Scuba in Belize

[mcf57]

We are planning a trip to Belize in Sept. I am certified (since 2007) & have about 70 logged dives. I am a casual diver and go about 3-4 times per yr. My daughter (19yrs old) wants to get certified so we are looking at doing that while down there. We plan to rent all our equipment and want to go on some sort of charter.

Back when I got certified (YMCA), it involved several classroom lectures and pool time. My understanding is now the book work can be done mostly online, correct?

I imagine there are NUMEROUS dive shops to pick from. Any suggestions on who may be the best for my situation?

 

[drrich2]

@mcf57

Hi. At least with some agencies, it's possible to do the main 'book work' online. I've seen this offered with SSI; it's also an option with PADI. You are probably interested in the OW (Open Water) course, which is the main entry level recreational scuba course. It's useful to know the material well so you can demonstrate proficiency when you get there. Then it's time for pool sessions to learn the skills, then open water sessions to demonstrate them in an environment representative of actual diving conditions.

Some people like to do their pool work locally and get a referral to do the open water checkout dives at their vacation destination, to save time.

Belize is a country, and has different offerings. People seeking a land-based vacation with some diving often seem to choose Ambergris Caye. Those wanting a land-based more dive-focused vacation closer to the outer atolls where the better diving is said to be, might choose Turneffe Island Resort. Those willing for forego 'land-based' and maximize diving the outer atoll areas may pick one of the 2 liveaboards, the Belize Aggressor III or IV. People wanting more mainland adventures with some diving might be interested in Splash Divers in Placencia. The only Belize diving I've done was via the Sun Dancer 2 liveaboard (now called the Belize Aggressor IV).

It may help people advise you if you start by telling them where you intend to stay. Ambergris Caye, etc...?

 

[d^2b]

Belize is a country, and has different offerings. People seeking a land-based vacation with some diving often seem to choose Ambergris Caye. Those wanting a land-based more dive-focused vacation closer to the outer atolls where the better diving is said to be, might choose Turneffe Island Resort. Those willing for forego 'land-based' and maximize diving the outer atoll areas may pick one of the 2 liveaboards, the Belize Aggressor III or IV. People wanting more mainland adventures with some diving might be interested in Splash Divers in Placencia. The only Belize diving I've done was via the Sun Dancer 2 liveaboard (now called the Belize Aggressor IV).

Two additional comments for completeness

1) In my experience the best land stuff (particularly Mayan ruins and caves) is a few hours inland, so if you have the time maybe think about a few days in the west of the country e.g. in Cayo.

2) A final diving option is to stay on one of the resorts on Lighthouse key. It's more rustic than the liveaboards (no AC), but the diving is IMHO better or at least more consistent. OTOH, it really is just diving, so depends what you want.

 

[scubadada]

...A final diving option is to stay on one of the resorts on Lighthouse key. It's more rustic than the liveaboards (no AC), but the diving is IMHO better or at least more consistent. OTOH, it really is just diving, so depends what you want.

I recenty dived the BA IV, I can't imagine that the land based diving is better or more consistent. I'm sure it may be just fine. Trip Report - Belize on the Aggressor IV April 9-16, 2022

 

[d^2b]

I recenty dived the BA IV, I can't imagine that the land based diving is better or more consistent. I'm sure it may be just fine. Trip Report - Belize on the Aggressor IV April 9-16, 2022

I was maybe unclear. I just meant that the best diving on the BA III and IV is (IMHO) around Lighthouse Key. So by spending the whole time there (modulo a few hours in a speedboat to and from Belize city), you get to skip the sometimes mediocre (but sometimes pretty good) diving around Turneffe.

 

[scubadada]

I was maybe unclear. I just meant that the best diving on the BA III and IV is (IMHO) around Lighthouse Key. So by spending the whole time there (modulo a few hours in a speedboat to and from Belize city), you get to skip the sometimes mediocre (but sometimes pretty good) diving around Turneffe.

Our 4 dives off Turneffe were OK, just not of the quality of the dives off Lighthouse Reef, Long Caye or Half Moon Caye. I'm sure the diving from the 2 resorts on Long Caye is very good.

 

[sisu29]

I just returned from a week in San Pedro at Ramon’s. Sea conditions were a bit rough with wind. Reef conditions were okay but not great. But the one day that we took a boat to Turneffe Atoll was worth the trip. If I ever go back to dive Belize I’d stay at Turneffe or take the Aggressor.

 

[schuylerclark]

Hi mcf57 - fellow Georgian and Thrashers fan from Doraville here. I still have an old Kovalchuk jersey gathering dust in the closet.

I'm a relative newbie to diving, but my wife and I got OW certified at Ramon's in Ambergris Caye this past December. We did our PADI coursework online and then our certification dives there. The folks there were fabulous and we enjoyed it so much that we bought our own gear and went back for another week in May. We've dived with most of the staff there at this point (Adolfo, Dixon, AC, Pete, Raul - and boat crew: Rooster, Major, Koala...) and I can't say enough how much they made our time there a pleasure. One thing I really appreciated was that our "pool" dives were actually in 8-10ft deep ocean at the end of the pier, which was so much more enjoyable.

The town of San Pedro is very chill, and we kept finding great new places to eat just walking distance from the resort. We always felt very safe and welcome everywhere we went, and never felt a need to rent a golf cart to go anywhere. The airstrip is right next to the resort, and there are tiendas nearby for food and booze. We stayed in a "jungle" tiki room the first trip and in a colonial style cottage the second -very happy with both.

The "local" dives just off shore are a 5-10 min boat ride out, returning to the resort for your surface interval. Most of these are 60-80 ft deep drift-ish dives following cuts and channels through the reef. Plenty of nurse sharks, reef sharks, a turtle or two, and lots of fishes around. We heard dolphins one dive and I just barely saw them in the distance. The conditions were a bit choppy both trips, and it can make getting back on the boat a bit interesting (better once I learned to follow the DM and captain's lead). Visibility was typically 60-80 ft, temperature consistently 80-82F. One of our checkout dives was at Hol Chan (marine park on the shore side of the reef - only around 30-40ft deep) which I really enjoyed, but I don't think it's a regular local dive - maybe because of the park fee?

We went back for our second trip in May to gain experience and solidify our skills in a familiar environment, and we found that to be a great decision. After a couple days on local dives, we decided to take the day trip to Turneffe (3 tank dive, about a 1.5 hr boat ride one way) mostly because the chop would be less on the lee side of the atoll. We dived on the NW side of Turneffe (Vincente's Wall, and nearby) and had amazing dives with a green moray eel and such clear calm water with visibility 80 ft+. Very lively reefs and a wonderful experience - significantly more satisfying than the local dives. The beauty of this day trip convinced us to take another to Lighthouse Atoll a couple days later (also 3 tank, but a 2.5hr boat ride one way). Our three dives that day were the Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, and Aquarium. I have to say - the Blue Hole was cool, but we're much more into reefs - the second and third dives were world-class. Yes I'm a newbie at this, but I've watched a lot of diving video of reefs around the world, and this was of that level. Spotted Eagle rays, turtles, sharks, eels, grouper, a puffer so big I couldn't believe it, huge schools of fish - I could go on and on. One of the best days of my life, hands down.

Just my 2 cents. Happy diving!

 

[Dan]

Hi @schuylerclark
Your post reminds me of our trip to Belize, Trip Report - Belize Feb 2021 Trip Report

 

[mcf57]

Thanks for ALL the advice. VERY helpful & gives me some direction to start with. I was initially thinking of going a-la-cart; buy airfare, rent a car & rent a place via VRBO/AirBNB inland. Then find a dive shop in the area. However, between here and seeing stuff online, I'm wondering if some sort of resort (that also offers diving) is the way to go.

Also, I was pricing some places locally for my daughter to get certified and I'm getting in the $1300+ range for her to get fully certified here in the USA. I think I am seeing prices of about $600-700 down in Belize. Now, I realize the price goes up when I add in all my other expenses (flight, car, accommodations, food, etc), but if we are going there for a vacation, it may be worth it to do it down there instead of USA.

Any thoughts?


CORRECTION: I've called dive shops in Panama City and certification there is about $500 so more in line with Belize. I didn't fully ask the local shop for details, but there has to be more included for $1000+. Will try to call later for details.