I am back! Unfortunately, I would classify this particular trip as mediocre overall - nothing special. Reasons are varied...not liking NCL very much anymore, I got sick, etc. But let's get to the diving!
In Roatan, we used West End Divers. Everything went smoothly, including the round-trip transportation. No rushing at all. The seas were calm. The one thing I noticed, but didn't mind considering our circumstances (newbies and cruise divers), was that they didn't take us out very far and we didn't go down very deep (deepest was about 60 feet). I could tell the DM was cautious with us on our first dive. Then, after the DM saw our skills, he decided to take us to some swim-throughs that were really narrow. The seas were calm, the vis was pretty good, and the corals and sea life was pretty good. I saw the biggest turtle towards the end of the dive I have ever saw. We had a boat, a captain and a DM all to ourselves. We paid extra for the private DM. I would not hesitate to go with them again.
In Belize City, we did the Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley Snorkel by Air. The "by air" part is an experience that I'd highly recommend, although there are some logistical things that I know now that would've made the trip less stressful. On our way back from San Pedro, it was just the 2 of us and the pilot, like a private jet! And the scenery that you see from the plane is quite awesome. The snorkelling was ok, but as a diver, I just don't get as excited by snorkelling! We saw nurse sharks, eels, sting rays, corals and fish. There were people on our boat that did diving. I asked the DM how it was possible to dive and then fly...his response was, "You don't go down very deep (max. 30 feet) and you don't go up very high in the plane." Ok, but we chose not to take the risk. The dive shop on this excursion was Aqua Scuba. I'm neutral about them.
In Costa Maya, we walked out to where the yellow cabs were parked and paid USD$2 per person one way to Yaya Beach Club where Doctor Dive was located. We thought that was the cheapest we've ever paid for a cab! We requested a private DM but when we got there, it appeared we weren't getting one. Apparently, another couple were also beginners and they wanted the 4 of us to dive together. I insisted and then "a DM showed up". We paid extra and the other couple lucked out - they got a private DM without paying for it. Like in Playa del Carmen, they don't have a dock. You wade into the water and climb onto the boat, but they carry all the equipment for you. And the dive shop is basically on the beach and very close to the boat. Once on the boat, Alberto, who I believe is also the owner of the shop, gave a very thorough briefing. We could tell right away that these guys were very safety conscious. The other couple got Alberto as their DM and we got Tito. The other couple said they were only certified to 60 feet, and didn't want to go any deeper. I don't think they ever went beyond 55 feet or so. Our first dive was a little rough for me, with stronger currents. I wasn't feeling well within 10 minutes of the dive and requested to ascend. I was seasick. I didn't do my second dive, but my husband did with Tito and he thought it was good. Surface interval was on the beach. They had water, bananas and cookies for us. They have rinse tanks for your gear and racks to dry them. Afterwards, we took a cab back to the pier and again we didn't feel rushed at all.
I think due to a combination of dehydration, too much sun and over-exertion, I was under the weather by the time we reached Costa Maya. Therefore, I was prone to seasickness and general queeziness, which I never experienced before on a cruise or diving. I cancelled my 2nd dive, but I also thought it prudent to cancel the next day's diving in Cozumel as well. I knew that Coz was generally drift diving and they tend to go deeper than 60 feet, so in my weakened condition, it wouldn't have been a good call to do the dives. I asked Alberto if he could help me make the call and he was gracious enough to lend me his cell phone and call Aldora for me. And, Aldora was really good about the cancellation. I told them I wasn't feeling well, and they said no problem, and hoped I felt better soon.
Oh, one more thing about ship time vs. local time. Our ship (Norwegian Getaway) changed times to match local times. On the evening of Day 1 (embarkation day), we were advised to turn our clocks back one hour. On the evening of Day 2, we were advised to turn our clocks back another hour, so that when we got to Roatan, the ship`s time would be on Roatan time. No time change on the evening of Day 3, since Belize City was on the same time as Roatan. On the evening of Day 4, we were advised to turn our clocks ahead one hour for Costa Maya and Cozumel. On the evening of Day 6, we were advised to turn our clocks ahead another hour to get back to Miami time.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!
In Roatan, we used West End Divers. Everything went smoothly, including the round-trip transportation. No rushing at all. The seas were calm. The one thing I noticed, but didn't mind considering our circumstances (newbies and cruise divers), was that they didn't take us out very far and we didn't go down very deep (deepest was about 60 feet). I could tell the DM was cautious with us on our first dive. Then, after the DM saw our skills, he decided to take us to some swim-throughs that were really narrow. The seas were calm, the vis was pretty good, and the corals and sea life was pretty good. I saw the biggest turtle towards the end of the dive I have ever saw. We had a boat, a captain and a DM all to ourselves. We paid extra for the private DM. I would not hesitate to go with them again.
In Belize City, we did the Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley Snorkel by Air. The "by air" part is an experience that I'd highly recommend, although there are some logistical things that I know now that would've made the trip less stressful. On our way back from San Pedro, it was just the 2 of us and the pilot, like a private jet! And the scenery that you see from the plane is quite awesome. The snorkelling was ok, but as a diver, I just don't get as excited by snorkelling! We saw nurse sharks, eels, sting rays, corals and fish. There were people on our boat that did diving. I asked the DM how it was possible to dive and then fly...his response was, "You don't go down very deep (max. 30 feet) and you don't go up very high in the plane." Ok, but we chose not to take the risk. The dive shop on this excursion was Aqua Scuba. I'm neutral about them.
In Costa Maya, we walked out to where the yellow cabs were parked and paid USD$2 per person one way to Yaya Beach Club where Doctor Dive was located. We thought that was the cheapest we've ever paid for a cab! We requested a private DM but when we got there, it appeared we weren't getting one. Apparently, another couple were also beginners and they wanted the 4 of us to dive together. I insisted and then "a DM showed up". We paid extra and the other couple lucked out - they got a private DM without paying for it. Like in Playa del Carmen, they don't have a dock. You wade into the water and climb onto the boat, but they carry all the equipment for you. And the dive shop is basically on the beach and very close to the boat. Once on the boat, Alberto, who I believe is also the owner of the shop, gave a very thorough briefing. We could tell right away that these guys were very safety conscious. The other couple got Alberto as their DM and we got Tito. The other couple said they were only certified to 60 feet, and didn't want to go any deeper. I don't think they ever went beyond 55 feet or so. Our first dive was a little rough for me, with stronger currents. I wasn't feeling well within 10 minutes of the dive and requested to ascend. I was seasick. I didn't do my second dive, but my husband did with Tito and he thought it was good. Surface interval was on the beach. They had water, bananas and cookies for us. They have rinse tanks for your gear and racks to dry them. Afterwards, we took a cab back to the pier and again we didn't feel rushed at all.
I think due to a combination of dehydration, too much sun and over-exertion, I was under the weather by the time we reached Costa Maya. Therefore, I was prone to seasickness and general queeziness, which I never experienced before on a cruise or diving. I cancelled my 2nd dive, but I also thought it prudent to cancel the next day's diving in Cozumel as well. I knew that Coz was generally drift diving and they tend to go deeper than 60 feet, so in my weakened condition, it wouldn't have been a good call to do the dives. I asked Alberto if he could help me make the call and he was gracious enough to lend me his cell phone and call Aldora for me. And, Aldora was really good about the cancellation. I told them I wasn't feeling well, and they said no problem, and hoped I felt better soon.
Oh, one more thing about ship time vs. local time. Our ship (Norwegian Getaway) changed times to match local times. On the evening of Day 1 (embarkation day), we were advised to turn our clocks back one hour. On the evening of Day 2, we were advised to turn our clocks back another hour, so that when we got to Roatan, the ship`s time would be on Roatan time. No time change on the evening of Day 3, since Belize City was on the same time as Roatan. On the evening of Day 4, we were advised to turn our clocks ahead one hour for Costa Maya and Cozumel. On the evening of Day 6, we were advised to turn our clocks ahead another hour to get back to Miami time.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!
