Recommendations for Belize?

[Debbie B]

I'm interested in possibly putting together a trip for myself and a few dive buddies to Belize sometime in 2008. I was hoping I could get some recommendations/suggestions from others who have been there regarding resorts and/or operators. Also, I've been told by some that the best way to dive Belize is by liveaboard, but this was from someone who had been there several years ago. So, I'd also like to know what others who have been more recently think. I read the thread posted back in the fall of 2006 (basically asking the same), but I was hoping maybe some of you had done trips this year and might have additional comments. Thanks :)

Also, just out of curiosity, any comments regarding how diving in Belize compares to places such as Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Bonaire and/or Roatan would also be appreciated.

db

[Jonathan Bird]

Debbie,
I was planning a trip to Belize in 2000, but that was the year that they got wiped out by the hurricane. The resort actually called me and told me not to come. That doesn't happen often!

Mark is our resident expert on Belize...we need to pick his brain....

Jonathan

[tarczy]

Hi Debbie!

Belize is my most favorite place on the Planet. I've been there so many times I can't count.

Your friend that said the best diving in Belize is done from a liveaboard is absolutely correct. The walls are spectacular! But, the day boats usually never go out to the walls. Hence, if you're diving day boats, you're stuck with offshore diving, which in my experience, is less than marginal.

Belize is known for the amazing amount of huge tube sponges that grow on the walls.


http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Belize/1_IMG_3037.jpg

There is not a lot of big animal life hangin' around the walls. Occasionally you get Spotted Eagle Rays and lots of Barracuda . . . also turtles.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Belize/OneEagleRay575x333px72ppi.jpg

Belize is also known for it's Blue Hole - the one that Jacques Cousteau made famous. The "cut" in the ring of the hole is where Cousteau dynamited the ring so as to get his ship inside the hole. What an environmentalist he was!!


http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Belize/BlueHole.jpg

Today, all the liveaboards and the day-boats go out to the Blue Hole and do one deep dive - usually on Wednesdays. The dive goes to about 150 feet, it's flippin' cold and you can't use Nitrox. Soooooo . . . you risk going into Deco, you freeze your butt off, you load up on Nitrogen, and you don't really see much other than underwater stalactites and stalagmites. All of this for the privilege of saying you dove the Blue Hole.

I dunno - call me a curmudgeon. I think diving the Blue Hole is a waste of a dive, but many people from around the world save their vacation pennies all year just to go and dive the Blue Hole.

The only two liveaboards that are working Belize are The Belize Aggressor III (http://www.aggressor.com/subpage5.php)and the Peter Hughes Sun Dancer II (http://www.peterhughes.com/Sun/Sun_dancerindex.shtml). I've been on both of them. I don't know if you recall, but about six or seven years ago, there was a Hurricane that whipped through Belize. Both, The Aggressor and Sun Dancer tied up near each other way up one of the rivers in order to avoid the hurricane. Unfortunately, the Captain of the Sun Dancer was retarded and lashed the ship to the dock too tight and then went to sleep with nobody standing watch. When the storm surge went upriver, The Sun Dancer flipped, killing all but 4 people on board. Ever since the accident, Peter Hughes' operation has been flirting with bankruptcy. I won't go on one of their boats ever again. That said, The Aggressor is a great boat with a great crew.

If you have more than a week to stay in Belize, I would highly recommend staying at a resort in the interior of Belize and explore the rain forest. And, you simply must go zip lining (http://honeymoons.about.com/od/centralamerica/ss/Belize_Vacation_7.htm) through the top of the rain forest. It's a freakin' blast!

I absolutely love the Chan Chich lodge (http://www.chanchich.com/). It's built on top of an old Mayan Temple in the middle of the rain forest. If you're lucky, you might even get to see a Jaguar in the wild. (Don't count on it, though. You have a better chance winning the lottery.)

I've also stayed at several resorts on Ambergris Caye (pronounced "key"). Most of the resorts are pretty laid back and very nice. Believe it or not, I spent Christmas 2006 at one resort and met 3 different families visiting from Los Angeles (where I'm from). Imagine that!! I gotta travel 3,000 miles to meet people from the city in which I live! Go figure! Nevertheless, San Pedro on Ambergris Caye is my favorite little Belizean beach town. You get around on bicycles or golf carts. It's a blast.

That said, I also recommend looking at Placencia (http://honeymoons.about.com/od/centralamerica/ss/Belize_Vacation_7.htm). I've never been on that Caye, but when I was returning from my last Belize trip (in January) some divers that were on my flight were saying that they saw Whale Sharks when diving off Placencia.

Finally, when diving the walls, water temps get to be 82° during the Summer and Fall months. During the Winter and Spring months, water temps can get to around 76°. I dunno about you, but 76° is a bit chilly for me. Last time I went to Belize, I wore a 5mm suit. Assuming you're into underwater photography, I'd highly recommend a 5mm suit even if the water temps are above 80°. Photographers tend not to move around very much and by the end of your fifth dive of the day, you will have lost a lot of your core temperature. Oh yeah . . . visibility off the walls is always 90+ feet.

You can see more Belize photos here (http://blog.myspace.com/lacityrat).

Happy Thanksgiving!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Holidays/Turkey.jpg

[Jonathan Bird]

AWESOME post Mark! Now I can hardly wait for your indonesia Blog!

[tarczy]

Thanks Jonathan . . .

A couple of more thoughts on Belize and then I'll shut up.

Though my last trip to Belize was some 20 months ago, I can pretty much guarantee that Belize is the same today as it was 20 months ago. Belize is a little third-world country that doesn't change very much. That's part of its charm. I'm gonna be really disappointed if/when Belizean tourism really takes off. Then the big developers will come in and make the place look like Miami Beach. :eek: Let's hope it never happens.

I can't compare/contrast Belize to the Bahamas, Bonaire and Roatan since I've only been diving in the Bahamas on Tiger Shark photo expeditions . . . where all we do is dive 20 feet and play with the sharks on a sandy bottom. I've never been to Bonaire or Roatan.

Click here (http://www.rhkuw.com/gallery/belize/index.html) to see a very good Belizean photo gallery by Rod Klein.

Finally, a day trip to Tikal (http://mayaruins.com/tikal.html), Guatemala is also highly recommended. There, you'll be able to climb to the top of one of the three tallest Temples ever built by the Mayan people. Standing on top of a Mayan Temple, looking over the rain-forest canopy for as far as your eye can see is nothing short of breathtaking. When I went to Tikal, it was a 4 hour bus ride from the Belize/Guatemala border, over a dirt/gravel road that was absolutely torturous. I've heard rumors that the road is now paved, but I haven't been able to substantiate the rumors.

Good luck on your trip! Be sure to post a trip report on your return. Or, if you have Internet access while you're there (which I doubt), you can post a running trip report in real time.

Hope you have as great a time in Belize as I've had!

Marcos

[Debbie B]

Wow, thanks for the informative reply! I'll definitely check into the operators/locations you mentioned. And, if and when we do make the trip, I'll be sure to post a trip report. Thanks again!

db