My wife and I first visited Belize about ten years ago and spent a week at Turneffe Flats Lodge doing three tank dive days (including the Blue Hole).
This trip, however, was not simply a dive-only trip. We spent the first night in Belize City at the Radisson, and the next morning headed out to Tikal, Guatemala to see that Mayan archeological site at both sunset and sunrise. Our accommodation was the Tikal Inn and sleeping in the jungle without electricity (power is only on from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and listening to all of the sounds of the jungle was surreal in a very positive way. On our way to Tikal, we stopped at the Belize Zoo and then on the way back from Guatemala, we stopped at the Xunantunich Mayan site.
From the rooftop of the Belize City Radisson
Jaguar at the Belize Zoo
Evening at Tikal
Sunrise at Tikal
Hand Crank Ferry to Xunantunich
View of the Main Plaza at Xunantunich
We took Tropic Air over and back to the Caye, which provided a wonderful informal tour of the shallow water body that separates the Caye from the mainland. The water was amazingly clear, and the weather was perfect for our entire visit.
We chose Paradise Villas condos, so that we could combine island dining with cooking with locally available products. We did suffer from low water pressure a couple of days, which seemed to be a mixture of the local supply, and some on-site manipulation by the condo maintenance staff, but we survived.
View from the condo grounds
The Diving
We chose Ecologic Divers, and clearly made a great choice. Office Manager Cat was a pleasure to deal with, and Divemaster Greg, and our Boat Captain Jonathon were a great crew.
We dove two days, the first day we were the only divers on a very clean, well maintained boat; the second day we were joined by an Australian who was on a quest to cycle around the world, and who just happened to be on the island and wanted to dive.
On the way out to the reef, each day, Greg provided one of the most thorough briefings I have ever experience in my over 30 years of diving, very informative with a little bit of island humor sprinkled in.
Our first dive was Tackle Box (95 feet, 65 minutes). As we broke through the slight chop that defined the inside and outside of the reef, he told us what wildlife we “might” encounter, suggesting that there might be the opportunity to see some sharks.
As we dropped down from the surface, sure enough, there circling at the bottom were two sharks. I thought to myself, wow, what luck!
And from there, it only got better. Eventually we were joined by as many as five (might have been up to seven).
However, this only added to the incredibly healthy and heavily populated balance of the dive. I was impressed by not only the variety, but also the size of the fish.
Surface Interval was back at the Ecologic Divers dock, where we were treated to snacks and water (in little plastic packets, which I had never experienced – you bit through a corner, and squirted the water into your mouth).
Our second dive of the first day was San Pedro Canyons (62 feet, 67 minutes). Not as many sharks, but still some very healthy reef, with a nice tongue and groove structure.
Visibility on both dives was excellent.
For our second day of diving, we were scheduled to go to Hol Chan and then Shark/Ray Alley. We really had no interest in snorkeling with chummed wildlife, so asked Cat if there were a chance to do two tanks, in lieu of the dive/snorkel. Showed up bright and early on day two, and Cat said there was one other diver (the Aussie I referenced above), so we were off to Hol Chan.
First dive was outside of the reef, I think they called the site Hol Chan Deep (79 feet, 63 minutes), and some of the same healthy, well-populated, tongue and groove structure we had experienced the day before, with similar exceptional visibility.
Near the end of the dive, a clearly amorous Loggerhead came toward our group, and singled out my wife for his attentions, to the point of actually trying to bite or nip at her tank. Greg had to shoo the turtle away, in fear that it might damage our gear.
Back on the boat, Jonathon had done a master chef’s job of butchering a pineapple, and it (along with more of the water packets) did the trick for some refreshment. We moored inside the reef for the second dive (Hol Chan Cut) among a dozen or so other boats filled with snorkelers.
The dive through the Cut (28 feet, 56 minutes) proved to have the worst visibility of the four dives, but made for an intriguing dive nonetheless. Again, schools of fish were everywhere, although we didn’t see any of the big stuff that the Cut is supposed to be famous for.
Back at the dock, Greg and Jonathon (as they had done the day before) grabbed our gear and headed to the freshwater cleaning station on the dock, and had it laying out to dry so that we could come by later that afternoon and pack it up.
We were very surprised with the quality of the diving, not just the variety of marine life, but also the impressive underwater structure/reef formations.
The Island
Ambergris Caye is a busy island with a great variety of restaurants, bars, hardware stores, grocery stores, and fruit/vegetable stands. Swimming is mostly from docks, although there are some beaches to be found as well. The pervasive Sargasso invasion is very apparent right now, and made for the evening air to be tinged with a little bit of a rotting vegetation aroma.
Locals were friendly and helpful and there is apparently a large ex-pat community. Getting away from the town would likely allow for a somewhat slower-paced vacation feel and when we return we intend to rent a condo to the south. San Pedro town is quite walkable, one just needs to watch out for golf carts, which are everywhere. Walking on the lagoon side of town was scenic and much more peaceful.
Dining
Mesa – Small, charming breakfast/lunch establishment near the airport, run by a friendly ex-pat couple. Excellent coconut French toast. Not open on Sundays.
Island Torch – Right in the town center/square on the waterfront. Great people watching. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (I believe). We had an excellent breakfast there.
Wild Mangoes – Open air, in town on the waterfront. Belizian/seafood and several vegetarian and vegan options. My wife had zucchini noodles in a pesto that was excellent. Also, very large portions that allowed for leftovers for lunch the next day.
Hidden Treasure – Tucked away in a residential neighborhood south of the airport, this place is lovely. Open air and very elegant. Ambiance, service and drinks were outstanding. The food, however, was average. They provide complimentary round-trip transportation to and from hotels in town, which was much appreciated. The dining experience is worth having at least once. Reservations are recommended.
Pirates Pizza – Ordered a veggie pizza to go. Quite heavy on the cheese, which made leftovers pretty greasy. It wasn’t bad, just heavy.
Palapa Bar and Grill – Located over the water just across from our condo. Mostly bar-type food but great drinks and very friendly bartenders. We went here on our first night mostly due to convenience but enjoyed it.
Conclusion
When you love the Mayan heritage as much as we do, Belize, just like the Mexican Yucatan peninsula, becomes a natural destination. As I pointed out, my biggest concern was the quality of diving, and that issue has been resolved. We are now looking forward to our next visit to Ambergris.
This trip, however, was not simply a dive-only trip. We spent the first night in Belize City at the Radisson, and the next morning headed out to Tikal, Guatemala to see that Mayan archeological site at both sunset and sunrise. Our accommodation was the Tikal Inn and sleeping in the jungle without electricity (power is only on from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and listening to all of the sounds of the jungle was surreal in a very positive way. On our way to Tikal, we stopped at the Belize Zoo and then on the way back from Guatemala, we stopped at the Xunantunich Mayan site.
From the rooftop of the Belize City Radisson
Jaguar at the Belize Zoo
Evening at Tikal
Sunrise at Tikal
Hand Crank Ferry to Xunantunich
View of the Main Plaza at Xunantunich
We took Tropic Air over and back to the Caye, which provided a wonderful informal tour of the shallow water body that separates the Caye from the mainland. The water was amazingly clear, and the weather was perfect for our entire visit.
We chose Paradise Villas condos, so that we could combine island dining with cooking with locally available products. We did suffer from low water pressure a couple of days, which seemed to be a mixture of the local supply, and some on-site manipulation by the condo maintenance staff, but we survived.
View from the condo grounds
The Diving
We chose Ecologic Divers, and clearly made a great choice. Office Manager Cat was a pleasure to deal with, and Divemaster Greg, and our Boat Captain Jonathon were a great crew.
We dove two days, the first day we were the only divers on a very clean, well maintained boat; the second day we were joined by an Australian who was on a quest to cycle around the world, and who just happened to be on the island and wanted to dive.
On the way out to the reef, each day, Greg provided one of the most thorough briefings I have ever experience in my over 30 years of diving, very informative with a little bit of island humor sprinkled in.
Our first dive was Tackle Box (95 feet, 65 minutes). As we broke through the slight chop that defined the inside and outside of the reef, he told us what wildlife we “might” encounter, suggesting that there might be the opportunity to see some sharks.
As we dropped down from the surface, sure enough, there circling at the bottom were two sharks. I thought to myself, wow, what luck!
And from there, it only got better. Eventually we were joined by as many as five (might have been up to seven).
However, this only added to the incredibly healthy and heavily populated balance of the dive. I was impressed by not only the variety, but also the size of the fish.
Surface Interval was back at the Ecologic Divers dock, where we were treated to snacks and water (in little plastic packets, which I had never experienced – you bit through a corner, and squirted the water into your mouth).
Our second dive of the first day was San Pedro Canyons (62 feet, 67 minutes). Not as many sharks, but still some very healthy reef, with a nice tongue and groove structure.
Visibility on both dives was excellent.
For our second day of diving, we were scheduled to go to Hol Chan and then Shark/Ray Alley. We really had no interest in snorkeling with chummed wildlife, so asked Cat if there were a chance to do two tanks, in lieu of the dive/snorkel. Showed up bright and early on day two, and Cat said there was one other diver (the Aussie I referenced above), so we were off to Hol Chan.
First dive was outside of the reef, I think they called the site Hol Chan Deep (79 feet, 63 minutes), and some of the same healthy, well-populated, tongue and groove structure we had experienced the day before, with similar exceptional visibility.
Near the end of the dive, a clearly amorous Loggerhead came toward our group, and singled out my wife for his attentions, to the point of actually trying to bite or nip at her tank. Greg had to shoo the turtle away, in fear that it might damage our gear.
Back on the boat, Jonathon had done a master chef’s job of butchering a pineapple, and it (along with more of the water packets) did the trick for some refreshment. We moored inside the reef for the second dive (Hol Chan Cut) among a dozen or so other boats filled with snorkelers.
The dive through the Cut (28 feet, 56 minutes) proved to have the worst visibility of the four dives, but made for an intriguing dive nonetheless. Again, schools of fish were everywhere, although we didn’t see any of the big stuff that the Cut is supposed to be famous for.
Back at the dock, Greg and Jonathon (as they had done the day before) grabbed our gear and headed to the freshwater cleaning station on the dock, and had it laying out to dry so that we could come by later that afternoon and pack it up.
We were very surprised with the quality of the diving, not just the variety of marine life, but also the impressive underwater structure/reef formations.
The Island
Ambergris Caye is a busy island with a great variety of restaurants, bars, hardware stores, grocery stores, and fruit/vegetable stands. Swimming is mostly from docks, although there are some beaches to be found as well. The pervasive Sargasso invasion is very apparent right now, and made for the evening air to be tinged with a little bit of a rotting vegetation aroma.
Locals were friendly and helpful and there is apparently a large ex-pat community. Getting away from the town would likely allow for a somewhat slower-paced vacation feel and when we return we intend to rent a condo to the south. San Pedro town is quite walkable, one just needs to watch out for golf carts, which are everywhere. Walking on the lagoon side of town was scenic and much more peaceful.
Dining
Mesa – Small, charming breakfast/lunch establishment near the airport, run by a friendly ex-pat couple. Excellent coconut French toast. Not open on Sundays.
Island Torch – Right in the town center/square on the waterfront. Great people watching. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (I believe). We had an excellent breakfast there.
Wild Mangoes – Open air, in town on the waterfront. Belizian/seafood and several vegetarian and vegan options. My wife had zucchini noodles in a pesto that was excellent. Also, very large portions that allowed for leftovers for lunch the next day.
Hidden Treasure – Tucked away in a residential neighborhood south of the airport, this place is lovely. Open air and very elegant. Ambiance, service and drinks were outstanding. The food, however, was average. They provide complimentary round-trip transportation to and from hotels in town, which was much appreciated. The dining experience is worth having at least once. Reservations are recommended.
Pirates Pizza – Ordered a veggie pizza to go. Quite heavy on the cheese, which made leftovers pretty greasy. It wasn’t bad, just heavy.
Palapa Bar and Grill – Located over the water just across from our condo. Mostly bar-type food but great drinks and very friendly bartenders. We went here on our first night mostly due to convenience but enjoyed it.
Conclusion
When you love the Mayan heritage as much as we do, Belize, just like the Mexican Yucatan peninsula, becomes a natural destination. As I pointed out, my biggest concern was the quality of diving, and that issue has been resolved. We are now looking forward to our next visit to Ambergris.
