Help with a Trip Plan - First time

[breken]

SO, after lurking for a good while in this forum, and getting confused with all the options, I'm reaching out for some direct help.

I'm heading to Belize on April 18th through the 2nd of May. It'll be my first time, and I'm horribly excited, I'm starting my adventure in Placentia with quick trip out to hopefully see the Whale Sharks on the 19th (late I know, but I'm hoping for a bit of luck).

From there I figure I'll do another dive or three out of Placentia (any suggestions?) I also want to do a Ruins tour, and maybe a cave tubing/zipline trip. Does anyone know if they run out of Placentia, or can recommend a good outfit?

I have a hotel booked in Placentia for a week, but it was quite cheap, so I'm not married to the idea of staying there, but I'm not sure where to head next. I'm looking to fit in as much good diving as I can. Caye Caulker sounds like my speed, I've also toyed with the idea of getting a dive package on Tobacco Caye.

My goals for the entire trip are as follows:

1. Whale Sharks
2.Bio diving (want to see as much life as possible)
3.Ruins, Cave tubing, zipline
4.Shore dive location (if they exist) so I can finally do my divemaster cert map in water with visibility.
5. Laid back location with fun people to meet/hang out with.

Anyone have anything they could toss my way?

Thanks,

-E

 

[underseasian]

Have a look at the dive packages offered by Thatch Caye, privately owned and run eco resort, close to the reef, whale shark licensed guides and boats, go to the outer reefs as well, great food and really beautiful beaches. We just got back a couple of weeks ago and loved it!

 

[peterbj7]

Agreed. Tobacco Caye has the advantage over Thatch Caye that it is right on the reef and you can snorkel from the beach. That is its only advantage. In all other respects Tobacco Caye is a tip, but Thatch Caye is delightful.

 

[breken]

Thank you both for your advice, what are your feelings about Glover's Atoll? Based on what I can find online, it looks pretty nice.

 

[peterbj7]

I've dived bits of Glover's and liked it, but I've never stayed there. IMHO the diving I did isn't up to the best that Lighthouse has to offer. I'd rate Glover's as around equivalent to Turneffe.

Incidentally, an island base may not seem obvious for land tours like ruins and cave tubing, but Thatch Caye actually works well for that, with frequent boats to the mainland and their own tour buses and guides for these trips. As to doing your DM map, Travis at Thatch Caye has recently done his just off the island and it worked well. Are you looking to finish off your DM course?

 

[breken]

Thanks Peter, I was looking at Thatch Caye and it looked really nice, but the dives to the atolls looked to be quite expensive from there. From what I was reading, the best diving is to be found on the atolls.

Yes, I need to finish up my DM... all I have left on it is the map. Something about creating a underwater dive map in 5-10 feet of vis that seemed to slow me down.

 

[peterbj7]

Just remember what the map is for. Imagine you're about to lead a dive and are briefing your divers on what they'll see, and whether there are any hazards or currents they should be aware of. The map is intended to be a graphical representation of your briefing. Do include any detail that will be pertinent, but don't include information that is irrelevant to their dive. Once you've done it, the way you should present your map to your instructor is as if he is a diver you're about to lead on that dive.

As to atoll diving, I don't think it's any more from there than from other places you can stay. Unless of course you stay out in the atolls, which may seem convenient but I think has serious disadvantages. I've dived both Turneffe and Lighthouse from TCR (Thatch Caye Resort) and they were pleasant relaxed expeditions. Glover's is the closest atoll to TCR but I haven't been there yet. And every trip from Thatch Caye is highly personalised and arranged around what you want to do - they don't do "standard packages".

I don't work for them, though I do occasionally work with them and I like the place!

 

[breken]

Thanks for the info about the map, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it that way before. Maybe being a tech-nerd, I was too focused on the details.

I was thinking about staying out on one of the atolls, either Glovers or Lighthouse (Lighthouse has the better diving I'm hearing?) You mentioned that there were some disadvantages to staying on the atolls? What did you mean? Right now I'm only seeing the convenient part..

Thanks in advance Peter, your posts have helped quite a bit, and not just in this thread..

 

[peterbj7]

If Travis from Thatch Caye sees this thread he might post a bit about staying on the atolls, as he ran a resort on Turneffe for a while. All I meant was that you're pretty much trapped there with little prospect of leaving during your week, and of course eating whatever food they decide to supply you. And there can be bad bugs on some of these islands. On Thatch Caye you're also "trapped", except that they run trips to the mainland or otherwise have boats going to the mainland on most days. Although I have experienced quite bad bugs at the northern-most tip of TCR, they're rarely encountered in the main inhabited part. And the food there is almost always good, sometimes excellent.