Scott M
Contributor
Just returned from Ambergris Caye. To make this short and sweet. Just go........Nuff said.
For the longer version.
The Weather: From what everybody was saying it basically rained everyday the week before we got there. It did not rain at all the whole time we were there except for one small ten minute shower. We had great weather.
The locals: They were all very friendly. We met some people at our resort that own one of the Condos and are building a new one down the beach a bit. They had thier own boat and brought us all in and out of town when ever we wanted to go. We had nightly happy hours with these folks which was a lot of fun. They introduced us to one of the finest wood craftsmens on the Island. If you have seen the carvings in town you have to imagine carvings that bring that to an art form. If you go; look for a guy named Joe, rides a bike up and down the beach with a back pack and has a limp. (Had polio as a kid). We commissioned him to do some carvings for us that are just amazing. He can do almost anything and do it well. My daughter is a softabll nut so he did a beautiful softball for her. I can not say enough good things about the guy.
The Food: It was all very good. We did not have a bad meal all week. We ate at Carrabas, Mangos, Blue Moon and several other spots. Not a bad meal to be found. My only complaint might be the drinks at Mangos where very weak. But that is a minor complaint and it wouldn't stop me from going back.
The Resort: We stayed at the Belizean Shores. Great spot. Very clean, nice pool, good staff. No complaints at all with the resort and I would not hestitate to book it again.
Dive Shop: We were with Ambergrisdivers. We were very happy with the entire operation. We had Giovanni as a DM. He is a very good DM. He fixed some regs on the boat and saved a few dives for people. The boats are in great shape, always plenty of cold water and fresh fruit during the SI stop. We would always go back to the dock prior to our second tank which was nice. If I had a complaint it would be space on the boat to get rigged up. It was set-up 8 per side. One side would go down with one DM the other had their own. All that was fine and they were very good at getting people in and out of the water. It was just a bit cramped. They never complained about anything asked of them. If you had 2950 for air they would swap it out with out any problem. The DM worked with new divers breathing so we all had more bottom time. All in all I would go with them again with out hesitation.
The Reef: Great reef. It lived up to everything I have read about it. It was alive with coral and color. Tons and tons of sea life. Everytime you turned your head you could see a nurse shark, grouper or turtle. We had some nice swim throughs. (Just be sure to be one of the first few through because after the rototillers go through the vis gets pretty crappy.) We did a night dive at Hol Chen marine reserve which was my first night dive. It was nothing like I expected. I was very apprehensive about night diving but it was great. It only took a few seconds to get comfortable. The life at night was even more imprseeive than during the day. We say large lobsters, crabs and huge morays. To compare the reef to my base of knowledge. I would say the Vis was not as clear as Coz but better than PDC. Sea life was much better than anything else I have seen. The coral was as nice as anything I have seen.
I would go back with out hesitation.
For the longer version.
The Weather: From what everybody was saying it basically rained everyday the week before we got there. It did not rain at all the whole time we were there except for one small ten minute shower. We had great weather.
The locals: They were all very friendly. We met some people at our resort that own one of the Condos and are building a new one down the beach a bit. They had thier own boat and brought us all in and out of town when ever we wanted to go. We had nightly happy hours with these folks which was a lot of fun. They introduced us to one of the finest wood craftsmens on the Island. If you have seen the carvings in town you have to imagine carvings that bring that to an art form. If you go; look for a guy named Joe, rides a bike up and down the beach with a back pack and has a limp. (Had polio as a kid). We commissioned him to do some carvings for us that are just amazing. He can do almost anything and do it well. My daughter is a softabll nut so he did a beautiful softball for her. I can not say enough good things about the guy.
The Food: It was all very good. We did not have a bad meal all week. We ate at Carrabas, Mangos, Blue Moon and several other spots. Not a bad meal to be found. My only complaint might be the drinks at Mangos where very weak. But that is a minor complaint and it wouldn't stop me from going back.
The Resort: We stayed at the Belizean Shores. Great spot. Very clean, nice pool, good staff. No complaints at all with the resort and I would not hestitate to book it again.
Dive Shop: We were with Ambergrisdivers. We were very happy with the entire operation. We had Giovanni as a DM. He is a very good DM. He fixed some regs on the boat and saved a few dives for people. The boats are in great shape, always plenty of cold water and fresh fruit during the SI stop. We would always go back to the dock prior to our second tank which was nice. If I had a complaint it would be space on the boat to get rigged up. It was set-up 8 per side. One side would go down with one DM the other had their own. All that was fine and they were very good at getting people in and out of the water. It was just a bit cramped. They never complained about anything asked of them. If you had 2950 for air they would swap it out with out any problem. The DM worked with new divers breathing so we all had more bottom time. All in all I would go with them again with out hesitation.
The Reef: Great reef. It lived up to everything I have read about it. It was alive with coral and color. Tons and tons of sea life. Everytime you turned your head you could see a nurse shark, grouper or turtle. We had some nice swim throughs. (Just be sure to be one of the first few through because after the rototillers go through the vis gets pretty crappy.) We did a night dive at Hol Chen marine reserve which was my first night dive. It was nothing like I expected. I was very apprehensive about night diving but it was great. It only took a few seconds to get comfortable. The life at night was even more imprseeive than during the day. We say large lobsters, crabs and huge morays. To compare the reef to my base of knowledge. I would say the Vis was not as clear as Coz but better than PDC. Sea life was much better than anything else I have seen. The coral was as nice as anything I have seen.
I would go back with out hesitation.
