Thinking about Belize for next year-need suggestions

[scubamickey]

I'm starting to think about where to go for next year's 2 week vacation. We have dived most of the Caribbean but have never made it to Belize. We definitely want to do either the Aggressor or Peter Hughes. But that's only a week. I often combine a week on a liveaboard with a week of land based. My questions are these:

1. Are all the dive operators in Belize DM lead? I don't want any DM leading me around-I'm already married to one and that's bad enough .

2. Where would we go for land based that would be different from the liveaboard?

3. Maybe we should just book 2 weeks on a liveaboard. How crazy is that?

My other thoughts were liveaboards in Australia, Fiji, and the Marshall Islands. But getting there from Anchorage is a crazy long trip with multiple days and planes. We are already going to Truk in 2011.

Any suggestions are welcome. But I'm serious about not wanting a DM lead operator.

 

[CarlosCabanas]

I believe that in Belize you have to have a Dive master with you to be able to dive. Your best bet is to choose a small operation that caters to you.... maybe the dive master should follow you around!

Carlos
Tranquility Bay Resort - Tranquility Bay, Ambergris Caye, Belize

 

[DeputyDan]

I did the PH Sun Dancer II boat (Belize) this month with a week of land activities afterwards.
If you have any specific questions you can send me a PM. I will answer as best as I can.


As for point #3 two weeks on a liveaboard - we actually enjoyed the jungle and mayan sites more than the diving. It you are going to be there anyhow don't pass up that opportunity.

 

[Damselfish]

I agree, combine a week on a liveaboard with a week inland. The liveaboard should get you the best diving so after that the other diving will be different as in quite possibly not as good. Unlike most Caribbean island dive destinations there is a lot of great land stuff to see and do in Belize.

As far as having to dive with a divemaster. I've only dove from the PH boat, not land based. Like most liveaboards or dayboat operations in the Carribean, they typically have a DM in the water and you can go with them or not as you choose. The only time they wanted us to stay as a group with the DM was at the Blue Hole.

 

[robint]

ditto.......do a week on the liveaboard, then a week inland, visiting the Mayan ruins in Belize and just over the border at Tikal, jaguar preserve and jungle tour, a day cave tubing or ziplines and such, and a day at ATM cave. That is definitely a spectacular 2-week vacation!!

http://www.jaguarpaw.com/
http://www.slickrock.com/belizeadventureweek.html
http://www.belizex.com/vacation-packages.html#jungle
http://www.pacztours.net/pages/tours/ATM.html

 

[scubamickey]

I can see that you all enjoyed the non-diving activities. Hubby and I were both military so ziplines, jungles, and rafting trips do not excite us. Been there done the real thing

I'm mainly looking for 2 full weeks of just diving. These are the only opportunities I get to dive in warm water and I want to dive, dive, dive!

Thanks for the suggestions, though. I really do appreciate the input.

 

[DeputyDan]

The ATM cave may be an exception..............

 

[kmcneer]

sounds like you should stay on the liveaboard with your hubby......

 

[Damselfish]

well, if I were going to spend a week land-based to do more diving and get something different, I probably wouldn't do Ambergris. Possibly I'd stay someplace down near Placencia, but more likely out on one of the atolls or other islands. Turneffe Island Resort gets good reviews. Sometimes they will go out to Lighthouse and dive in the same area as the liveaboards but the Sun Dancer at least from what I've seen rarely dives around Turneffe atoll. Or maybe somep;ace around Glovers atoll. There are a variety of places from rustic to not, but I'm not familiar enough to have a recommendation. (It's something I'd have to research a lot myself if I were planning that.)

Many of the inland activities are not just about jungle stuff per se, but about the local flora/fauna/culture/history. So I can see where some of it might not appeal to you, but you might still find some of it cool, like as mentioned ATM. (Literally in some cases - canoeing or splashing through the caves was a lovely thing on a hot day.

 

[robint]

Personally, I don't see any reason to go to Belize to dive if you aren't spending a few days doing the topside activities there. That is the beauty of Belize - so rich in Mayan culture and history, gorgeous jungles, enourmous caves, etc. If all you want to do is dive dive dive, then maybe Belize isn't the best for you. Yes, the liveaboards can get you good wall diving but 2 weeks in a row of the same sites... For the price, I would just do 1 week on a liveaboard in the Pacific, like Palau or Fiji.
Just my 2 cents.