Belize experience for timid newbies - recommendations?

[mtconnol]

Hi all,

My wife and I are interested in going to Caye Caulker in Belize over winter break to do some diving. We are both very new divers with ~14 dives to our name, mostly drysuit diving in our cold Puget Sound waters as well as a day trip diving the Coronado Islands off of Tijuana.

My wife has sworn off of coldwater diving but is interested in trying the warmwater experience, and I'm wanting to make sure it is as positive and fruitful as possible for us. So we're looking for the right dive shop to use that could bring us to calm sites and be patient with our wanting to go slow and general noob energy.

It seems like most of the shops are doing these dives to ~75 feet or so, which technically busts our SSI open water limit of 60ft. Reading google reviews of Frenchies and others, many people have positive experiences, but the most common negative experience is impatient and grumpy divemasters. This is going to be a nonstarter for us, as I don't want to be rushed in a safety-critical environment. I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for newb-friendly shops, or general guidance on whether these dives are appropriate for our current skill level. We'd be open to hiring a dedicated divemaster or extra guide to stick on us.

It seemed like Belize Diving Services would have been the go-to shop before their move.

For reference, the Coronado trip was very fun, but heavy (for us) surface current made it hard to rejoin the boat at the end. Obviously visibility would be the best we've ever seen but wondering about the depths needed and the current at the typical sites in the area.

This is probably the 'trial by fire' in terms of keeping my wife interested in diving, so I really want to make sure we have a great experience, even if it's kind of basic!

 

[schuylerclark]

I can't speak to Caye Caulker, but my wife and I stayed and dived on Ambergris Caye just north of there. We did many dives there in the 60'-80' range with just OW cert. There was always the option of staying a bit above the group and these were all with a DiveMaster along (sometimes 2). We also did the Blue Hole (130' - don't tell the scuba police), but that was with 4 DMs herding a dozen divers and keeping VERY close watch on us. While Blue Hole was overall a "meh" dive, the other dives on Lighthouse Atoll are awesome. Diving at Hot Chan was really cool as well, and that area is around 30' - I'd definitely recommend.

North FL diving in the Gulf is similar in that much of the wrecks are in that 50'-75' range but no one had a problem taking us out with just OW.

Now that we've taken the Deep course, looking back I feel like those were reasonable dives but I do recognize that we were relying on the DMs for safety. That said, when you're first learning you're always relying on your instructor.

 

[TooCold]

If your training and all dives so far are cold water drysuit dives, then tropical diving is going to be a revelation!. I did fewer than 10 dives on my one trip to Caye Caulker, and as far as I can recall all of them were easy dives in easy conditions that any newbie would enjoy. All my dives were with Frenchie's. It was about 10 years ago however, and the dive experience depends on the guide more than the shop. If Marcos is still there, I'd recommend him. Very laid back.

The highlight of my dives there was the (long) trip to Turneffe Atoll: 3 dives, lunch on shore. Gorgeous vibrant coral, lots of fishies, turtles, huge lobster, a family of eagle rays ... worth the long boat ride there and back.

On the down side, the rental gear was in really sad condition. In fact it convinced me to never again make the mistake of leaving my own gear at home in my desire to travel light. I had problems with 2 different sets of regs, and the first BCD they handed me the waist band came away in my hand when I tried to fasten it. The guy in the shop kept trying to tie it back on and was grumpy with me because I insisted he give me a different one.

I'd recomment dropping into a few of the shops to get a sense of the operation, and talk to some of the guides if you can and explain your situation, concerns, and goals. See who seems to be most sympathetic and accommodating.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[glennster]

take a look at Ramons village on ambergris . more top shelf. well run clean rooms, beautiful beach, safe boats and dive masters. excellent restaurant on premise.

 

[Doc Harry]

We stayed at Ramon's on Ambergris. Really cool resort. The dive ops seems to cater to new and inexperienced divers. We had to stay with the dive master, couldn't go deep, and max dive time was 45 minutes. We always came up with 1,000 psi. Really frustrating limitations for advanced divers.

Belize City and Ambergris are definitely third world. FILTHY. Quite disappointing. I've traveled through 45 countries and I've seen a lot, but Belize was definitely more run-down and dirty than I could tolerate. Overall the experience was "fair." We will never go back to Belize for any reason.

FYI the food at the restaurants in Ambergris was actually really good.

 

[also_anon_dc]

No one has mentioned this so I want to make sure you know you can pay extra for your own private dive guide. That's what I did the first few times until I was comfortable. You don't have to dive with a large group and follow the group's dive plan if you need extra time and attention.

 

[Doc Harry]

No one has mentioned this so I want to make sure you know you can pay extra for your own private dive guide. That's what I did the first few times until I was comfortable. You don't have to dive with a large group and follow the group's dive plan if you need extra time and attention.

Outstanding advice.
After OW, my wife and I continued taking classes and working towards Advanced Open Water. This meant that we had our own private dive guide (i.e., instructor) until we had about 50 dives and felt more comfortable diving by ourselves.

 

[chillyinCanada]

You might be more comfortable in West End, Roatan, Honduras for your first warm water trip.

I recommend West End Divers.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Why have you picked Belize? Do you plan to do other land adventures when you are there or is this trip, only about the diving?

 

[Doc Harry]

You might be more comfortable in West End, Roatan, Honduras for your first warm water trip.

Honduras is classified as a high risk for security concerns:

"Protests are frequently violent and may target or disrupt foreigners; they may be exacerbated by governance issues, including security or law and order capacity. Violent crime and terrorism pose significant direct or incidental risks to travellers and international assignees. Communal, sectarian or racial violence is common and foreigners may be directly targeted. Certain parts of the country are inaccessible or off-limits to the traveller."

Risk Map — International SOS

Go to the upper left corner and click on the LAYERS icon, then select SECURITY

I've traveled to half-a-dozen countries rated as EXTREME SECURITY RISK or HIGH SECURITY RISK (e.g., Somalia and Pakistan), but I won't be returning to Honduras.