Help Please! Planning 1st Dive Trip to Belize

[BaileyM]

I am an experienced diver (500+) but have never been to Belize. Which Island/Atoll or dive region should I visit to see the best Belize has to offer? Will be staying 6-7 nights, planning on 3-4 dives/day. Any recommendations?

 

[Downing]

You've got options:

Ambergris Caye - this is probably by far where most divers/snorkelers/beachcombers go. Advantage: lots of choices with respect to accommodations, dive ops, food and night life. Disadvantage: it's an island, so if you're planning to work in mainland stuff like jungle hiking, mayan ruins, cave tubing, etc, you'll have to deal with the logistics of getting back and forth to the mainland. It's not hard so much as time consuming. Another disadvantage may be dealing with crowds, especially if you go in high season.

Turneffe Atoll - there are several "resorts" out on the atoll. The big three are Turneffe Island Resort (stayed there twice), Turneffe Flats and Blackbird Caye Resort. All-inclusive and pricey but not terribly so if you take into account everything's paid for. Advantage: these places are like summer camp for adults. Great diving within minutes of the dock, good food and lots of relaxation. Disadvantage: even more difficult to do anything on the mainland, no night life to speak of.

Placencia - Not as big and popular as AC, it's an interesting mix of tourism meets fishing village. Again, lots of choices for accommodations and food. Only a couple of dive ops to choose from but Splash Dive Center there is excellent (used them twice). Advantage: even though it has a definite island vibe Placencia is actually a peninsula. The mainland is a quick drive up the one and only highway. Adventures abound. Disadvantage: the boat ride out to the reef and back is longer, about an hour each way. Not much of a disadvantage if you like boats, which I do.

There's also Hamansi, a resort up the coast from Placencia in Hopkins. I haven't stayed there, but I've seen it. Looks nice and enjoys an excellent reputation.

And Hatchet Caye, another inclusive resort about a half hour off Placencia. Haven't stayed there either but I've passed by it a number of times on my way to the Silk Cayes. Looks nice and is supposed to have an ultra-light fixed wing but I've never seen it in action.

There are probably more, but I think I hit the highlights.

And, of course, there's always a liveaboard.

As you probably know, the "bucket dive" is the Blue Hole. Somewhat controversial, at least here on ScubaBoard, you should probably read the threads on it before making up your mind. From AC, it's about 2.5 hours each way and is an all-day trip combined with some really great diving in the area. From the atoll resorts it's more like an hour each way and is also an all-day trip combined with the same great diving. From Placencia, Splash runs a two-day trip, diving along the way up and back with the BH being the first dive of the second day after spending the night on a nearby caye.

Belize is a fantastic place to visit and dive. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. And while it's a small country it's still a big place. I don't think you can see the best of Belize in a one-week trip. But that doesn't mean you can't try, lol.

 

[peterbj7]

One correction - there are at least four principal dive centres in Placencia - Splash, Avadon, Seahorse and Robert's Grove.

A lot depends whether you want a diving-focussed holiday or a holiday with diving. For the latter I'd certainly choose Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker or Placencia. If diving is all you want to do then either a liveaboard or a stay on one of the atolls (Lighthouse, Turneffe or Glover's).

 

[fred3798]

Great info. I too am looking at a first trip to Belize. If you had to pick the nicest resort - great rooms and great food onsite or near - and the best dive op (up-to-date boat, attentive service, safety conscious), what would you say?

 

[sivartM]

I too have 500+ dives (most of them in the Caribbean) and the diving I did in Belize was as good or better than any of the rest. I stayed at Hamanasi (mentioned by Downing above). The resort is diver oriented and very nice. The food was wonderful. The staff is very friendly. The dive operation is great. I tried to book a trip to go back in a couple of weeks, but the resort was full. I'll be trying Ambergris Caye instead this time. The boat ride to the reef does take about 45 minutes, but the boats are quad engine and fast. I also took the trip out to Turneff Atoll and Glovers Reef Atoll, and the boat ride to each of these is closer to 2 hours each way. Of the two, I liked Glovers Reef the best, but both were amazing. The boat trip to Lighthouse reef was even further so I decided against that one, because the boat leaves the dock at 5AM and gets back at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon! I don't like getting up that early. Anyway, enjoy your trip, and I definitely recommend Hamanasi -- check them out on trip advisor for other reviews.

 

[diverrex]

Anyone have any experience with Isla Marisol resort at Glovers Reef? How is the resort and diving? And what is the likelihood of success of seeing a whale shark on those dives during the season?

 

[Downing]

Great info. I too am looking at a first trip to Belize. If you had to pick the nicest resort - great rooms and great food onsite or near - and the best dive op (up-to-date boat, attentive service, safety conscious), what would you say?

"Nicest" and "best" are so subjective. I don't know that there's just one clear cut winner.

Having said that, I can say that Turneffe Island Resort fits the bill for all of the above. If all you want to do is dive, eat and relax in a tropical paradise setting I don't think there's any place better.

Splash Dive Center in Placencia is an excellent dive op. I've dived with them for a total of five weeks and they are definitely attentive and safety conscious. They were in the process of getting a brand new 42-ft Newton when I was there last summer to add to their fleet. There are a number of high-end resorts in Placencia to choose from, e.g., Francis Ford Coppola's Turtle Inn right up the road where the high rollers and Hollywood type stay. I haven't stayed there, but I imagine it has to be pretty swank. You can rent Francis' personal villa complete with butler for $2,500/night.

And there's Hamanasi. I've never read a bad review.

And there's a hotel on AC that just won some sort of best in the Caribbean award. Peter can tell you more about that. Plenty of dive ops to choose from there. Up until recently Peter was highly recommending Tranquil Bay Resort on the north end of AC but a recent change in operations makes it a bit of a risk for the time being.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

It also depends upon your budget a bit. Turneffe Island Resort and Hamanasi are top end of the budget class but both very well rated. Turneffe Flats is less expensive and well rated as well as the Blue Tang Inn. I find the combo dive and jungle trips very neat in Belize. Other posters have listed good options. Personally I find the Blue Hole overrated and would't go to Belize just for that dive...

 

[fred3798]

Feel free to substitute "first class" or "luxurious" or "expensive". Quality varies so much by location. A 5 star in one town can be a 3 star elsewhere. I like to see what is best at a location and work my way down to my price point in order to try to balance cost and comfort. I hate expensive places that don't deliver, but worse is saving $10 a day and living in an uncomfortable place. So thanks for all the info above.

I see that lots of ppl say that Belize is best dived by liveaboard. Is that because the sites are too far from the hotels for comfort or because the lodgings aren't very good? Is Aggressor the best LOB for Belize? Any other favourites?

 

[diverrex]

Feel free to substitute "first class" or "luxurious" or "expensive". Quality varies so much by location. A 5 star in one town can be a 3 star elsewhere. I like to see what is best at a location and work my way down to my price point in order to try to balance cost and comfort. I hate expensive places that don't deliver, but worse is saving $10 a day and living in an uncomfortable place. So thanks for all the info above.

I see that lots of ppl say that Belize is best dived by liveaboard. Is that because the sites are too far from the hotels for comfort or because the lodgings aren't very good? Is Aggressor the best LOB for Belize? Any other favourites?

Plenty of good lodgings, maybe not 5 star but very nicely up there in quality, in all the different Belize locations, even inland. Not unlike many other areas the locations closest to development are not as good as those served by a liviboard. But land based diving can be very good in Belize.