Cozumel or Belize?

[alisonjones]

I need opinions from those who have dived in both locations. I'm a huge fan of Cozumel...never a bad dive, excellent accommodation options, safe (diving and on shore), relatively inexpensive. BUT my fiance and I are trying to branch out and explore options (including Belize) for a Thanksgiving week dive. Can anyone offer comparisons? Thanks!

 

[pidgiepoo]

wanted to subscribe to this post. We're Coz divers, but want to go to Belize soon. Looking for an all inclusive and good dive op.
Hope someone answers this who's knowledgable about both.
P

 

[cappyjon431]

I've dived both hundreds of times (more in Belize because I worked on a liveaboard there) and unless you are going to go on a liveaboard and do the three atolls offshore (Turneffe, Lighthouse, and Glovers) I would recommend sticking with Cozumel. The diving from Ambergris (Hol Chan, Shark Ray alley) is OK, but the best dives offered are the ones out on the atolls which are very expensive to access from a land based operator. If you do Belize, skip the Blue Hole-it was a disappointment for the large majority of our guests (so much so that we discontinued doing it for many years). Hope this helps.

 

[diverrex]

I've been to Belize (AC only each time) and Cozumel each twice. They each have good diving and other attractions. They are very different topside. Make sure you research carefully to know what you want. I'm not sure which I prefer. Coz probably has more colors and more fish. Belize has more large fish: nurse sharks, groupers, eagle rays. We probably saw an eagle ray on every other dive in Belize. I've never seen one in Coz. Coz has about 70,000 residents, Belize AC only about 5,000, but even with that Belize does have enough nice restaurants to keep one happy for a week. The best diving as has already been posted is at the atolls, but then you are either on a livaboard or one of the few atoll resorts with not much else but diving going on. Maybe that's what you want. I'd glady to go back to Coz or Belize, plan to in fact.

 

[petermichelle]

hard to choose. Both are good diving for different reasons. Coz has tons of fish and colour. Belize has the eagle rays, nurse sharks. Both have great diving within a few minutes of shore. Coz has more stores and restaurants. But AC is a wonderful experience -- get away from it all and really chill out. If you've done Coz a few times, I'd give AC a try. Go see Robbie at Chuck and Robbies. A nice small operation -- no cattle cars and they pay attention to your needs.

 

[scuba stan]

Ambrigus Caye in Belize had great diving. Also consider Turks and Caicos, as good as any of the others. My favorite spot for diving is Little Cayman but nothing else on the island

 

[peterbj7]

I've done thousands of dives in Belize and just a few at Cozumel. On the strength of those few I have no hesitation is saying that Belize diving is better. And I'm in a minority because I really like the spur-and-groove coral formations off Ambergris Caye. Wall dives you can find all over the world, and although the ones at Lighthouse are very good they're not close to being the best I've done anywhere. But spur-and-groove formations are very unusual, and make for a fascinating diving experience.

 

[Tomeck]

I am Swiss citizen, I do not need a visa to go to Cozumel, but I have to have a visa for Belize.

 

[peterbj7]

Visas aren't difficult to obtain, are they? I choose to go to lots of places that require a visa.

 

[Tomeck]

Visas aren't difficult to obtain, are they? I choose to go to lots of places that require a visa.

I don't know a difficulty of visa for Belize, but Switzerland is an only West European country to have to have a visa, my neighbors such France, Germany and Italy can travel without visa. I feel I am not 'welcomed'.