Looking for dive shop and dive site recommendations / Ambregris Caye

[Murphy in NC]

Hey All,

Next month headed to Ambregris Caye, have 2 divers and 3 non divers so we are staying here at Pelican Reef Villas, 2.6 miles south of San Pedro.

Pelican Reef Villas Resort, Luxury Beach Resort, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Have everything but BC's however may buy before we go.

Will be diving with my youngest so looking for easy diving (fishy, not crazy deep, little current)

Does anyone have recommendations on dive operators and sites?

This will be my first trip to Belize, want it to be awesome memories.

Any assistance would be appreciated, Thanks.

 

[scubadada]

I believe that I read in an Undercurrent review that PRV is affiliated with Belize Pro Dive Center. That may be a reasonable place to start. I've heard some good things about Island Divers, believe they may be south of town.

 

[tdallen]

We used Ramon's.

 

[Murphy in NC]

does that mean your experience with Ramones was positive?

 

[tdallen]

I liked and can recommend Ramon's. That said, I'd recommend having a talk with the dive shop about your goals and see what they can do.

The diving near San Pedro is basically out at the reef with some locations more protected than others. We encountered bigger swell and more chop outside the reef, making for a "sporty" recovery onto the dive boat and some divers who had trouble keeping their lunch down (I can't tell you whether that was just bad luck or whether it's like that all the time). I was initially disappointed that we went out with two groups on one of their bigger boats, but didn't mind so much afterwards. Also, my dives out at the reef were a max of 75 and 60 ft. At the more protected locations or inside the reef the dives are are shallower and more colorful, but there are fewer of those locations and you need to plan for the tides as they can create a current.

If you talk to Rick at the dive shop down in San Pedro I'm sure he can work out a dive plan with you (it's worth talking over details like this with him, rather than the US booking agents). But Ramon's is a big operation and while they have both big and small boats I'd remain open to using a smaller dive op if they can get you the more relaxed dives you are looking for. I would also call Belize Pro Dive and maybe Ambergris Divers.

Some of the best diving we did was out at Half Moon Caye as part of the Blue Hole trip (still 60' dives, though). Snorkelers or divers who don't want to do the Blue Hole dive itself can snorkel instead, and then do the other two regular dives of the day. Ramon's is one of the dive ops with big enough boats to do their own Blue Hole trip - but it's a long day and you may have to be flexible with your schedule.

FYI, it's common that dive operations will pick you up at your dock - most resorts have one. Check with the dive op to see if they can do that, and whether there would be any additional fee.

 

[mwilson55]

Hey All,

Next month headed to Ambregris Caye, have 2 divers and 3 non divers so we are staying here at Pelican Reef Villas, 2.6 miles south of San Pedro.

Pelican Reef Villas Resort, Luxury Beach Resort, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Have everything but BC's however may buy before we go.

Will be diving with my youngest so looking for easy diving (fishy, not crazy deep, little current)

Does anyone have recommendations on dive operators and sites?

This will be my first trip to Belize, want it to be awesome memories.

Any assistance would be appreciated, Thanks.

B&D Belize Magical Adventures. Small operation but great personal service and great rates!

 

[Murphy in NC]

So there was a lot of chop and current so we only went out one day for a shallow dive, I knew my son wanted to dive with the sharks so that was the first.

We did the Ho Chin Cut dive, fishy as hell, and then did the ray / shark snorkel, great for any teenager who wants to swim with "sharks".

Weather wasn't great, Belizians are wonderful, always felt safe, food is great, beach is NOT Grand Cayman's seven mile beach but then again a cheeseburger isn't 25 USD.

Having been there I would not go back to Ambegris Caye, I would go to Placencia / southern Belize area.
If you do go to Ambregris Caye I cannot recommend Ramones, divemaster checked in with everyone on initial descent and never looked back again, it was a very simple dive however there were folks newer than me and a couple needed equipment assistance, I thought it odd that he never looked back.

I never seem to connect with the weather. Is there a list that shows best of time of year to go to certain regions ?

 

[Downing]

I never seem to connect with the weather. Is there a list that shows best of time of year to go to certain regions ?

I go to Belize annually and almost always in June. This is the beginning of the "rainy season," and although it does rain a fair amount it's almost always at night and I've had only a few dives called on account of the weather. I choose to go that time of year because the weather here in Portland can still be iffy in June, and I usually come back to good weather the rest of the summer. If I go any earlier, I come back to cold and rain and it's a tougher adjustment. If I go later, then I miss out on the few really good months we have here. And it helps that "rainy" also means "low" so there are fewer tourists, which is a big plus for me.

 

[guffee32]

All - I've got 5 divers headed to San Pedro in early July. Three of the divers in my group will need to rent BC & Computers and are new with 10 dives so I'm looking for a small boat and a shop that is safety conscious. Ramon's was recommended by the house owner, but having heard less than positive reports besides Murphy, I don't really want to risk it.

B&D Belize sounds like a good outfit, but has anyone been diving with Belize Pro Divers? If so, please share your experience.

 

[Murphy in NC]

I heard good things about them however there were phone problems on the island when I was there and Belize Pro was affected. If using them I would reach out and get connected prior to arrival