Able to get one dive day in, where should I go?

[Mark413]

I'm visiting Belize in March with family, but I can take off one day and do some diving. I'm staying in Pelican Reef, south of San Pedro in Ambergris Caye, but I see options as far away as the blue hole (less interested) and Turneffe, or staying closer.

Here are the options from the hotel, but if I should go with another shop/boat please recommend:

Turneffe Atolls
- Turneffe Elbow South, Black Beauty, Myrtle Turtle, Front Porch, and Calabash

Basil Joes Three Tank Dive
- Sandy Point
- Basil Jones Canyons where the reef meets with the land on the north end of Ambergris Caye
- Mata Rocks Canyons

or basically dive close to San Pedro:
Two Tank Dive – Two tank dives either in the morning or afternoon. We leave at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm. The dives take place close to our dive shop just outside the barrier reef at various dive sites with the surface interval at our shop.

Couple things I'd like:
- Nitrox
- Sea life more than geography, fish, sharks, (whale sharks!!), corals, etc.
- No one looking at me sideways for slinging a stage 80 for self rescue. Usually I dive doubles and with a reliable buddy that also dives long hose, goes through OOA drills etc. I'm not super pumped about being 80' down with random vacation diver-buddy and I'm on a single tank, with no secondary air source. I don't want to go through the hassle of buying a pony and having it filled, so I'm just bringing a stage kit for an 80 because I know I'll be able to find an extra AL80.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Hank49]

The Elbow of Turneffe is the "fishiest" spot. There is always a school of horse eye jacks....or two. One with 3-5 kg fish and one with maybe 500 or more half kg near the bottom. And permit. These can be seen most all the time.
There are lots of snappers there but hard to see if you're blowing bubbles. i think someone might be harvesting fish for the resorts after hours and the fish are educated when it comes to bubbles. King mackerel pass by. i've had a big school of dolphins come right up to us.
By far....the best I ever dived in Belize.

 

[Diver0001]

I don't know Belize, I've never dived there. However, I do know what it's like to be on vacation with family and have only one or two days to go diving. What I invariably do is to go out with locals (or shops) that are making long shallow dives with limited logistics. My logic is that if I'm there for only 1 day and I have a choice of spending either 45 minutes or 2 hours on the bottom, then I'll take the 2 hours.

R..

 

[Wicket]

Honestly if you have a full day I'd seriously think about a blue hole trip. The hole it self isn't why I'd go the last two dives Half Moon Caye and Aquarium had some amazing life on them. Closer to San Pedro Esmeralda Canyons and Tackle Box Canyons are some of my favorites.

 

[Mark413]

I think I'm going to hold off on the blue hole trip just because this isn't really a diving focused vacation, and I'd like to be able to come back and do that with doubles and my team, but I appreciate the suggestion! Diving the long dive with locals is interesting, Diver0001 how do you manage to pre-plan this? Or do you show up and just chat with the shops around and try to get them to let you dive with them?

Thanks a lot Hank49, do you have a specific org/shop you had good trips with?

 

[Hank49]

Thanks a lot Hank49, do you have a specific org/shop you had good trips with?

i found this little boat and place in Sittee River.....just kidding. This is my house and boat. .
I'm not familiar with any shop so I can't make any recommendations. I hear a lot of good about Splash, but they're way down in Placencia.
I used to live up the Coastal Road, just north of Dangriga and the Elbow was about 24 miles just NE. Used to go there about 10 times a year. If you go, ask the boat to line up the light house with the tall tree that's right at the opening between the two islands going into Turneffe Island Resort. You can't miss the tall tree. Take that line and go to the drop off. That's where the fish stay. It seems to be the spot where the current between Turneffe and the barrier reef, and the open sea side of Turneffe meet. Sometimes there's a definite line there where very clean and not so clear water meet. Also a bit of a down current there at times but not so strong. Good luck !!

 

[Downing]

That's your house? I thought you were in the yellow house, the one with no driveway.

I'll be there in June, so let's hook up, assuming you don't flee the country like you usually do when I'm there.

 

[Hank49]

That's your house? I thought you were in the yellow house, the one with no driveway.

I'll be there in June, so let's hook up, assuming you don't flee the country like you usually do when I'm there.

Yellow house? This is Sittee River, where I showed you when you were looking at land? I put a house there a year ago.

BUT, I already fleed the country. We're in Phuket, Thailand for the next two years. Got a job offer I couldn't refuse. You can use my boat if you want.