Recommendations for upcoming Belize trip.

[n8Delta]

Hello,

As two novice divers, my girlfriend and I are going to Belize in November. Although it is not an entirely diving-oriented trip, we would definitely like to dedicate 2-4 days of diving on our 10 day trip.

My girlfriend will be certified in September, and I have been certified for over a year, but with only a couple dives under my belt. I'm adding a couple more California coast boat dives to my repetorie in the next coming months.

We hear that the "blue hole" should not be missed, but I'm also not sure if a 100++ foot dive is recommended for newbies. Anyone have any recommendations on trips/boats/etc for us? We will be staying at the Caribbean Villas on Ambergris Caye.

Any other general hints/tips/suggestions would also be nice -- I have been to Mexico dozens of time, but never to Belize.

Thanks!
Nate

ps. I also just realized there was a better thread "central america" to post this in. Didn't see it the first time. :|

 

[Damselfish]

New divers doing the Blue Hole has been discussed here a lot, if you search for it in the Central America Forum you'll find them. To summarize, most people don't consider it a good idea for newbies, but plenty of new divers do it anyway and live. You'll find occasional tales of almost disaster.

As far as "should not be missed" - some people really like this dive, but many consider it not that great and way over hyped. I am in the second group. To paraphrase something I probably saw in one of those threads you might find, "why are all the pictures of the Blue Hole in the tourist board ads taken from the air and not underwater?" It's a long daytrip from Ambergris, the other diving out in that area is great but I'd much rather do one of those other nice dives out there and and skip the hole, myself.

As newbies, the diving around Ambergris should be great for you. I'd save the Blue Hole for another time (if ever.)

 

[n8Delta]

Damselfish,

Thanks for the replies (on both topics I posted) --- While doing research on the trip, it really didn't seem entirely exciting. I mean, it definitely looked neat---but I have always enjoyed the interaction of live underwater things, so this did not look like my cup of tea. The only thing that really sparked my interest was a) it's in belize, and popular, and I don't go to belize every year and b) some sites likened it to a "religious experience" which seemd... uhh, pretty cool...

Thanks for the opinion,
Nate

 

[rainmaker]

I returned from Ambergris Caye in June. After talking with my brother, who has dived the Blue Hole, and Protech owner Peter Jones, I decided to not to dive the Blue Hole. Personally, I feel it is an expensive "trophy dive" that I can do without.

However, I did make 12 of the most beautiful and adventuresome dives of my life with Protech. The dives we did might be a bit deep for novice divers, however, I expect that Peter Jones and his crew can work something out if you'll get in touch with them.

 

[yakivet]

Hello,

As two novice divers, my girlfriend and I are going to Belize in November. Although it is not an entirely diving-oriented trip, we would definitely like to dedicate 2-4 days of diving on our 10 day trip.

My girlfriend will be certified in September, and I have been certified for over a year, but with only a couple dives under my belt. I'm adding a couple more California coast boat dives to my repetorie in the next coming months.

We hear that the "blue hole" should not be missed, but I'm also not sure if a 100++ foot dive is recommended for newbies. Anyone have any recommendations on trips/boats/etc for us? We will be staying at the Caribbean Villas on Ambergris Caye.

Any other general hints/tips/suggestions would also be nice -- I have been to Mexico dozens of time, but never to Belize.

Thanks!
Nate

ps. I also just realized there was a better thread "central america" to post this in. Didn't see it the first time. :|

N8Delta:

I'll second Rainmaker. Protech http://www.protechdive.com/ is a nice operation. Peter and his crew can take care of you. If renting, they've got some pretty new gear. I've made two trips to Ambergris and enjoyed them both. Diving for both was done with Protech. We're now planning another and will also be down in November (11th-18th). As far as the BH goes, its a short dive to 140ft. I really enjoyed it and will later do it again. Others on this board think its a waste of time and money. I think we all agree the the other diving wrapped around the BH at Lighthouse and Turneffe atolls is spectacular. I'd get to know your dive operation, let them evaluate your skill levels, and then respect their recomendation if your are interested in diving it. Anna at the Protech shop can book the day trips for you if you're interested. They can also pick you up at your resorts dock. Enjoy you're stay. Feel free to PM if you've got any questions. Ken :42:

 

[Ecologic Divers]

N8Delta
I echo the others about Protech, but you might want to look at some other dive centers. Ecologic DIVERS www.ecologicdivers.com as being one, another is Bekize diving adventures al do small groups.
As for the blue hole, the new diver should consider snorkeling that part of the trip and dive the 2nd and 3rd. dives. There are too many accidents pertaining to new divers at the blue hole. All the dive centers will book you for the trip, Amigo del mar and aqua dives have the largest boats to make the 2+hour trip,
Please check the prices for November as many of the dive centers have said there are going up in price. also check to see if the GST is included, several add this to the price as a add on.

ecologic divers
steve

 

[Suz]

I just got back from Belize and Ecologic Divers are fantastic. They are a newer company but they have it going on. We did 2 days of diving and I could not be happier. We did two dives with nurse sharks and saw sea turtles and loads of cool stuff. Our divemaster showed us things we surely would have missed and I am planning on going back next years and will use ecologic again. We did not do the blue hole as we did not want to spend most of the day on tour to do one dive. There is so much to see right off the shore it is amazing!@

Have a great trip

Susan
Florida

 

[oceancat]

I think as new divers, you really shold consider not doing the blue hole. I have done it and it is cool, but it is dark and deep and not really a place for newer divers--if somethings goes wrong, you really are out in the middle of nowhere. Why risk is for 8 minutes? I think the idea someone posted, if you do want to do some atoll diving is a good one--snorkel the blue hole (which is really neat to do) and then dive the other 2 dives. I enjoy diving the atolls--it is different scenery than what you will get in San Pedro. Either way, the diving is fantastic!

 

[mstanley]

Hi Nate,

I was in San Pedro over 4th of July and really fell in love with the place. The town is so friendly and the diving is good. I did the blue hole dive trip but was much more impressed by the local dive sites around San Pedro. I found the blue hole to be expensive and a little disappointing. Still I don't regret doing it since blue hole seemed to be the major attraction.

I suggest you consider Ecologic Divers. They are very professional and offer lots of nice amenities like hot towels, fancy ear drying machines, and a CD-ROM with photos from your dives. They have local guides that are very knowledgeable and friendly. They did not hesitate to respond to feedback or requests from their customers. I often got to do more than 3 dives each day (always in small groups). I might go back to San Pedro in September and if I do I will skip blue hole and spend all my time diving with Ecologic.

--Maurice

 

[danktex]

I hate to get on the band wagon but, I dove with Ecologic Divers for a week in June. The service was outstanding and the dives were fantastic. My average sized group of divers was about three with one whole day of just me and the divemaster. Very experienced and knowlegable divers. I plan on going back next year.