Recommended dive operator - Ambergris Caye, Belize

[fritzer]

Hi All:

Posted a message a couple of weeks ago, but didn't get many hits, so I'm trying again....Will be taking a trip to Ambergris Caye in a few weeks and the closest dive operator to where we're staying is Belize Ocean Divers. I've tried emailing them to get an idea about their operation and how many divers they do at a time (looking for the NON cattleboat experience). I found out too late about Gaz Cooper's dive shop and he's all booked up. Anyone out there have any suggestions for dive ops here that they've had good luck with or who run 6-8 diver trips? Didn't get a response from my email to Belize Ocean Divers and their website doesn't give much info. please help????

[jsm]

Not Aqua Dives! The divemasters were good, but the boats are crowded and crappy. I also felt sorry for the people renting equipment (which is crazy anyway, but still).

Don't know much else about Ambergris operators since we spent most of our time out on Turneffe...

-Jon

[SueJ]

Hi fritzer,
I was there about a year and a half ago and used Amigos del Mar. They were top notch! The DMs were great as well as the owners. We stayed at the Mayan Princess right across from the dive shop; but we picked up other divers that did not get the boat right there. Their website is www.amigosdive.com
I'm not sure about the ration of divers; we went off season and didn't have a big crowd.
Good luck and have fun!

Sue

[wreckchick]

I was in Belize last summer and used Amigos del Mar for a trip to Blue Hole. The boat was spectacular and the trip was overall very good, but I would caution you that they didn't seem to follow what I would consider conservative dive plans and didn't stick to the stated not conservative dive plan either. If you are an experienced, confident diver you should be fine. I would not consider them the safest dive op in the world. I would use them again, but I'd be a little more aware of the dive next time instead of just following the DM's around.

Rachel

[cxg31s]

I was on AC last summer and we used Amigos del Mar and they fit our needs just fine. The weather was crap during our visit so we all pretty much stuck together on the dives but they were very flexible with dive sites and profiles and once they saw our competence underwater, they left us alone except to point out critters of interest. I can't say I agree with Rachel about their safety though--it might be according to which DM you have, because I found them to be a safe, competent operation with great service. We had 5 experienced divers and one newbie, and we told the DM this before we left the dock. The DM stuck to our new diver like glue, making sure he was comfortable, helping him descend, helping him with buoyancy and proper weighting--by the end of our time with them, our newbie was a much better and confident diver. We did some local dives around AC and did the day trip to Turneffe Elbow--I HIGHLY recommend this because the Elbow was the best dive we did all week! Gorgeous pristine walls with all varieties or corals, sponges and fans, and TONS of marine life--make sure you can handle a strong current though. Most of the dive ops on AC use Amigos big boat for the day trips because not many ops have the money to invest in a boat big enough to handle the waves on the way out to the atolls. Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Angie

[wreckchick]

I'm glad you had a good experience with them. IMO they took divers that weren't as experienced as they should have been on a pretty tough dive day. In retrospect it was probably beyond my ability and defintely beyond the ability of other divers on the trip. My experience may well have been divemaster related, so it's nice to hear that others have had better experiences.

R

[leadweight]

I dove with Pro Tech earlier this year and will be using them again this summer. Small groups and personal attention. They also have nitrox, scooters and other sorts of toys. The owner, a PADI and IANTD instructor, is on site and frequently on the boat when he has a student. If you need to rent anything, their gear is top notch. All Scubapro and in great condition.

Don't miss the Pineapple Willie oldies band when you are down there.

[riverdiver]

got back from ambergris caye last week,dove with ambergris divers for 5 days and where very good let you pick your sites and run a tab,good for night dives, if you go to blue hole go with almigo's del mar,or romans ,nice boats and BBQ at light house reef, took adv.diver ,class with protech. they have nice gear ,but can be unorginized,did a night dive with them and ASFU. did not count divers, in the water, and after the dive. all dive guilds where out of the water and on the boat before the divers
where. Had a good time ,weather was great.

[peterbj7]

Not one of our finest, I have to admit. We also took too long to get into the water. But we did actually check all divers back onto the boat, albeit not by someone visibly counting. At least one member of staff normally stays in the water until all divers are out of the water and this may also have been a failure by us, but in fairness we were in chest deep water (at Hol Chan).

We do try but sometimes things don't go as planned.....

[Zagnut]

My wife stayed at Journey's End about 2 years ago and we loved it!

Steve, The owner of Belize Ocean Divers, is a good guy. We were happy with the whole trip. We were newly certified back then. We did some dives that were not recommended for newly certified divers but they take everybody out on a couple of check out dives first to make sure you have good buoyancy and are comfortable in the water, and we did see them refuse one diver for any of the deeper dives or swimthru dives because the DM wasn't comfortable with their skills. Before the deeper dives, they asked if we were comfortable with deeper dives and anyone who wasn't, could stick with another DM who stayed shallower and went over the swimthrus instead of thru them. Anyhows I think they are a good shop and I highly recommend them. Manuel was our main DM and he did a great job! If you use them, tell'em I said "Hi!"
Here is my trip report from back then...and BTW I figured out later that they didn't set my computer in Nitrox mode...I did it without realizing it. (this will make sense if you read my trip report).

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3190&highlight=belize

If I'm not mistaken, Gaz Cooper was Steve's(Owner of Belize Ocean Divers) instructor and spoke Highly of Steve in replies to some of my posts. Gaz could probably give you some info on Belize ocean Divers and it's owner, Steve, if you can't get in touch with B.O.D. via e-mail. It seems like we had tried to get in touch with them via email and got a slow response. I'm not so sure they (B.O.D.) watch their emails very closely, but once we were there in person, they were very attentive,without being pushy or annoying, and took great care of us....I wish I could go back!

Hope this helps.

[South 4 Scuba]

Don't know if you have booked yet, but I would support the suggestion for Amigos Del Mar. We dove with them in March 2003 and they were great. They kept our gear stored and when the boat showed up AT OUR DOCK the gear was ready to go. We started gearing up as soon as we left the dock because they don't fool around when there are 5 to 6 foot seas outside the reef.

I also noticed the aggresive dive profiles ADM dove. My computer was on the verge of locking me out on several occasions. I don't want to scare anyone off, but Ambergris is mostly for intermediate divers and newbies with big tank knockers. Typically big waves outside the reef and diving is down to 70' to 80' on most dives. They ran me out of air on most dives.

However, if you like big dives on big reefs get your butt to Ambergris. It's a great place to dive and just hang out.

:tree:

[fritzer]

Just wanted to say "thanks" to everybody for posting replies to my call for dive op suggestions!! We ended up diving with Amigos Del Mar for the entire week because they ran a tab for us and had some good dives. I can't say anything good or bad about any of the other ops since we didn't dive with them but we were pretty pleased with Amigos. I have to say they were VERY rowdy at the dive shop but turned all business when we entered the water. Would dive with them again for sure. Thanks again for the posts!

[Bubba1]

Wow does this thread need an up date. Most of the operators talked about here have changed. Ambergris has a new face or two on the island to say the least, and some of the dive shops mentioned here are gone or relocated.
Dozens of new Hotels and lots of new shops.

[Chaseh]

Does Gaz still have anything to do with diving in Belize, or is he looking to make his fortune in other ways?

[Ecologic Divers]

Gaz, is not longer here. I heard that he had moved to Thailand.

[Bubba1]

Fritzer,
To some degree it depends on where you are staying as, if you are quite far up north, some dive ops won't travel that far to pick up divers the cost of fuel being what it is. We pick up at any dock on ambergris caye.
Thats gona have some eye brows raised I'm sure. what we do is run a pick up boat that isnt bad on gas.

[peterbj7]

Protech dive center is no longer operating. See http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/belize/252513-ambergris-caye-dive-operators.html for more details.

[Bubba1]

Wow this thread needs updating, most of these operators aren't in business anymore or not with these hotels.
I'm surprised the belize section of Scubaboard is so light. The belize market has quadrupled in the last few years.

[bobgads]

4 of our are traveling to Ambergris Caye and are looking for a quality diver operator...we prefer smaller groups but not small boats. I have read the reviews of Aqua Dives on TripAdvisor. I can understand one negative review but 3 or 4...wow. What is the real story? Who are the quality operators with nice boats, GREAT service, and CUSTOMER/SAFETY oriented?

[scuba_moron]

I'm also planning a dive trip to Belize next month.
Any all inclusive package deal on Ambergris Caye?

[mohave_steve]

I dove with them last year. Great boat & crew. Attentive DM's.
However, one morning they did show up to pick me up 10 minutes early and left me behind. I phoned the office. They sent another boat to pick me up. I missed the first dive & didn't get charged for the following dive.
Nice folks, great diving. There is no doubt I will dive with them on my next visit.
Have fun!!

[Donna deVore]

Thanks for the information. What was the ratioof divers to DM? Thanks in advance for any more information.

Donna

[Pimdiver]

Spent a week on AC end of September.
Stayed at San Pedro Holiday Hotel.
Dove with Chuck and Robbie's for three days (and nights) and did the Blue Hole with Amigos.
Great diving and few complaints, we will return.

[PlanoDvr1]

I'm also planning a dive trip to Belize next month.
Any all inclusive package deal on Ambergris Caye?


I would like to know this also....ANY all-inclusives?

[peterbj7]

I'm not aware of any "all inclusives" around AC at prices ordinary mortals could afford (there is the nearby private island of Cayo Espanto, patronised by the mega rich). I'll do som eresearch and post back here.

I do know of "all inclusives" in other parts of Belize. The best I have personal knowledge of is the private island of Thatch Caye, just off Dangriga, a bit over half way down the country. Quite modest prices for what is a magnificent experience.

[PlanoDvr1]

I'm not aware of any "all inclusives" around AC at prices ordinary mortals could afford (there is the nearby private island of Cayo Espanto, patronised by the mega rich). I'll do som eresearch and post back here.

I do know of "all inclusives" in other parts of Belize. The best I have personal knowledge of is the private island of Thatch Caye, just off Dangriga, a bit over half way down the country. Quite modest prices for what is a magnificent experience.


I'm rich in many ways just not when your talking about money!!

[peterbj7]

I've done some initial research and so far it's confirmed my view that there aren't any all-inclusive resorts on AC. Even the mega expensive Cayo Espanto doesn't give free activities, though all the hotel stuff is apparently included.

in other parts of Belize there is a small handful. Thatch Caye as I mentioned above, which includes all food, most drink and local activities (not the cost of mainland activities, though they will get you there). It seems that Coco Plum Resort (right next to Thatch Caye), Kanatik, & Hamanasi may also offer some degree of "all inclusive". I don't believe anywhere out on the atolls does, though I don't really know definitively.

That's the best I can do. If anyone gets to know about others in Belize (by the sea or inland) please post details.

[Donna deVore]

I thought Protech was closed. Is this true?
Donna

[peterbj7]

Yes, in the sense that I'm no longer running it and it isn't operating. But I've agreed to sell it to a friend who'll be starting it up again some time soon, albeit in a slightly different location and run under a different ethos. Perhaps he'll be able to make a profit out of it, I know I couldn't.

So the strict answer is that no, it hasn't closed down, but it is temporarily closed. When it reopens I will have only peripheral association with it. I'll still do a bit of teaching when I feel like it, and my certifications will be under the name of Protech, but mainly I'll be doing something quite different.

The website will be radically updated over coming months, but for the time being I'm leaving it be.