February Cruise Diving Belize or Roatan

[BamaDiver23]

Hey guys, my fiancé and I will be cruising to Belize and Rotan towards the end of February. We want to go diving at one of these destinations and I wanted to get your opinion on which is better. Also, should we book the excursion through the cruise line or use a private guide? If a private guide, then do you have any recommendations? We are both certified divers, but have never done an ocean dive. Thank you!

 

[Altamira]

I would recommend diving both ports. However, if I could only dive one place, it would be Belize. Also, since this is your first ocean dive, I would recommend using the ship's dive op at Belize or Roatan so you do not have to worry or think about anything other than enjoying your dives. The ship vendors at both ports are excellent. Your ship vendor in Belize will probably be Hugh Parkey's dive op taking you to Turneffe Atoll, which I like better than Roatan's reefs for the most part. The advantage of taking the ship's op in Belize is they pick you up and drop you back at the ship so you do not have to deal with tendering which can be problematic if you are trying to join up with an off ship op. At Roatan, the ship's op is AKR which I have also have used, and have had excellent dives with them, so I can strongly recommend them as well. If you are going to dock at Mahogany Bay in Roatan, I can also highly recommend Barefoot Divers which has a dive departing at 1000 for cruise divers, and then you can have lunch and then take their afternoon dive for a two tank dive. A problem that I have found with February Caribbean cruises is the possibility of "a Norther" cold front/wind which can really screw up dive operations and cruise ship itineraries. I have been re-routed on more than one occasion, and trying to revise and reschedule dive reservations with off ship vendors can be very frustrating using the ship's erratic satellite based internet.

Hiring a private DM for your first two tank ocean dives is not a bad idea (but not critical), and can further reduce your stress and allow you to have maximum fun on your dives. Be sure to let the DMs know these are your first ocean dives so they can help you have the best dives possible.

 

[diversteve]

Here's some options for Roatan:

Anthony's Key is the cruise operator for most lines. They provide a boat just for their daily cruise traffic. And a shuttle since they're north and the port(s) are south. I believe you can also book this thru your cruise line: Two Tank Certified Dive Excursion | Anthony's Key Resort | Roatan

Another option might be Barefoot Divers. I'd think reliably they're going to have a smaller group and they do provide a high level of service. They advertise it as a valet diving experience and it was. Also they dive the south side which will be better for spotting smaller creatures shallower typically. If you're on Carnival they're your closest option. You pay for a cab ride but I think they set that up for you also if asked. Dive Tours Roatán - Ship Shore Excursions - Barefoot Divers

A third option is Subway Watersports. I don't know much about them except I believe they offer free pickup and take you back to their Turquoise Bay location on the north side to dive. Roatan Shore Excursions | Subway Watersports

No idea on Belize except I have read that the ships operator is Hugh Parkey's and they pick-up off the ship since Belize is a tender port. It's supposed to be faster than tendering into Belize City and walking over to another operator nearby.

---------- Post added January 13th, 2016 at 11:19 AM ----------

Adding to the above post since I didn't see it till I posted mine, typically on Roatan the north side gets blown out first in winter. In fact operators like AKR move boats south for their guests and shuttle them over when it happens, often the south side is still diveable.

 

[SOFDiver]

Just completed NCL cruise. I did 3 of the 4 dive trips scheduled by the cruise line. Dive in Costa Maya was cancelled due to high seas. Roatan dive was operated by Anthony Key Resort, a large and very professional operation. Dive was very nice, and geared to even the newest diver. Belize dive was operated by Hugh Parkey's. diversteve's info is right on re. both operations. I don't think you could go wrong with either location as both dives are almost the same except for specifics of operation, but of the two I thought the Anthony Keys dive would be better for a new diver. Personally despite the fact that I dislike Mexico in general, the dive in Cozumel was best of the 3 (First dive on reef and wall, Second dive drift dive). Operator was great dispite staff issues a result of New Years Day. Have a good trip!

 

[BamaDiver23]

Thank guys for the information. Very much appreciated.

 

[yle]

Just to add a few cents worth to the above posts, regarding diving Belize: using the ship's op (Hugh Parkey's) is much better than using an independent op. I've done both. Apparently there is only one dive op in Belize City. They charged us about $20 less than the Hugh Parkey trip through the ship, but we spent a lot of downtime on the tender into the city, waiting at the shop, and tender back to the ship. With HP, they picked us up right at the cruise ship and took us to their shop (not on the mainland) for paperwork and gear rental. We then left the shop for the dives, which were pretty much average for that area of the Caribbean (i.e. very nice, but not mind-blowing spectacular.)

 

[pepperbelly]

I took a cruise on Carnival in mid January. Book the dive excursion through the cruise ship. It may never happen but if the excursion is late returning to the ship it makes a difference. If it's a ship excursion the ship will not leave until you are on board. If you book an excursion on your own and are late they will leave without you and it will be up to you to travel to the next port of call.
I dove Cozumel, snorkeled Belize and dove Roatan. Roatan was through Anthony'e Key Resort. They are professional and a class act. I loved diving the reef and over the wall and am looking forward to returning.

 

[scubatonysj]

I dove Cozumel, snorkeled Belize and dove Roatan. Roatan was through Anthony'e Key Resort. They are professional and a class act. I loved diving the reef and over the wall and am looking forward to returning.

Hello pepperbelly, did you have a preference between the three sites? I'll be visiting Roatan, Belize and Cozumel Jan 2017 and wonder which ones to dive at if I have to choose 1 or 2 of the three.

 

[BamaDiver23]

Hello Scubatonysj, since my original post I have since dove Roatan (AKR) and Cozumel (Aldora). Both places offer excellent diving opportunities, and I enjoyed both. However, I have to say that I am partial to Cozumel, maybe because I was able to do a lot more dives there, who knows. The water in Cozumel is a brilliant torques blue with vis in the 100'-150' range. It is drift diving, which usually just means that you float and let the current push you the majority of the time. There are also a lot of different swimthroughs in the coral at Cozumel, which is really neat. If you do choose Cozumel, I would try to contact Aldora Divers (don't use the cruise ship op) and see if they can accommodate your schedule. Aldora is valet diving at its finest and they use larger 120cf tanks, which gave us an average bottom time of 80-90 minutes. You also do your surface interval at a local beach club with good view and beautiful beaches.

I was only able to do 2 dives in Roatan using AKR, but it was nice as well. Simple answer is, DIVE BOTH!

 

[pepperbelly]

Scubatonysj, if you can only dive 2 sites I would do Cozumel and Roatan. Both are relatively short boat rides to the dive sites- AKR is a very short ride. Belize is a longer ride so the dives may be rushed. I think Belize is best when you can stay there instead of a cruise excursion.
The drift diving at Cozumel is good, but I really liked the reefs at Roatan.