quantity vs quality... you help choose

[DCDivenut]

So here is my dilemma... I am trying to get away for a dive trip but have to bring a non-diving friend for the second/romantic half... this means that a liveaboard or other totally dive-centric vacation is out of the picture. Going the week of Dec 3 - 10.

For a wide variety of reasons Belize works as a destination

Originally I was planning on doing Ambergris Caye to balance the two, figuring that I could pound out 4 dives a day for the first couple of days, and then scale back/stop at the end and there would be some good places to eat/drink and have fun. Found a great rate/package with a B&B and Island Divers...

I have been a little hesitant to book because of my concerns of the quality of the diving in AC based on what I have heard... let me clarify... I am pretty fortunate to have dived in some AMAZING places around the world and most of the Caribbean (having missed Belize somehow) so although any day diving is better than one not, it takes a little more to really get me worked up. Oh... and I am also picky about operators and avoid boats with more than 12 people when ever possible.

I then found a pretty good deal at Hamanasi... obviously closer to the "better" sites (although longer boat rides) and they only offer AM dives, but they are easier trips to Lighthouse etc. Also, although they also have minimums for atoll trips etc, I figure that they are potentially more likely to meet their minimums as a small resort than a smaller op in AC is for PM dives. I was thinking that I could try to offer the ops in AC extra to cover gas to dive the N dive sites up towards MX etc.

Anyway... I guess my dilemma is that I can probably get a greater quantity of dives in AC, but the days in Hamanasi are more likely to be higher quality... the age old debate

So putting aside location and amenities (food, drink, nightlife, romance and so on) and looking at it strictly from a diving perspective... any thoughts that would help away one way or the other?

Oh and lest I sounds like a pompous ass I am going to clarify that I am extremely fortunate to have these sorts of tough decisions to make... just throwing that out there!

thanks!

 

[Dan G]

The Atolls are incredible, and I would advocate getting fewer dives in there, rather than more right off Ambergris Caye. At least hat is my recollection from 12 years ago.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

You could look at Placencia. We do an overnight trip that dives the best of Belize out of Placencia - breakfast on the boat, then dive South Water, brunch during the surface interval to The Elbow at Turneffe, then The Aquarium at Lighthoiuse. Overnight at a resort, then dive the Blue Hole before breakfast - before anyone else is there! Back to the resort for breakfast, then two more dives on the way back to Placencia. Can also do a three tank dive to Glovers and then wind up with a two tank dive to Silk so all of that would have you to the best dives in Belize in four days. You can check uys out at splashbelize.com
Regards
Ralph

 

[andrethediver]

AC diving is as good as anywhere in the Caribbean. Very close or comparable to Cozumel (minus the drift) although arguably somewhat over-fished...

 

[Darnold9999]

AC diving is not as good as diving the atolls. Not anywhere near as much life. However local AC diving is really really convenient diving. You can probably find a boat to go out to the local reefs and only have a small number of divers on board. As I recall the largest group I was with was 6 and that was the night dive. Mostly it was a group of 3 or 4 in a very small boat. The trip to the reef is only 5 minutes - the longest trip for the local reef system is only likely to be 15 minutes. You can easily do two morning dives and be back for lunch.

Would not bother with Blue Hole, but if you can arrange a full day of diving - while your partner does something else - then a trip to the atolls is worth it. Half Moon Bay and the walls nearby are pretty good diving (for the Caribbean). I doubt that you will find a trip that just does the Atolls from AC however. The "tourist" draw is the hole. The better diving is the atolls.

 

[Hank49]

Except for San Pedro and Caulker (other than the atholls but you said that's not an option) you're in for long boat rides every day.
Hamanasi is probably the shorter ride though and perhaps a bit more flat water on the way. But there isn't much around there either other than the hotel. There are a few restaurants now in Hopkins but it's more like Placencia.
Placencia is nice too but it's 20 miles from the tip of Placencia to the reef. If you stay farther up the penninsula, it's even farther. Robert's Grove is about 6 miles back in the lagoon.
But right now we're still having a bit of green water. Knowing what I've seen for the last few months, I would go for San Pedro. They have clean water there now. It's been hit and miss down here since May. But this last week was showing a lot of improvement up here near Dangriga. I saw more normal water 5 miles inside the reef.

 

[andrethediver]

AC diving is not as good as diving the atolls.

Agreed.

I doubt that you will find a trip that just does the Atolls from AC however. The "tourist" draw is the hole. The better diving is the atolls.

Amigos Del Mar is the only operation advertising day trips to both Turneffe and Lighhouse atolls off-season - 3 tanks there. Realistically, I don't think they take groups to Turneffe off-season at all as its easier to get 10 people interested in the Blue Hole trip ($250 pp $40 of which is the park fee).

 

[peterbj7]

Other operators also make those trips. Ones that come to mind are Hugh Parkey's Belize Dive Connection (at Sunbreeze Hotel), AquaScuba & Island Divers. There may be others. Amigos have recently raised their prices substantially. No operator will go with insufficient divers on board, but that number varies a bit - if you can come up with 8 people the trip will go, and I do know of operators who have gone with just 6. With those minimalist numbers do expect to pay full list price though.