blue Hole" and accompanied us as our divemaster. It was a great dive, by the way.

I highly recommend them.

 

[DivingEnthusiast]

I was there in December. Be sure to rent a golf cart, they're the only way around the island and the roads are rough, so the carts have ATV tires. For getting to the island, you might want to fly, if you do, make sure you take a cab from the international airport to the municipal. That's what I did, the municipal flights go to the same airport on Ambergris and cost something like $70 less per person. Be sure to hit up Legends Burger House, it's on the other side of the bridge, owned by an American, and the food is great (be sure to get a bunch of local currency if you plan on using the bridge or shopping/buying souvenirs). Holchan Shark Ray Alley is a good place to go, as others have mentioned, so is the Blue Hole. The restaurant at the Phoenix is pretty good, and good for a one night formal dinner. If you're not diving on a certain day, or it is your last day before flying, I really recommend taking a tour of ruins on the mainland. It's a long trip, but it's worth it. When I did it, we took a boat from the island to the mainland, went up a river, transferred in a town, got on a bus, drove to a little village, got on another boat, and finally wound up at the ruins. Don't worry, there are plenty of "beverages" and usually a delicious local cuisine lunch at the ruins. I went to the Lamanai ruins, I recommend it. You can climb a 100'+ temple on large cement step-like blocks holding on to nothing but a rope. Good luck, hope you enjoy the island!

 

[Hostage]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I am speaking to my old man about Island Divers.

 

[yakivet]

I can't speak well enough for Island Divers. My wife and I had always been diving with Peter and Protech while they were in operation. This spring we will be diving our 4th year with Island Divers. Rudy's shop is always a pleasure. Last trip down our favorite meal was at Wild Mangos. Breakfast at Estelle's.

 

[DivingEnthusiast]

I enjoyed Wild Mangos as well, forget to mention it.