erik337
Guest
THE DIVING
The schedule was: breakfast, dive, dive, lunch, dive, dive,
dinner, dive, shower, sleep, repeat. We were offered
every dive, except one due to rough seas. All dives
were scheduled, with a reminder bell 10-15 min prior. We typ-
ically visited two dive sites per day, one for the two morning
dives and a second for the three remaining dives. The after-
dinner dive was at night. There was a pre-dive briefing
at each new dive location. The visibility was typically
60-80ft. However, we woke one morning to 30-40ft visibility.
On that day, Capt. Eddy moved the boat after the first morning
dive and found better conditions elsewhere. As always, vis-
ibility is affected by prevailing weather and tidal condi-
tions. Although the sea was generally calm throughout the
week, I recall one evening and one day which were some-
what bumpy. I normally don't have a problem with sea-sickness
and was fine all week without meds. It was usually sunny, with
moderate temps (70s-80s), but I recall one day which was cloudy
with spotty rain. One dive guide went on every dive. Except for
the Blue Hole, the guide was there for those who wanted one,
but buddy teams were not required to dive with the guide. At the
Blue Hole, I got the impression they wanted the group to stay
together. Dives were typcially 40-80 ft deep and a combination
of wall and bottom diving. The Blue Hole was a 130ft dive. Water
temps were 77-78, except at the Blue Hole, where it dropped
noticeably, below the thermocline. On most dives, current
was not strong enough for me to pay attention to it and all
dives were made from a moored boat. The reef was healthy, and
sea life was quite varied and available, but not dense. Most
critters were one-zy/two-zy and large schools of fish were not
common. I had no trouble finding subject matter for my camera.
Following is a partial list of what I saw: octopi, squid, huge
crab, lobster, small clam, morray eel, barracuda, tarpon, sea
cucumber, anemone, several varieties of angelfish, triggerfish,
parrotfish, eagle ray, stingray, turtle, lionfish, spotted
toadfish, wrasse, trumpetfish, pufferfish, sea wasp, grouper,
urchin, lizardfish, yellowtail snapper, sgt. major, blue chromis,
fairy basslet, remora, and many varieties of coral and sponge.
The remora circled us like he wanted to latch on for a ride.
What I did not see are: mammals (except human), manta ray,
and shark. One diver did mention seeing a small reef shark.
THE CREW:
Although I don't recall the exact number, there were 8-9
crew members on-board and they were all helpful and professional.
A crew member was always available to put your fins on at the
dive platform, just before you entered the water and hand your
photo equipment to you after entry. The guide for each dive also
took your fins off before exiting the water at the end of the
dive. Hot towels were available after each dive. I never had
to wait for any thing at any time, but there were only 10 divers
on our cruise, so things could be different on a full boat. I
think the max capacity is 20 divers.
Capt. Eddy, who also doubled as a dive guide, is friendly and
professional. He was sensitive to the dive conditions and moved
the boat if they deteriorated. He had a few basic safety rules
that he expected everyone to follow, but they were not a un-
reasonable. I felt like the boat was in good hands.
Karim, one of the dive guides, is a native Belizian and very
interesting to talk to. If you have a chance to dive with him,
stay close by, because he is a master at finding rare and
interesting critters to look at. He seems genuinely interested
in your having a good time. So, if you have special requests of
things you'd like to see, I'm sure he'll point them out, if they
are available. This is also true, I think, of all the guides.
Megan, the cruise director and dive guide, is an energetic and
enthusiastic California girl who is easy to talk to. She is
everyones friend and her presence definitely adds to a light and
fun atmosphere on the boat. She is as sweet at they come and
also very easy to look at.
Carlos, the chef, is very good at his job. Breakfast was a comb-
ination of continetal fare and cooked-to-order daily selections.
Lunch was a tasty buffet that also changed every day. Dinner was
always a well-prepared, multi-course, sit-down meal with several
selections and choice of wine. There were vegetarians on-board
and I believe they enjoyed specially prepared dishes. There was
a monster keg of draft beer outside the dining area, although
drinking before diving was discouraged, for obvious reasons.
THE BOAT:
The boat is well laid out with three decks. The lowest deck is
made up of cabins fore and the dive area at the stern, seperated
by a bulkhead. The dive area is large, with tanks and related
equipment lining the outside perimeter, wetsuits hanging in the
middle, four equipment washes fore and aft, and warm-water
showers port and starboard. The warm-water showers never went
cold while I was there. The area is designed to accomodate 20
guests, each with an assigned seat and storage cubby. It seemed
large enough but there were 10 divers on my cruise, so it could
get crowded at capacity. Tanks are stored behind the seats and fed
by a network of high-pressure air lines. Because of this, there
is minimal juggling of tanks and equipment before and after a
dive. The dive platform is several steps below the staging area
and roughly a foot above the water. Entry is giant-stride, two at
a time, off of the platform. There are two ladders available for
exit from the water. There is a restroom adjacent to the dive
staging area.
The cabins are small but functional. I did not measure mine, but
I think it was roughly 9-10ft by 8-9ft. It was plenty of room for
me, but I was alone. It could get crowded with a room-mate,
depending on the amount of stuff you bring and the quality of your
relationship. There were seperate beds in my cabin. Not sure about
the size, but I am 5'11"/190lbs and I was quite comfortable. The
length was enough for me, but if you're much taller, your feet may
hang off the end. There was plenty of storage, with a small
armoire, a bedside table w/ drawers, overhead cabinets, and
drawers under each bed. The bed seemed to always be made and the
linens were very clean and fresh. I can't speak to the comfort of
the pillow because I brought my own. The room decore was cheerful.
Lighting in the cabin was somewhat dim, but opening the window
shade bightened things up in the daytime.There was amazingly
little noise, given my location, which was adjacent to the exit
to the dive area. The only time I noticed noise was when the main
engines were running, and they were quite loud. I did not notice
noise from a generator or the activities of the crew/guests.
Honestly, very little concious time is spent in the cabin. It's
basically a place to sleep and shower. There was a bathroom with
a small sink, toilet, shower, and hair dryer. I never ran out of
hot water. Those who like pampering may find it small. However,
it is not uncomforably so and it beats other boats I've been on.
The temperature of the room was comfortable. There was an
adjustable thermostat, but I didn't experiment with it much. I
did notice that the room became slightly warmer close to dinner-
time. Since I was alone in the cabin and it was January
(outside temps: 70s-80s), my experience with the A/C may not be
typical. Electrial outlets in the room are compatible with US
standards.
Finally, I had a great time on the trip and I offer my thanks to
Dancer Fleet for putting together quality people and equipment for
the Belize offering.
The schedule was: breakfast, dive, dive, lunch, dive, dive,
dinner, dive, shower, sleep, repeat. We were offered
every dive, except one due to rough seas. All dives
were scheduled, with a reminder bell 10-15 min prior. We typ-
ically visited two dive sites per day, one for the two morning
dives and a second for the three remaining dives. The after-
dinner dive was at night. There was a pre-dive briefing
at each new dive location. The visibility was typically
60-80ft. However, we woke one morning to 30-40ft visibility.
On that day, Capt. Eddy moved the boat after the first morning
dive and found better conditions elsewhere. As always, vis-
ibility is affected by prevailing weather and tidal condi-
tions. Although the sea was generally calm throughout the
week, I recall one evening and one day which were some-
what bumpy. I normally don't have a problem with sea-sickness
and was fine all week without meds. It was usually sunny, with
moderate temps (70s-80s), but I recall one day which was cloudy
with spotty rain. One dive guide went on every dive. Except for
the Blue Hole, the guide was there for those who wanted one,
but buddy teams were not required to dive with the guide. At the
Blue Hole, I got the impression they wanted the group to stay
together. Dives were typcially 40-80 ft deep and a combination
of wall and bottom diving. The Blue Hole was a 130ft dive. Water
temps were 77-78, except at the Blue Hole, where it dropped
noticeably, below the thermocline. On most dives, current
was not strong enough for me to pay attention to it and all
dives were made from a moored boat. The reef was healthy, and
sea life was quite varied and available, but not dense. Most
critters were one-zy/two-zy and large schools of fish were not
common. I had no trouble finding subject matter for my camera.
Following is a partial list of what I saw: octopi, squid, huge
crab, lobster, small clam, morray eel, barracuda, tarpon, sea
cucumber, anemone, several varieties of angelfish, triggerfish,
parrotfish, eagle ray, stingray, turtle, lionfish, spotted
toadfish, wrasse, trumpetfish, pufferfish, sea wasp, grouper,
urchin, lizardfish, yellowtail snapper, sgt. major, blue chromis,
fairy basslet, remora, and many varieties of coral and sponge.
The remora circled us like he wanted to latch on for a ride.
What I did not see are: mammals (except human), manta ray,
and shark. One diver did mention seeing a small reef shark.
THE CREW:
Although I don't recall the exact number, there were 8-9
crew members on-board and they were all helpful and professional.
A crew member was always available to put your fins on at the
dive platform, just before you entered the water and hand your
photo equipment to you after entry. The guide for each dive also
took your fins off before exiting the water at the end of the
dive. Hot towels were available after each dive. I never had
to wait for any thing at any time, but there were only 10 divers
on our cruise, so things could be different on a full boat. I
think the max capacity is 20 divers.
Capt. Eddy, who also doubled as a dive guide, is friendly and
professional. He was sensitive to the dive conditions and moved
the boat if they deteriorated. He had a few basic safety rules
that he expected everyone to follow, but they were not a un-
reasonable. I felt like the boat was in good hands.
Karim, one of the dive guides, is a native Belizian and very
interesting to talk to. If you have a chance to dive with him,
stay close by, because he is a master at finding rare and
interesting critters to look at. He seems genuinely interested
in your having a good time. So, if you have special requests of
things you'd like to see, I'm sure he'll point them out, if they
are available. This is also true, I think, of all the guides.
Megan, the cruise director and dive guide, is an energetic and
enthusiastic California girl who is easy to talk to. She is
everyones friend and her presence definitely adds to a light and
fun atmosphere on the boat. She is as sweet at they come and
also very easy to look at.
Carlos, the chef, is very good at his job. Breakfast was a comb-
ination of continetal fare and cooked-to-order daily selections.
Lunch was a tasty buffet that also changed every day. Dinner was
always a well-prepared, multi-course, sit-down meal with several
selections and choice of wine. There were vegetarians on-board
and I believe they enjoyed specially prepared dishes. There was
a monster keg of draft beer outside the dining area, although
drinking before diving was discouraged, for obvious reasons.
THE BOAT:
The boat is well laid out with three decks. The lowest deck is
made up of cabins fore and the dive area at the stern, seperated
by a bulkhead. The dive area is large, with tanks and related
equipment lining the outside perimeter, wetsuits hanging in the
middle, four equipment washes fore and aft, and warm-water
showers port and starboard. The warm-water showers never went
cold while I was there. The area is designed to accomodate 20
guests, each with an assigned seat and storage cubby. It seemed
large enough but there were 10 divers on my cruise, so it could
get crowded at capacity. Tanks are stored behind the seats and fed
by a network of high-pressure air lines. Because of this, there
is minimal juggling of tanks and equipment before and after a
dive. The dive platform is several steps below the staging area
and roughly a foot above the water. Entry is giant-stride, two at
a time, off of the platform. There are two ladders available for
exit from the water. There is a restroom adjacent to the dive
staging area.
The cabins are small but functional. I did not measure mine, but
I think it was roughly 9-10ft by 8-9ft. It was plenty of room for
me, but I was alone. It could get crowded with a room-mate,
depending on the amount of stuff you bring and the quality of your
relationship. There were seperate beds in my cabin. Not sure about
the size, but I am 5'11"/190lbs and I was quite comfortable. The
length was enough for me, but if you're much taller, your feet may
hang off the end. There was plenty of storage, with a small
armoire, a bedside table w/ drawers, overhead cabinets, and
drawers under each bed. The bed seemed to always be made and the
linens were very clean and fresh. I can't speak to the comfort of
the pillow because I brought my own. The room decore was cheerful.
Lighting in the cabin was somewhat dim, but opening the window
shade bightened things up in the daytime.There was amazingly
little noise, given my location, which was adjacent to the exit
to the dive area. The only time I noticed noise was when the main
engines were running, and they were quite loud. I did not notice
noise from a generator or the activities of the crew/guests.
Honestly, very little concious time is spent in the cabin. It's
basically a place to sleep and shower. There was a bathroom with
a small sink, toilet, shower, and hair dryer. I never ran out of
hot water. Those who like pampering may find it small. However,
it is not uncomforably so and it beats other boats I've been on.
The temperature of the room was comfortable. There was an
adjustable thermostat, but I didn't experiment with it much. I
did notice that the room became slightly warmer close to dinner-
time. Since I was alone in the cabin and it was January
(outside temps: 70s-80s), my experience with the A/C may not be
typical. Electrial outlets in the room are compatible with US
standards.
Finally, I had a great time on the trip and I offer my thanks to
Dancer Fleet for putting together quality people and equipment for
the Belize offering.
