Is it a bad idea to go to Belizein August?

[Jackie]

Having been home for a year and I half the soonest I can make a trip is august. Is it a waste to invest in an August trip? I am assuming that September and October are even more dicey.
I would like to stay in Turneffe as Iove the idea of surface intervals on terra firma and having dive sites close by.
Generally we go to Cozumel but I think I’d like a change of pace and some non drift diving. My husband only has 25 dives or so and all pretty much in CZM...

 

[Downing]

I've been to Belize in the summer, including August, a number of times. I think it's ideal.

Not that it's going to be an issue at Turneffe Island Resort, but summer is the low tourist season in Belize. Prices for accommodations tend to be discounted and the crowds are thinner. You should get on TIR's mailing list as they usually offer deals in the summer.

As far as the weather, this is the rainy season. But the rain, including some fantastic thunderstorms rolling in off the ocean, tends to be at night and sometimes into the morning. It's not the rain that causes problems for diving, it's the wind's effect on the waves. A lot of wind can make it too rough to go out in small boats. You might miss a day or two of diving but most likely not. And it's not the end of the world to be stuck on a tropical paradise island for a day, lol.

A trip to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen was what sparked my interest in Belize many years ago. We were so close to this exotic sounding country that we considered renting a car and driving down just to check it out. The logistics of being tourists driving a rental car from one foreign country into another and back proved to be too tough. Looking back, I'm glad we didn't try it as we wouldn't have had a clue where to go and what to do.

Diving in Belize is very easy and a great place to go for new divers. No drift diving, of course. The only place easier that I've been is the Florida Keys, where you'd have to work really hard to get in trouble as most of my dives there were around 25 feet.

 

[Jackie]

Thank you for your very thoughtful response. I also appreciate that you spoke to the difficulty of the diving. There were years decades ago when I did all sorts of diving, dry suit, Atlantic Ocean, Long Island. But a good number of years have gone by with only very occasional warm water diving.
I am not a young as I used to be, but I’m fit.
That said, I would love to get back into some easy diving. My husband is a bit older than I and put of an abundance of caution, I’d like to keep our maximum depth at the 60-80 foot range without a lot of challenging currents or stressors.

 

[jlevine]

I've been to Belize several times in July, August, September. It's my favorite time to go. It's less crowded, accommodation rates are often lower, and the water is warm (well, warmer than usual in Belize).

Just be aware of one thing, during each one of my trips the power has gone out at least once. This can happen at any time of the year but in the summer it's a bit more annoying. When you get to your room, test the air conditioning right away and report any problems.