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The distance on a globe or map has little to do with speed or ease of travel. I know of no destination in the Caribbean that will take "8 hours door to door".
No matter how early you leave, it still takes all day to get there.
Belize is a far flung place, it is a large mainland chunk with many, many islands lying along it's barrier reef.
Depending upon which Belize island and which dive op/resort you select- the diving can be anywhere from "a ways" to "quite a ways" away from your dock. The comfort of the boats is an important issue when contemplating 1/2 hr to 1 hr boat rides.
The diving in Belize is very similar to the diving along the South side of Roatan. The OP would probably like it, with his stated taste for shallow, lush walls that are filled with colorful life (versus deep with the occasional large critter). Most people have not gotten to this area of interest as quickly in their dive careers as OceanRocks has with his 50 dives.
If you liked Bonaire's diving, you would likely enjoy Belize or Roatan, unfortunately the travel times in Belize limit some operation's ability to take you to the cool stuff. Many people come back from any of these three venues with negative experiences, only remarking on the "Shark dive" or that big Grouper they saw.
If I had a Top 5 Diving Experience List, one of the coolest things I ever saw was in Belize. But, then again- cool things happen wherever you dive, it's just a matter of luck as to if you are looking in that direction... or topside drinking a beer!
With a $2000 budget, you are fairly free to go anywhere in the Caribbean, your lodging being the only minor limiting budget item.
