Whale Shark dives in March 2012 questions

[shaferdaniel]

I will be in Placencia March 8-11, 2012. After reading a lot of posts, it seems like the chance of seeing a whale shark during that time is low -- maybe 10-25%, right?

If there are no whales, does one see anything else on that dive as either a snorkeler (my girlfriend) or diver (myself)?

Swimming with thousands of snapper would be cool, but will they definitely be there at that time or are they as elusive as the whale sharks?

If the snapper are there, how deep do they stay?

As a diver, it would be easy to get to their level if they are around 100 feet but I'm afraid my girlfriend will just end up bobbing on the surface the whole day staring into the deep blue yonder then spend the rest of our trip cursing at me for spending $200 to do so...

Thanks

 

[Downing]

I was in Placencia last June for two weeks and twice went in search of the elusive Whale Shark for a total of four tanks. We saw plenty of snapper but unfortunately never saw a Whale Shark. We were accompanied by snorkelers on each trip and I'm sure the viz was good enough that they saw the snapper also.

If I remember right, the park restricts diving depth to 80 feet.

We spent the SIs having lunch on the boat outside the park in relatively shallow water and saw dolphins, rays, barracudas, etc.

Edit: I just remembered that it was on one of the Whale Shark dives that a dolphin came within an arm's length from me just below the surface. That was definitely a thrill.

 

[shaferdaniel]

Thanks for the stories Downing. how close did the snapper come to the surface? Are you able to swim in between the schools??

 

[Ralph Capeling]

shaferdaniel, you are coming early in the time period for the full moon in March. If you have to come in March, I suggest you set your schedule back one week. Better yet, come in April or May.
This year the max depth will be reduced to 70 feet and most dive operators will try to keep their divers at around 60 feet (going deeper just tends to push the snapper down deeper without any real benefit).
It is better to not swim in the snapper schools as this is a spawning aggregation.
Regards
Ralph

 

[Downing]

Just to add, the snapper were usually around 70 to 80 feet, sometimes deeper. We were always swimming above them.

I don't know that the "snapper show" would be all that entertaining for snorkelers, which is why I mentioned the SIs since those were entertaining for all of us. Obviously, the Whale Sharks are the stars of the show.

 

[shaferdaniel]

Thank you guys for clarifying all of this. My girlfriend and I are already set on a three week trip through Mexico, Guatemala and Belize during that time so, sadly, I can't change the dates. I fortunately swam with whale sharks in Thailand once so I have experienced it -- which only made me want to do it again. My sense is I will return to Belize many times before my days are over and will plan the next trip around the whale sharks!

Thanks. Dan

 

[rydog]

We were there in May and was still too early for a strong possibility of seeing whale sharks. The SI was a good opportunity to snorkel and we did get a dolphin show for a while. We dropped off a snorkeler with a guide from our boat on the way out and met back with them for lunch/SI. Not sure if thats an option for you but she seemed to enjoy it.