Ambergris Caye, Belize Diving Help!

[mark_n_marci]

Hi Everyone! We are traveling to Ambergris Caye for our wedding & honeymoon. My fiancee and one of our guests are completing their pool and book work from for their SCUBA certification at home then plan to do their open water dives in Belize. We are staying at Captain Morgans. Does anyone know anything about their dive group? Or are there other dive groups that you would suggest, especially for first time divers? We also plan to take a trip out to the Blue Hole. Any help (on diving, places to see, night life, etc.) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Marci

 

[MAGELLAN]

My wife and I stayed at the Mayan Princess about two and half years ago. We used Amigos Del mar and were very happy with them. They were situated in front of the hotel at the end of th e dock and they were very laid back and flexible. I've been meaning to make it back, but it just hasn't happened yet. I'm not sure how close your hotel is to this area though. Is Ambergis Caye the same as San Pedro? I think so.

 

[MAGELLAN]

Also, best dive site I thought was Hol Chi Cut. Very nice area where the reef is cut allowing the big fish to venture into the shallower reef areas behind the reef. We saw nurse sharks, Manta Rays, Large groupers, etc. You can dive out through the cut into the deeper areas where the ocean drops off abrubtly.=-)

 

[MAGELLAN]

Here's a link to more information about the Hol Chi dive site.

This one has several pictures
http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/divesharkholchan.html

http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/parkholchanindex.html

 

[jhelmuth]

Gongrats Mark & Marci!

FWIW...
We were in San Pedro City (Ambergris Caye - Belize, C.A.), just this past April. If you PM me I'll provide more detail, but here is what I will offer you in this reply...
[1] We stayed at the SunBreeze Hotel and dove with Aqua Dives. Don't know (by experience) about some of the others, but I will say that Aqua Dives has it all. The best boats, crew, DMs, the most boats, dives, etc. Also the among the best prices.
[2] Hol Chan (hole in the reef that makes a channel to the open water) reserve is a great night dive (shallow)!
[3] You really should do the all day Blue Hole / Lighthouse reef dives. Ask to go to the Half Moon Caye Wall and "Aquarium"
[4] All the dive sites are interesting around the San Pedro reef area.
[5] Try the local eateries next to the Church in the middle of town. Excellect food - bargin prices - the best smoothies from the vendor on the end (looks sleazy and delapidated, but don't let the looks fool ya!). Makes a great place to get a cheap lunch so you can afford a nicer place for dinner!
[6] Food at the Blue Water grill is outstanding (somwhat pricey - but not out of the ordinary for most of the local resturants which have a nicer atmosphere - located at the Sun Breeze Hotel on the beach)
[7] Buy some of the local fruit fromthe street vendors and take along with you on the dives - yum-yum-yummy!
[8] There's a pizza joint with great pizza at a great price out by the aeroport (forgot the name - but easy to find)
[9] Do a Sunday service at the church in San Pedro (if you're there on a Sunday)
[10] There is little to no equipment sales/service for anything dive related. If you bring your own, make sure you come prepared with silicone grease, any special batteries, spare parts, etc. Especially with respect to camera/video gear.
[11] If time affords, the Mayan ruins are cool, but the ride out and back is long and torturous - I wouldn't bother if time is short, you value the dive time too much, or if you don't have much interest in that sort of thing (my wife did - yesh!)
[12] At least at the season we were in, the waves are quite high - beware that you may face some challenging entries and if you stay at the surface too long and are any bit prone to sea sickness - be prepared!
[13] The diving there is so beautiful. If you do have UW video and/or cameras - take em! Use em! If not, don't misss the chance to capture some great memories by visiting one of the local shops which can accompany you on your trip and capture some video for you. It's worth it!

 

[scubajoe]

Ambergis Cay is a wonderful place! We stayed at the Sunbreeze and dove with Aqua Dives. Sunbreeze was great. Aqua dives was great the first time and not so good the second trip. I believe it was a temporary problem and would probably dive with them again. I wasn't impressed with the diving, kind of plain. We didn't go to the hole or the outer islands. Diving is supposed to be great at those places.
You have to go to BC's Bar while you are there! Lot's of ex pats and some unusual locals. it is next door to the Sunbreeze. You can't miss it. When you are there tell Ernie hello from Joe from Texas! I may have spent a bit too much time there.
Have a great time,

Joe

 

[leadweight]

On my last trip to Ambergris Caye I stayed at Corona del Mar (Woodys') and dove with Pro Tech Belize. It was my third trip to AC, second time with Pro Tech and first time with Woody. I would love to do that exact same trip again. Pro Tech is a small operation with personal service. One of their boats has a cut in the side which makes getting out of the water easy.

As for the best Pizza on the island, see Pepperoni's just south of town. The best band is Pinapple Willie. Look for barbecues on the beach.

 

[txg8r]

Stayed at Caribbean Villas and dove with Amigos del Mar (my second time with them and have loved 'em both times).

I have no clue who the dive op is for Captain Morgans. I think most dive ops will come and pick you up, but beware that you are a ten minute boat ride away from pretty much all other dive ops. That isn't terrible, but might be an inconvenience.

If you and your guests are newly certified, you'll want to double check with your dive op of choice about going to the Blue Hole. That particular dive is considered to be an advanced dive (130'). I know that some ops won't let newly certified divers do that dive. You can do the other two dives on that trip (off Turneffe) which are great. Or do the Elbow trip instead - the Blue Hole is completely overrated!

Definitely snorkel at Hol Chan - a waste of air to dive it. Tackle Box and Victoria Canyons were my favorite reef dives.

The peel 'n' eat shrimp at Mangoes is not to be missed. Other favorites - Caliente (mango and blackberry margaritas), Los Cocos, Casa Picasso and Taste of Thailand. Stay away from Fido's and Elvi's - overpriced and not that great.

Congratulations and enjoy!!!

 

[sddiver]

Went to San Pedro in Nov 99. Dove with Amigos Del Mar and were impressed with their operation and staff. Would highly recommend them to you. Don't know much about the operator at Capt. Morgans. You should know that your resort is a good ways north of town and not easily accessable other than by boat. I believe it is an "all inclusive type resort" If you desire to spend alot of time in town you will either run up a good bill on water taxis or need to rent a golf cart(San Pedro 4X4). Even with a cart it will be a decent trip into town. There are some other resorts near Capt Morgans but your options will be somewhat limited. One place in the area you need to go is Capricorn Restraurant. The locals can direct you there, Great food and little beach side bar. Clarence and Annabel expat Canadians own it. Look in their guestbook in the first week of November 99. I proposed to my wife there that night on the dock under the moon. Wrote some gibberish in the book. Boy was I scared ****less.

Have a great time
Rich

 

[tifdotcom]

Went to Ambergris Caye last September and stayed at Corona del Mar (Woody's) also... very nice man.. as is the rest of the staff. We saw dolphins off of his dock and snorkeled right off the beach.

I wouldn't go back there without doing the Blue Hole dive again. If you're going, definitely do the Blue Hole. It was the experience of a lifetime. Hung out with about 20 black-tip reef sharks and swam in and out of stalagtites and stalagmites. Out of this world. Very exciting.

I also loved the Aquarium... but that should be included in your day dive to the Blue Hole.

Overall, Belize has amazing diving.

We decided to do the riverboat/ruins trip... I don't know if I'd do that again. It took forever and it was about 115 degrees. I just wanted to be back in the water again. Cursed myself for not diving that day. Also, if you buy one of the incredible hand-carved wooden bowls down there, know that they will crack all over the place within a month of your return. The humidity change is too much for them and they crack. Just an FYI.

Have a great time! I'm going to Costa Rica next month, but am planning another Belize trip next year...