Cheryl Petreman
New
I've just returned from my third trip to Itza (enchanted waters -- Itza Resort: Belize Dive Resort on Lighthouse Reef Atoll) . I usually go with my dive buddy/husband but this time I dove with the guide, while hanging out on shore with my snorkeling sister & 83-year-old mother.
Hubby's underwater photos are available at Itza Resort, Belize, March 2022
Depending on traffic, it takes between 20 & 40 minutes to get to the Princess Ramada Hotel from BZE. From the back dock, it is a two hour (54 mile) boat ride to Long Caye. The ocean was flat calm for our trip out . The return was considerably bumpier, but still ok, because we were travelling downwind. The group that arrived mid-week apparently had a terrible trip to the island.
This is an eco-lodge. Water is either collected from the roof or hauled in from the mainland. Each room has an ensuite, but the composting toilets can be a little stinky. Showers are cold. But it's 30C during the day, so I never thought that was a problem. There are fans, but no air conditioning. I dove on air, but offering Nitrox is in the works.
From Long Caye the furthest dive site is about 15 minutes away (the famous Blue Hole, which you only ever need to dive once). Half-moon Caye is maybe 10 minutes, but everything else is 2-5 minutes away from the dock, which is just to the left of the resort (shared with Hurican). On our first trip, bad weather meant that we walked across the island (less than 10 min) to the back dock. Complaints about the bugs had the guide dropping us off at the front dock before themselves parking at the back... Unless you're going inland, mosiquitos are only a problem at dawn & dusk. Staff usually burn mosquito coils during supper in the outdoor dining room.
The resort offers 5 dives a day with valet service. I handed off my BCD & Regs on arrival, requested the appropriate amount of lead & received them back rinsed a week later. You take your fins & snorkel with you in the morning & back to your room when you're done for the day. You go out in small boats with a guide. Do a backwards roll into the water. Upon completion of a saftety stop, you hand your gear to the boat tender & climb in via the ladder. The guide is usually between 60 & 70 ft, but doesn't fuss if you're above or below him. You dive along the wall until someone's at half tank & then return above the reef.
I did three dives a day with Jeff & a boat tender. Water averaged 81F. We were joined twice a day by a Californian couple. Stunning sponges & coral from 20 - 80 feet. Some bleaching on the brain & plate corals, but not as bad as we saw in Cozumel in Nov. 2023. Reef & nurse sharks on every dive, a couple of morays, 4 sightings of eagle rays, a couple of daytime squid & an octopus, file, trigger & cow fish, trumpets, groupers that follow you around like labradors, etc. My sister saw turtles while snorkeling at Half-Moon, but none of the divers saw any. We have seen many there on previous trips.
Three meals & two snacks/day are included. Breakfast always includes fresh fruit, followed by some sort of protein (eggs, or beans & fry jacks). Snacks tended to be muffins, cookies or bananas in the morning, with something savoury in the afternoon. Fish, conch, pork, chicken or steak were offered for lunch & dinner. There was a little more variety on previous trips ( our snacks repeated! ), but this particular chef cooked more Belizean dishes. The Californian liked to go spear fishing from a kayak. His catch was always cooked & presented to him alongside his meal. Mother got a special cake
Hubby's underwater photos are available at Itza Resort, Belize, March 2022
Depending on traffic, it takes between 20 & 40 minutes to get to the Princess Ramada Hotel from BZE. From the back dock, it is a two hour (54 mile) boat ride to Long Caye. The ocean was flat calm for our trip out . The return was considerably bumpier, but still ok, because we were travelling downwind. The group that arrived mid-week apparently had a terrible trip to the island.
This is an eco-lodge. Water is either collected from the roof or hauled in from the mainland. Each room has an ensuite, but the composting toilets can be a little stinky. Showers are cold. But it's 30C during the day, so I never thought that was a problem. There are fans, but no air conditioning. I dove on air, but offering Nitrox is in the works.
From Long Caye the furthest dive site is about 15 minutes away (the famous Blue Hole, which you only ever need to dive once). Half-moon Caye is maybe 10 minutes, but everything else is 2-5 minutes away from the dock, which is just to the left of the resort (shared with Hurican). On our first trip, bad weather meant that we walked across the island (less than 10 min) to the back dock. Complaints about the bugs had the guide dropping us off at the front dock before themselves parking at the back... Unless you're going inland, mosiquitos are only a problem at dawn & dusk. Staff usually burn mosquito coils during supper in the outdoor dining room.
The resort offers 5 dives a day with valet service. I handed off my BCD & Regs on arrival, requested the appropriate amount of lead & received them back rinsed a week later. You take your fins & snorkel with you in the morning & back to your room when you're done for the day. You go out in small boats with a guide. Do a backwards roll into the water. Upon completion of a saftety stop, you hand your gear to the boat tender & climb in via the ladder. The guide is usually between 60 & 70 ft, but doesn't fuss if you're above or below him. You dive along the wall until someone's at half tank & then return above the reef.
I did three dives a day with Jeff & a boat tender. Water averaged 81F. We were joined twice a day by a Californian couple. Stunning sponges & coral from 20 - 80 feet. Some bleaching on the brain & plate corals, but not as bad as we saw in Cozumel in Nov. 2023. Reef & nurse sharks on every dive, a couple of morays, 4 sightings of eagle rays, a couple of daytime squid & an octopus, file, trigger & cow fish, trumpets, groupers that follow you around like labradors, etc. My sister saw turtles while snorkeling at Half-Moon, but none of the divers saw any. We have seen many there on previous trips.
Three meals & two snacks/day are included. Breakfast always includes fresh fruit, followed by some sort of protein (eggs, or beans & fry jacks). Snacks tended to be muffins, cookies or bananas in the morning, with something savoury in the afternoon. Fish, conch, pork, chicken or steak were offered for lunch & dinner. There was a little more variety on previous trips ( our snacks repeated! ), but this particular chef cooked more Belizean dishes. The Californian liked to go spear fishing from a kayak. His catch was always cooked & presented to him alongside his meal. Mother got a special cake
