Help! Looking for the best snorkeling spot

[cruisingforsix]

Can somebody help me? which is the best area for snorkeling? i don't think we can do ambergris caye because it seems to be a 600 plane ride. so if it is between goffs caye , sergeants caye or caye caulker (which is closest to the ship).

[navybaby1113]

We did Goff's Cay. There was pretty good snorkeling there. The beach was a little rough though.

 

Here's a few pictures that we took. You had the option to snorkel from the boat or from the island, and we did the island.

 

 

 

[cruisingforsix]

Thanks, did you use the ship tour? Was it crowded ?There are several we are looking at including Goffs, Ambergris, Sergeants and Caye Caulker. We are booked for the other ports, hopefully we can decide soon.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Here are some of the things I've done in Belize. "Best" is subjective and also dependent on ship, captain, and crew du jour.

 

Belize: Belize Dec 2008 Cave Tubing

Belize Nov 16, 2006 Page1 Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6

Sep 7, 2006 - Belize Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6

Dec 27, 2005 - Belize Pharmacy@BelizeTouristVillage

Belize Nov 16, 2005 (Snorkel and Bannister Island)

[cruisingforsix]

Great pictures, did you book tours through the ship or independant ones. You said you liked Ambergris Caye too, which tour did you do that with ? There aren't to many that go there.

[Sargent_Schultz]

All ship tours, although I have done independent, too.

 

This is the one that went to San Pedro:

Belize Nov 16, 2006 Page1 Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6

[kujobie]

My vote is for Goff's Caye, booked through the ship. We don't usually do ship tours but I like this one because they pick you right up from the ship. No waiting in line for a tender. No spending 20 minutes tendering each way. You're off the ship first thing in the am and back on before noon. Plenty of time afterwards to eat and clean up and go ashore if you want or just enjoy the ship to yourselves for a few hours. Priceless..

[cruisingforsix]

My vote is for Goff's Caye, booked through the ship. We don't usually do ship tours but I like this one because they pick you right up from the ship. No waiting in line for a tender. No spending 20 minutes tendering each way. You're off the ship first thing in the am and back on before noon. Plenty of time afterwards to eat and clean up and go ashore if you want or just enjoy the ship to yourselves for a few hours. Priceless..

Was it crowded ? that is why we usually avoid the ship tours. we would like to do Ambergris Caye but i there are not to many tours that do it and you have to fly .

[cruisingforsix]

All ship tours, although I have done independent, too.

 

This is the one that went to San Pedro:

Belize Nov 16, 2006 Page1 Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6

Okay, are shark ray alley and ambergris caye together? How did you go ? A ship tour? I don't think carnival has a tour there. they have sergeants caye and caye caulker , i think they have one for goffs too.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Okay, are shark ray alley and ambergris caye together? How did you go ? A ship tour? I don't think carnival has a tour there. they have sergeants caye and caye caulker , i think they have one for goffs too.

 

What is their description for Caye Caulker tour?

 

Here are some pictures from a Carnival Goff's Caye tour:

Sep 7, 2006 - Belize Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6

 

The location of Shark Ray Alley seems to depend on your boat captain, and can vary from Caye Caulker to Ambergris Caye, but I think it is really somewhere in between, closer to Ambergris Caye.

 

http://www.holchanbelize.org/

 

 

Caye Caulker is not far from Ambergris Caye.

 

 

 

 

Carnival's Goff's tour will give you the most snorkel time, I believe. When I did it, I started on the boat snorkel and then just snorkeled to the island.

 

A snorkel and beach break tour actually had some of the best snorkeling, but there is no snorkeling at Bannister, if that is the beach part.

 

Somebody had mentioned Coral Breeze on another thread - they are a booking agent, but they sell a tour. I see they are now calling their location Stingray Alley:

http://www.coralbreezetours.com/Belize/Caye/Caulker/cruise/snorkeling/current_category.15/Product.2/tours_add.html?t_product=2

 

 

This company seems to have a Hol-Chan tour. It looks they take you on a water taxi to/from San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) and a snorkel tour.

http://www.startoursbelize.com/tour.html

 

Here is perhaps the flying tour you might have been talking about:

http://*******************/belize-cruiseships.html

It looks interesting - not sure if it works with your port schedule.

 

Here is another one that says Shark Ray Alley, but???

http://www.ecotoursbelize.com/snorkeling.html

They also have a flight tour.

 

 

This is the tour operator form most cruise lines:

http://belize-excursions.com/bze_gbook.php

 

If you scroll down, they do list a Horse Shoe Reef Shark and Sting Ray snorkel and give a Carnival tour code of 509029. Maybe Carnival doesn't offer it any more?

 

The questions you are asking are reasonable to ask, but are easier to ask than to answer. If there is a perfect snorkel anywhere, every time, I haven't found it.

 

If a tour is feeding fish on a regular basis, they can train them to hang out just about anywhere.

 

There is lots of Belize information, including the islands on this site:

http://www.belizefirst.com/

There is an island guide you can download and pay $5 later if you are satisfied. Or you can email Lan and ask questions, but I don't know if he knows much about snorkeling.

 

Hope this helps!

[cruisingforsix]

What is their description for Caye Caulker tour?

 

Here are some pictures from a Carnival Goff's Caye tour:

Sep 7, 2006 - Belize Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6

 

The location of Shark Ray Alley seems to depend on your boat captain, and can vary from Caye Caulker to Ambergris Caye, but I think it is really somewhere in between, closer to Ambergris Caye.

 

http://www.holchanbelize.org/

 

 

Caye Caulker is not far from Ambergris Caye.

 

 

 

 

Carnival's Goff's tour will give you the most snorkel time, I believe. When I did it, I started on the boat snorkel and then just snorkeled to the island.

 

A snorkel and beach break tour actually had some of the best snorkeling, but there is no snorkeling at Bannister, if that is the beach part.

 

Somebody had mentioned Coral Breeze on another thread - they are a booking agent, but they sell a tour. I see they are now calling their location Stingray Alley:

http://www.coralbreezetours.com/Belize/Caye/Caulker/cruise/snorkeling/current_category.15/Product.2/tours_add.html?t_product=2

 

 

This company seems to have a Hol-Chan tour. It looks they take you on a water taxi to/from San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) and a snorkel tour.

http://www.startoursbelize.com/tour.html

 

Here is perhaps the flying tour you might have been talking about:

http://*******************/belize-cruiseships.html

It looks interesting - not sure if it works with your port schedule.

 

Here is another one that says Shark Ray Alley, but???

http://www.ecotoursbelize.com/snorkeling.html

They also have a flight tour.

 

 

This is the tour operator form most cruise lines:

http://belize-excursions.com/bze_gbook.php

 

If you scroll down, they do list a Horse Shoe Reef Shark and Sting Ray snorkel and give a Carnival tour code of 509029. Maybe Carnival doesn't offer it any more?

 

The questions you are asking are reasonable to ask, but are easier to ask than to answer. If there is a perfect snorkel anywhere, every time, I haven't found it.

 

If a tour is feeding fish on a regular basis, they can train them to hang out just about anywhere.

 

There is lots of Belize information, including the islands on this site:

http://www.belizefirst.com/

There is an island guide you can download and pay $5 later if you are satisfied. Or you can email Lan and ask questions, but I don't know if he knows much about snorkeling.

 

Hope this helps!

We would really like to do the aerial tour with ecotours. we are doing tours with friends from michigan and one of the group is reluctant to do this one. Ihave read good and bad reviews for all the other companies . maybe i should walk away from them for afew days or do eenie meenie.Have to look on carnival again. once i close the page i can't remember anything. guess i should print them off. thanks for all your help.

[texancruzer]

ok.....anybody else thoroughly confused now, like me ???

[cruisingforsix]

Sorry ,random thoughts. Just trying to decide where to go. Idon't know why this one port seemsto be so hard to decide on but it is. If it were up to us i think we would do the aerial trip to ambergris caye but there is one in the group who is reluctant to go . so i guess we are trying to find the next best thing.

[cruisingforsix]

Hi Sarge, thanks for all your help . hopefully we can decide soon. I told our friend in Mich. that are doing this cruise with us to look at all your pics and the tour co. .

[texancruzer]

I know..... sorry - it's just reading that last post with all the options and links got me all $%^#*!&* up.........

 

I have been to Belize before - did cavetubing - had a blast.

 

But for our upcoming visit in March want to "beach" it and snorkle or perhaps even dive..... so I too am researching our options.

 

I am really leaning to doing a ships tour.......the tendering was horrendous last time...... wait in line to get on the tender......20 minutes in....... wait in line to go back...... 20 minutes back. Eats up lots of precious port time.

If I can find something direct from the ship...... I may just bite the bullet and do the ships tour. It's not the cost - its the # of people. Hoping that not too many divers onboard and that will keep the # down. Will see.

[BabySis]

I know..... sorry - it's just reading that last post with all the options and links got me all $%^#*!&* up.........

 

I have been to Belize before - did cavetubing - had a blast.

 

But for our upcoming visit in March want to "beach" it and snorkle or perhaps even dive..... so I too am researching our options.

 

I am really leaning to doing a ships tour.......the tendering was horrendous last time...... wait in line to get on the tender......20 minutes in....... wait in line to go back...... 20 minutes back. Eats up lots of precious port time.

If I can find something direct from the ship...... I may just bite the bullet and do the ships tour. It's not the cost - its the # of people. Hoping that not too many divers onboard and that will keep the # down. Will see.

Texan, check out the RCCL November 28th cruise thread. Ivar Marchand has a boat for private tours. He's taking 6 of us to Goff's Caye for snorkeling, then to Bannister Island for some beach time. Yes, you have to tender, but once you are on his boat, you are away from the maddening crowds and YOU choose where to go and when... search RCCL for Ivar posts and you'll get some great info for an alternative to the ship tours.

[texancruzer]

Texan, check out the RCCL November 28th cruise thread. Ivar Marchand has a boat for private tours. He's taking 6 of us to Goff's Caye for snorkeling, then to Bannister Island for some beach time. Yes, you have to tender, but once you are on his boat, you are away from the maddening crowds and YOU choose where to go and when... search RCCL for Ivar posts and you'll get some great info for an alternative to the ship tours.

 

Thanks. Will do. There are 12 of us total..... but not all will want to go out to the cays - some opting instead to do mainland stuff. Not sure who is doing what yet tho......

 

I have done many private tours and alot of DIY - try to stay away from ships tours....... but the tendering process last time we were there was horrible :( So seriously thinking of any and all alternatives.

[cruisingforsix]

What ship were you on that was horrible to tender? the only line we have had an issue with was ncl. hal and carnival were very easy. ncl makes you wait while they get everbody on their tours off first. which made for alot more confusion than i have ever seen.

[texancruzer]

We were on Legend of the Seas - Royal Caribbean. It was my daughter and I. Long lines going down the stairs......out the door...... then 20 minute ride in. Coming back wasnt too bad.......line on the dock went fairly fast....... but once in the tender we had to wait for it to fill and it was rocking.....and rolling...... and one girl got sick...... yuk. Then 20 minutes back out - couldnt get up close to the ship..... took forever. Almost had to jump from tender to ship - Just the whole thing was horrible.

 

I have tendered before and this was by far the worst. Hope we have smooth seas and short lines :D Sounds like an Irish blessing.....:rolleyes:

[madsbrittsmom]

We hired Ivar Marchand on our Norwegian trip last Feb. He was awesome, he has access to boats and took us anywhere we wanted to go, we went to Bannister for a while and then stayed after all the ship tours left, he took us snorkeling, etc. We had a huge group, 20 of us from New orleans and he was able to accomodate us. He stocked an ice chest full of whatever we wanted. If you email me I can send you his email. Lauren

[texancruzer]

We hired Ivar Marchand on our Norwegian trip last Feb.

If you email me I can send you his email. Lauren

 

email address ?

[madsbrittsmom]

Ivar Marchand...try pbuay@yahoo.com.

[Riverfrontrobin]

We went to Caye Caulker a year ago off of Glory and had an awesome time. We had done the cave tubing and zip lining before, so I wanted to snorkel. The island is small and if you walk down to the split there is a cool open air bar and a channel that I was told was carved out by a hurricane. We saw tons of fish, rays, etc and had the cool feeling of being able to explore without anyone out around us. We are going back to Belize in April and I'm hoping to head back to Caye Caulker or one of the other islands.

[rav4lady]

We went to Caye Caulker a year ago off of Glory and had an awesome time. We had done the cave tubing and zip lining before, so I wanted to snorkel. The island is small and if you walk down to the split there is a cool open air bar and a channel that I was told was carved out by a hurricane. We saw tons of fish, rays, etc and had the cool feeling of being able to explore without anyone out around us. We are going back to Belize in April and I'm hoping to head back to Caye Caulker or one of the other islands.

 

How did you get to Caye Caulker? I was there a few yeards ago and I want to go again on my cruise in November.

[princecay]

Has anyone done the Barrier Reef Snorkel? We're cruising with friends of ours who mentioned this and it looks beautiful. But I don't see any posts about it. :confused: