Need advice - Belize, Roatan and Coz

[LavaSurfer]

I am leaving on a cruise in 3 weeks and am looking for respectable dive operations that I can use in each location.


The destinations are:
1- Roatan 7:00am to 3:30pm
2- Belize 9:00am to 6:00pm
Not Ambergris Caye Don't want to do the flight to San Pedro after diving
3- Coz 11:00am to 11:00pm (Like to do 2 Tank and a night dive)
4- Grand Cayman (Have this one covered with Divers Down)


The excursion prices are ridiculous so we wanted to find some locals shops that are better priced but still respected and safe.

Thanks
Scooter aka LavaSurfer

 

[Doc]

Roatan? Look at http://www.subwaywatersports.com/Home_Page/index.htm

A big part of it is their boats http://www.subwaywatersports.com/Diving/our_boats.htm

I believe them to be the best day-dive op on the island, far and away. Prolly have a no-glove rule, Scooter, just like the most of Roatan.

What did the ships have to offer in Roatan, price and dive op?

Belize? Pick an op with very fast transfer boats. Your cruise ship docks at the Government Pier, the dive boats all tie up at the town pier. They will move you about, but the attolls are a far piece away.

 

[LavaSurfer]

What did the ships have to offer in Roatan, price and dive op?

Roatan
2 Tank Dive At Anthony's Key - $99 / per Person
Certified Dolphin 1 tank dive 60 ft adventure $199 / Per Person

Any experience with the Dolphin Dive at Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences?

Belize
Turneffe Atoll Two Tank Dive W/O Equipment - $165 / Per Person
Coz
Chikin Ha Cenote Cavern Dive W/O Equipment - $169
Night Dive Certified One Tank W/O Equipment - $59

Cenote Cavern sounds great to me but the misses is not really interested so we need to find a 2 tank for her and fit in the night dive. Carnival is not offering any reef or drift 2 tank dives in Coz.

OK, Maybe thay are not that bad of price but they do seem a bit high...

 

[hopefulist]

You might want to search the scuba section on www.belizeforum.com for information there. Seems you could avoid the plane with a ferry from Ambergris, but a plane might be required to the northern atolls.

 

[Damselfish]

no point to travel to Ambergris by any means when the better diving is on the atolls - and you can get on a dive boat right in Belize City that will take you out there. (and definitely wouldn't make sense to travel to Ambergris then to the atolls from there.) Still have to worry about timing of course, the cruise excursion would avoid that even though it's not cheap.

 

[Doc]

Ahh man, sometimes just think of it as the small price you'll pay for a turn-key operation, a guided tour. Time is the tyrant when cruise ship diving.

Personaly? I would skip the 'dolphin dive'. Very few divers of any broad experience base come back with glowing reports, but many return from the Dolphin Snorkel Encounter beaming. A lot of touchy-feely goes on at the Encounter (vs the "dive" where the dolphins may just buzz in, buzz by, then buzz out- kinda iffy).

Look at it as a 'familiarization' trip. Decide where you might want to return for a week long stay if you scope out a nice resort. Cruise ship diving is no more than a quick, hurried glance.

Let us know how it went when you return.

 

[LavaSurfer]

Ahh man, sometimes just think of it as the small price you'll pay for a turn-key operation, a guided tour. Time is the tyrant when cruise ship diving.

Personaly? I would skip the 'dolphin dive'. Very few divers of any broad experience base come back with glowing reports, but many return from the Dolphin Snorkel Encounter beaming. A lot of touchy-feely goes on at the Encounter (vs the "dive" where the dolphins may just buzz in, buzz by, then buzz out- kinda iffy).

Look at it as a 'familiarization' trip. Decide where you might want to return for a week long stay if you scope out a nice resort. Cruise ship diving is no more than a quick, hurried glance.

Let us know how it went when you return.

Thanks for the advice on the Dolphin Dive and the link to Subway WS. Maybe next time.

We are headed that way for a longer stay anyway as we are looking at buying some property on Ambergris Caye as an Investment. Seems like a trip from there to Roatan is in order to do the Snorkel Trip.

 

[ranger]

When in Coz dive with Jeremy Anschel at Living Underwater. A six pack boat, and steel 120's, extremely professional. When diving with him this spring I watched him take care of a young lady, severly bent, from another dive operation. He may have saved her life, while the other dive op was at a total loss for what to do. I watched both extremes of care for the young lady from 2 dive ops, and its nice to know there's an op like Jeremy on the island.

 

[peterbj7]

I often advise people with short breaks from cruise ships to contact Sea Sports Belize in Belize City. They can often arrange a trip going out later in the morning than the norm there which is before 8am. Incidentally, I have absolutely no business connection with them.

As to diving or snorkelling with dolphins, I've done both on numerous occasions and it's a magical experience. Even more so with Orcas. But only if the creatures are free to come and go - the idea of animals as intelligent as these being penned up makes me feel sick.

 

[LavaSurfer]

Does anyone know anything about Sueno Del Mar Dive Center in Roatan?