Little Corn Island Tips?

[chrisneilson]

Hey.

I had previously been planning a trip to Belize, but we decided to change it up and head to Little Corn Island instead.

There's just so much we want to do in Belize that we decided to wait until we can give it a full 2 weeks.

So instead we fell in love with the idea of Little Corn. A bit remote, and simple it seems. a slight degree of "roughing it", but good diving and a beautiful setting/beach.

Basically we are going to Eat, Drink, Chill and Dive.

WE are staying at Little Corn Beach Bungalows, which have excellent reviews from what I've seen.

I've tried to get more info from the Dive Operators, but they both seem to be a bit sketchy about answering emails. Though the reviews from them are generally good.

Anyway, one thought a Mid March trip to Blowing Rock was unlikely, while the other thought it was quite doable. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

Anyway, and tips, tricks, advise or warnings are appreciated.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I have a couple of posts from years back you might search for, they will give you some pretty good info.
I will update you with a few tips comments here. Little Corn is a great little island for relaxing and doing some diving. It's not the greatest diving but depending on conditions can be pretty nice. Years back the fish at blowing rock were pretty huge but there was some jerk-ass spear-fishermen who took a lot of the monster fish there. It is a cool site but always weather dependent. The weather/wind has a big impact on the diving there, my last trip to LCI ( I've been 4 times) the wind kept us out of most the sites around the island. I Love the island, the people and the food, it's a great place to chill,eat,drink,and dive a bit.

 

[chrisneilson]

I have a couple of posts from years back you might search for, they will give you some pretty good info.
I will update you with a few tips comments here. Little Corn is a great little island for relaxing and doing some diving. It's not the greatest diving but depending on conditions can be pretty nice. Years back the fish at blowing rock were pretty huge but there was some jerk-ass spear-fishermen who took a lot of the monster fish there. It is a cool site but always weather dependent. The weather/wind has a big impact on the diving there, my last trip to LCI ( I've been 4 times) the wind kept us out of most the sites around the island. I Love the island, the people and the food, it's a great place to chill,eat,drink,and dive a bit.

I did did search the boards and read all the info I could find in the old threads. Lots of good stuff in those. Thank you

It's a shame about blowing rock. Will still give it a go if its possible, but I hate the short sightedness of people.

Im sure I will be happy with the diving as I've only dove in Roatan, tulum and Cozumel so far. My understanding is that the diving should be as good or better.

Actually im in happy to spend my time diving these types of locations for now, I figure you probably get a bit spoiled once you head to Borneo or the other hot South Pacific areas.

Its funny. I usually spend 100s of hours researching a trip, but this time there's so little to know about little corn that I think I have most of it covered. Lol

still. Anything that anyone wants to add is appreciated.

 

[hbgood]

I dove with Dolphin Dive in March 2011 and stayed at the neighboring Dolphin Hotel. Here is my review from tripadvisor:
“Professional Dive Operation”

Reviewed May 28, 2011
We dove 9 dives in 3 days with Dolphin Dive and they were great. We came here for the chance to see hammerheads but sadly the wind kicked up the day we got there and the conditions were not good to go to the windy side of the island (Tarpon Channel) where the hammerheads hang out. They saw them the day before we arrived! The diving was in some ways disappointing compared to the number of critters we saw in Utila but we were lucky enough to see several yellow rays which were gorgeous. We also saw southern sting rays in droves and some of them were quite large. Adam knew I was dying to see the hammerheads and a few other people were willing to take their chances so we went to Tarpon Channel the morning before we left. The conditions were not great but the divemaster did an awesome guide directing us and getting us to hold hands in the gnarly conditions. The divemaster saw 2 hammerheads but I could not see them in the bad visibility. I would definitely dive here again but please allow yourself a week so you have a chance to catch the hammerheads!

As far as other tips go, make sure you check out the Cuban restaurant which has good food. The Dolphin Hotel Restaurant and the Cuban restaurant are some of the only restaurants that accept credit cards. The Shak is good for breakfast food but service is REALLY slow. The panga ride over from Big Corn is a little crazy and you should be prepared to get a little wet. If you spend any time on Big Corn, the Arenas Beach Hotel is pretty nice and has a beautiful beach.

I will have to check my dive log to see if I did Blowing Rock, but none of the dives I did in Little Corn stuck out in my head other than Tarpon Channel.

 

[chrisneilson]

Thank you for the reply.

We are going to go prepared as far as cash goes. It's really win win as we avoid the service charges and will be more likely to stay on budget.

From what i can find, March TENDS to be descent for weather to dive. So Hopefully we will be lucky in that regard.

I'm still getting inconsistent information on whether the new "yacht" is running. But it's good advice to have a plastic bag that can cover the suitcases if it's a sketchy Panga ride we end up on. Getting wet won't upset. I'm just so excited to get there at all.

Would love to get a chance to see some hammerheads. I'm not sure how often they do see them, as they only say "could" but hopefully it will be lucky all the way around.

I've read good things about both dive operators in Little Corn mostly. So i'm not too worried there.

How did you find the currents to be?

 

[chrisneilson]

Just a quick note if anyone who is reading this is going the week of March 10, (aka 12 days!) let me know. My partner only wants to dive 2-3 times and i'm planning on trying to fit in 10 or so. SO if you are divingg solo or more than someone else, maybe we could get together and "buddy up"

 

[rickcavanaugh]

Dive with Dolphin Dive. The owners of the other shop are sketchy. For a while they did not pay their staff. For a review of my trip last year see Little Corn Island Dolphin Dive | Scuba Trip Reviews

I am going back in March-April give or take a couple of days. As others said, it is not the best diving. The island is real laid back. No cars, cheap hotels, cheap food. Very relaxing.

remember, there are no roads, you will be walking everywhere. The most convenient hotel for diving is hotel defines. Some of the others can be a 20 minute walk to town or the dive shop. At night the walking paths can get VERY DARK bring a flashlight. Some of the nicest rooms are furthest from town. Expect to do a lot of walking if you stay at some of these.

Food is real cheap. Great place

 

[chrisneilson]

Dive with Dolphin Dive. The owners of the other shop are sketchy. For a while they did not pay their staff. For a review of my trip last year see Little Corn Island Dolphin Dive | Scuba Trip Reviews

I am going back in March-April give or take a couple of days. As others said, it is not the best diving. The island is real laid back. No cars, cheap hotels, cheap food. Very relaxing.

remember, there are no roads, you will be walking everywhere. The most convenient hotel for diving is hotel defines. Some of the others can be a 20 minute walk to town or the dive shop. At night the walking paths can get VERY DARK bring a flashlight. Some of the nicest rooms are furthest from town. Expect to do a lot of walking if you stay at some of these.

Food is real cheap. Great place

Rick,

Thanks for the reply and advice.

We are actually staying at the Little Corn Beach and Bungalows. Great reviews and apparently the restaurant is really good there too. They have a discount in their RRAD deal of 10% with Dolphin Dive, so i am actually already booked with them.

I had heard that issue with the other dive operation from reading reviews on here, but from my own experience i had found they are really hard to contact via email and had some issues getting to answer questions i had (could just be a language issue) but either way I was Diving with Dolphin, and could only see using the other place if they happened to have a boat going to Blowing Rock and Dolphin didn't for some reason.

As for the Diving, I'm sure it will be good. I've done all my diving in the Mayan Riviera, Cozumel and Roatan, so I'm sure it will seem better to me at this stage of under 20 dives than many more experienced and well traveled divers. Kind of makes me glad to leave the Borneo. or Red Sea stuff for a few years. Don't get too spoiled just yet.......

Can't wait to go.... a week of relaxation and blowing bubbles is exactly what this Winter Hating Canadian needs.

 

[Sushi Boy]

Not sure if you've already been, but I agree about diving with Dolphin Dive. I absolutely loved it there and hope to go back soon. A small island with no cars and a pain in the butt to get to - just my kinda place!

It is worth mentioning that if any locals ask where you're staying, don't tell them.

 

[chrisneilson]

I probably should have updated sooner, but it's been busy since getting back.

Just a short review.

The Island itself, although a bit of a chore to get to is wonderful Nice people, very laid back and relaxed. If you're looking for the perfect place to chill, then it's here. Not too many people though enough to not feel isolated either.

I found the Western side of the island near "town" to be a bit stuffy. Staying on the eastern side was perfect asd it was warm, but just anough of an ocean breeze that you felt totally comfortable.

Can't say enough good things about Little Corn Beach and Bungalows. The staff is awesome and helpful. They keep everything exceedingly well groomed and clean. The food in the restaurant there is the best on the island as well. Their RRAD deal was a fantastic value for us. It included 2 meals a day, beer, water, soft drinks, discounts on everyhting else you asked for including other drinks and your room, not to mention some laundry, other extras, and the diving/other water sports. Also: They have the BEST Pina Colada ever. Fresh made with roasted coconut. wow.

The only bummer was the 15 inute "warm" walk to the dive shops.

Dolphin Dive is very well run. They were very flexible and helpful throughout the week. The pricing was very good, especially when taking into account the RRAD discount. The divemasters were all good and enthusiastic.

The dive sites themselves were good, but not quite great. Having done dives in Cozumel and Roatan, you can see how much a difference having been in a protected marine park makes. Too bad they have not done the same in LCI. Still some very nice reef though. Just not quite as blown away with the colors and abundance as some of the Marine Parks i've been in. Saw very few turtles. Again, a lack of enforcable protection i think has been an issue. I was told that boats from the mainland mostly have taken a large number of turtles and it's not uncommon to see large 60-70 year old turtles being butchered on the streets in Bluefields

Anyway, I would recommend the trip to Blowing Rock. Definitely the best dive site in the area. Very nice life at that site. Be prepeared to lie on the beach and nap after though. A lot of sun.

All in all, I would definitely go back to LCI. Though not for diving exclusively. Also not to do "stuff". Though I am sure there was more than what we took part in, there isn't a huge variety of things to do.

but if you are looking for a very laid back and relaxing location that is comfortable and do a few fun dives, then it's a fantastic spot.

---------- Post added April 7th, 2014 at 11:03 AM ----------

not sure what was meant by "son't tell ppl where you are staying? Care to expand on that?