Want to go diving at Blue Hole...need recommendations please...

[peterbj7]

I've just returned to San Pedro from a week in Placencia. The whale shark season there has pretty well ended, and while it's quite a nice place I wouldn't choose to go to Placencia for general diving - trips to the reef are very long and commensurately expensive. What do you anticipate doing in Placencia? It currently has no real budget accommodation.

Unless you have specific reasons for visiting Placencia, I think you might do better diving from the northern cayes (Ambergris & Caulker) where the reef is close and diving is relatively cheap, and for a change going inland to San Ignacio (lots of cheap accommodation) to see some jungle/Mayan ruins. And because of physiology considerations I'd dive before inland pursuits. A Blue Hole trip is cheapest made from Caye Caulker.

Air prices are generally much higher out of Belize City than out of Cancun, and one way tickets generally cost much more than two singles. I'd expect the cheapest route to be flying in/out of Cancun

 

[rickcavanaugh]

The closest hotel to the Blue Hole is Huracan Diving. 15 minute boat ride. The blue hole is about a 2 hour boat ride from BC.

My review of Huracan DivingHuracan Diving Long Caye, Belize 2013 | Scuba Trip Reviews

 

[cubbiegirlem]

For non-diving activities, I've heard cave tubing is really fun. It's a day trip involving a puddle jumper, so it may be out of your budget, but something to look into. There are also some interesting Mayan ruins. My friend and I are planning to do the cave tubing trip on a non-diving day during our next visit.

If you go to Ambergris Caye, you can always do additional diving and snorkeling at hol chan marine reserve. It's very close so it may be on the less expensive side than the other dives. My first scuba experience was there and was great. Marine life was abundant. It draws more snorkelers than divers so we didn't even see any other divers on our trip. Other than its shallow depth I'm not sure why not many divers go there... (Although we did have to weave through the tangled lines of those people who dive with those hoses supplying oxygen from the boat... I see no way that's safer than diving particularly since there are still risks if you're not properly trained, but I digress.) On our dive we saw turtles, eels, spotted eagle rays, other rays, and far more fish species than I could ever count. We actually snorkeled it the next day as well, and it was kind of cool to get both perspectives.

Can't help elsewhere in Belize as I have only been to AC, but I hear to steer clear of BC other than the flight....

 

[Pyro_]

I can deff recommend staying on caye caulker. Was there for just over a week earlier this year and loved it. Can also recommend diving with belize dive services if you go there