Looking for Recommendations for Ambergris Caye Diving!

[mollyr]

Hi! I'm looking for recommendations for a scuba trip I am planning to Ambergris Caye in March. There are three divers and we are debating if we should dive either the Blue Hole or Turneffe Atoll. Has anyone done a shallower (not 120 feet) dive in the Blue Hole? I've heard this may be an option but not sure if its worth it for the less experienced divers. Additionally, how difficult is the boat ride out to these locations (very choppy?)?

If you've done this trip, are there any dive shops you recommend? We also have some snorkelers joining the trip so any dive shops that let snorkelers tag along would be great!!

 

[diverswifey]

laurenceh- suggestions of places to stay to dive those areas without long boat rides? thanks!

 

[laurenceh]

laurenceh- suggestions of places to stay to dive those areas without long boat rides? thanks!

Turneffe

laurenceh- suggestions of places to stay to dive those areas without long boat rides? thanks!

Turneffe Island Resort was the last place I stayed in Belize , it was very nice and it’s close to all the best dive sites in Southern Belize. It’s a world away from the tourist crowds on Ambergris Caye (where we used to live).

 

[salth2owannabe]

how difficult is the boat ride out to these locations (very choppy?)

This all depends on the weather. You'll have two open water stretches to cross if you go out to the Blue hole. I haven't made the trip from Ambergris, but I've done it many times from Turneffe, and from Belize City out to Lighthouse. Most of the operations I've seen at the Blue Hole that come from Ambergris or Caye Caulker have good sized boats, most days should not be too bad. I actually enjoy the crossings, but I'm a boat/water guy. If you have any motion sickness issues, take something prior for sure.

Has anyone done a shallower (not 120 feet) dive in the Blue Hole?

I've done the Blue Hole 11 times and have dived both sides (formations). On about half of those, a few divers hung up a little higher (80ish) and didn't go down to the formations. If the visibility is good, you should be able to see the formations from there. If the visibility is poor, you won't see much at all. The Blue Hole dive is all about the uniqueness of the formation/s, other than that there is not a lot to see. You are only at depth about 8-10 minutes so it's definitely a bounce dive at best. Many of the operations also allow people to snorkel around the rim while divers are down. There is some coral and fish on the sloped rim around the edge of the "hole". Most operations do lunch at Half Moon Caye after two morning dives. Half Moon and the dives around it are worth the trip alone, in my opinion. There are some good snorkel opportunities at Half Moon, you'd just have to ask the operators if that is something they offer.

We also have some snorkelers joining the trip so any dive shops that let snorkelers tag

It think this just depends on the operators. Most do the Blue Hole then a dive off of Half Moon (very good). They do lunch on Half Moon and allow people to see the Red-footed Boobies, etc. Then do another dive off Half Moon and/or Long Caye wall, and many do the Aquarium site off of Long Caye on the way back. Some will drop snorkelers off on Half Moon before the second dive and then meet back up at lunch. You'd just half to pick an operation that allows you to do the type of day you are looking for.

 

[J&M Blowing Bubbles]

Turneffe

Turneffe Island Resort was the last place I stayed in Belize , it was very nice and it’s close to all the best dive sites in Southern Belize. It’s a world away from the tourist crowds on Ambergris Caye (where we used to live).

Any suggestions on where to stay for 3 nights after the SB Dive Haven Resort trip? We’ve never been to Belize and looking for recommendations to be able to explore (e.g., jungle) and take in the local culture. Would prefer to avoid the ‘tourist crowds’. How long did you live in Ambergris Caye?

 

[laurenceh]

Any suggestions on where to stay for 3 nights after the SB Dive Haven Resort trip? We’ve never been to Belize and looking for recommendations to be able to explore (e.g., jungle) and take in the local culture. Would prefer to avoid the ‘tourist crowds’. How long did you live in Ambergris Caye?

We lived on Ambergris Caye from 1993 to 2002, we used to have the most southerly home on the Caye (now there are 100's of homes and dozens of resorts south of our old house, they're all built on what used to be mangrove forest). Then went to Roatan for 2 years and have been on Utila since 2005. We keep running away from "civilization" but it keeps catching up with us!
3 days doesn't give you much time to explore the mainland, perhaps the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha, Xunabtunich and/or Caracol. If you had a bit more time (4 days or more) I would say cross the border into Guatemala to see Tikal, they're probably the most spectacular Mayan temples in all of Central America.

 

[Rob9876]

I was wondering if anyone in this thread might be able to answer my question about Nitrox for Local Ambergris Caye dives at the link below?

Question - Nitrox Needed for Dive Profiles for Local Ambergris Caye Dives?

Are the dive profiles for the Local dives around Ambergris Caye such that nitrox is really needed (that is, fairly square and deep)? What are the dive profiles like for those local dives (**Not** Blue Hole, Turneffe, etc.). >>Please note: I'm not one of those "may as well dive Nitrox every...

scubaboard.com

 

[rudylgza]

I was wondering if anyone in this thread might be able to answer my question about Nitrox for Local Ambergris Caye dives at the link below?

Question - Nitrox Needed for Dive Profiles for Local Ambergris Caye Dives?

Are the dive profiles for the Local dives around Ambergris Caye such that nitrox is really needed (that is, fairly square and deep)? What are the dive profiles like for those local dives (**Not** Blue Hole, Turneffe, etc.). >>Please note: I'm not one of those "may as well dive Nitrox every...

scubaboard.com

Spent last week in San Pedro. Went with Elite Adventures, north of the bridge. Dives had a max bottom time of around 45 minutes, max depth was maybe 90' and the surface interval was about an hour as you head back to the dock after each dive. No real need for Nitrox unless you plan to dive every single day, multiple times a day. Then it may be worth it but otherwise Air is fine.

 

[rsqdvr]

I, personally, thought the blue hole was a pretty amazing dive. It was definitely a bucket list item for me. I’m very happy that I did it and I thought it was a great experience, but I don’t feel the need to have to do it again. The other dives on that particular outing ( Half Moon Caye) were pretty nice, but I went at a bad time of the year. I was just there in November of last year, and the conditions were terrible for the most part. I lost an entire day to a huge storm and two of my four additional days for diving had such rough seas that I got violently seasick. 3-6 foot swells weren’t enough to stop them from diving but my stomach didn’t like it one bit. I lost an entire day to being seasick. A couple of dive shops I had called ahead of time to ask for a good time of year had recommended November. Once I got there and saw that conditions were not great, I specifically asked them about it and they said they routinely will tell that to people so they come at the non-busy times. Not using those shops in the future for sure. I am thinking about going back in April of next year so that I can truly experience what believes is supposed to be. Chuck and Robbie’s was a good shop as was Belize pro dive center