ReefCI

[olivia_2222]

Hi,
Has anyone volunteered or visited ReefCI's island in Belize. I have been looking into diving opportunities for solo travellers (I'm 20) in central america and came across ReefCI's website. Does anyone know if the diving there is any good and if it is abundant with marine life?
Thanks

 

[sarashap]

ReefCI on Tom Owens Caye is the perfect choice for a single traveler. You may arrive as a single traveler, but you will definitely leave feeling like you just spent the week with a group of long lost friends. Last November was my first trip with Reef CI. As you are preparing for your visit, Jo is fantastic to work with in arranging all the logistics. She helps with arrangements in Punta Gorda, then it is off to Tom Owens Caye. The diving is amazing- great visibility and loads of marine life. Polly and her staff are attentive to every detail in and out of the water. They are excellent dive instructors and share all their knowledge of the ocean. Volunteers / guests have the opportunity to participate in ReefCI's studies and to advance their own diving skills. Accommodations are not fancy, but comfortable and clean. The food is delicious and there is always plenty of it. If it is any indication of how great ReefCI is, I am now scheduled to return in July for my second visit...can't wait!

 

[Jo Scott-Smith]

ReefCI are ideal for individual travelers, and have world class diving!! there are no other divers in the area, very rare these days. check out some independent reviews on Trip Advisor: ReefCI - Punta Gorda - Reviews of ReefCI - TripAdvisor

Hi,
Has anyone volunteered or visited ReefCI's island in Belize. I have been looking into diving opportunities for solo travellers (I'm 20) in central america and came across ReefCI's website. Does anyone know if the diving there is any good and if it is abundant with marine life?
Thanks

 

[Edward3c]

I've done two trips with ReefCI and plan to go back in the not to distant future. Puts a purpose into diving.

First time on Seal Caye, second time on Frank's Caye, looking forward to Tom Owens Caye.

 

[lippoli]

Hi, here's my TripAdvisor review/dive report from ReefCI on Tom Owen's - just got back a couple of days ago! Great time, five stars, but if you are an experienced diver like me and my buddy, there are a couple of things I would have wanted to know before going so I'm passing them along to this board.

One thing I didn't mention in this review is that if you own your own gear, there is no fresh water to rinse it on the island and the dive boat is set up in such a way that gear gets a bit scuffed - take extra care of it afterward.

“Great experience, great people, but a great big dive group too.”

Reviewed September 7, 2015

NEW​

Highly recommend this if you have PADI courses to do and/or if you are interested in spearing lionfish and learning about marine conservation. The dive instructors, Haley and Tom, are lovely people and do an excellent job. Food was better than decent. It's also pretty fantastic just to spend a week living rough where you couldn't get out of sight of the ocean if you wanted to - and you won't want to.

The diving itself was really not great the week we were there - pretty bad viz and lots of current and/or swell - and was further hampered by the fact that the dive group during our week was just plain gigantic, usually 14 to 16 pretty inexperienced divers that supposedly 'split up' into two groups but more often failed to do so thanks to extremely junior sub-DMs. Saw some rays and sharks but had nearly zero opportunity to see smaller stuff due to these conditions.

Also, if you like doing shore dives alone with your buddy, know that I sorely missed that on this trip!! They have a great shore dive on their local reef that you will not be allowed to properly experience as it's against their policy to let anyone dive it without one of their two dive instructors. I understand the need for the policy as most people on our trip were either young or new divers who wanted the free certification, but it was also quite disappointing to do three dives a day and have 75 percent of those dives be in a massive, flailing, nervous group that came up early due to air consumption. Yuck.

So, that's the bad part. But I still give this 5 stars for the educational value, and for the fact that the large group of like-minded people adds even more to the island experience than it takes away from the underwater one. Go!

 

[Edward3c]

...
Also, if you like doing shore dives alone with your buddy, know that I sorely missed that on this trip!! They have a great shore dive on their local reef that you will not be allowed to properly experience as it's against their policy to let anyone dive it without one of their two dive instructors. I understand the need for the policy as most people on our trip were either young or new divers who wanted the free certification, but it was also quite disappointing to do three dives a day and have 75 percent of those dives be in a massive, flailing, nervous group that came up early due to air consumption. Yuck.
...

That's a pity they've put in these restrictions. The two times I went with them I often dived as a buddy pair, and even doing the survey work there were no more than four in the water. I was thinking of going early 2017 as next year will be Mexico, but if this situation is confirmed when I write to them ...

 

[Downing]

Food was better than decent. It's also pretty fantastic just to spend a week living rough where you couldn't get out of sight of the ocean if you wanted to - and you won't want to.

"Living rough." Could you elaborate?

In my youth, I would have loved to just sleep in a bag on the beach. That was then, this is now. While I don't need to be pampered, I do like my creature comforts, like my own room, bed, pillow, a shower, etc.

How rough was it?