Bringing camera, $$$ etc....cave tubing??

[Deemuch]

Hello.

 

After reading through these posts, I have decided to book the cave tubing tour from all the recommendations I seen on cave-tubing.com

 

I have a few questions...can anyone who took a tour on the past, please tell me of their experience in regards to the following:

 

We are family of 4, 2 kids 8 & 11 yrs. I booked online just 4 of us. Will we meet up with other people that have booked with them also?...

 

I want to bring my regular camera ( not a digital ) in addition to a water camera. I am planning to take my regular camera in a waterproof bag, and carry it on me, so that i can take pictures of the hike & jungles & the caves etc on the hike to the tubing, and then while more relaxed spots of tubing , I can pull it out & take pics, and of the caves too if possible.

I don't like the quailty of a water camera.

 

Anyone done this, or seen people who did?? Are you at great risk for getting camera wet...?

 

Also...did you leave your money, credit card, & valuables ( passports) or whatever you take off ship with you, did you feel safe to leave them in their locked vehicle? Or should you carry this stuff on you at all times??

 

What is recommended for tips? We are family of 4, what should we except to leave as resonable tip, and do we tip every guide, driver etc...or just one lump tip from all of us at the end??

 

Also...since they are located outside the terminal area...is that a safe place to go? I have never been to Belize & I know you are not supposed to leave the area but I don't know what area that is? I was just wondering why they wouldnt be located in the terminal , is it becuase they are not valid tour company or are they?

 

Anyone having any info in regards to the above questions...it would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank-you

[queeni]

We went with cave-tubing.com the end of May. I had seen on the roll call that there were others booked with them on our cruise. I met some on the tender boat going over by asking who else was going with cave-tubing.com. We were happy to be together knowing we were both trying to get to the same place. If I had it to do over again I would try to meet up with others who you know are cave tubing ahead of time on the roll call and make plans of where to meet on the ship. I have to admit that the morning of the excursion I was a little more nervous than I thought I would be about Belize, but everything was fine. One of the guys with cave-tubing.com met us and we just followed him to Yhonny and the bus.

 

As for the camera, yes it will get wet. We kept all our money on us in a water wallet around our neck. We just wore a waterproof watch and left all jewelry in the safe on the ship. We left our change of clothes and towels on the bus. It's just plain common sense not to leave a wallet there.

 

Keep in mind that your hands will be busy holding the tube and paddling water. Don't bring anything you need to hold onto off the bus. There is not a lot of time for photos. We brought a disposable waterproof camera with a handle that you could attatch to your wrist or life jacket. They do rush you along so you have time for both caves and lunch. I think it's one of those enjoy the moment excursions without being distracted by trying to video or take pictures.

 

We did buy the video Lenny was selling. He filmed most of the excursion and did a great job.

 

As for the tip, they collect it at the end on the bus ride back and say they split it with everyone.

 

Have Fun!

[PaddleAddict]

I am planning to take my regular camera in a waterproof bag, and carry it on me, so that i can take pictures of the hike & jungles & the caves etc on the hike to the tubing, and then while more relaxed spots of tubing , I can pull it out & take pics, and of the caves too if possible.

I don't like the quailty of a water camera.

 

Anyone done this, or seen people who did?? Are you at great risk for getting camera wet...?

 

I wouldn't do that. The water can be rough. Not in a scary way, but in an unpredictable way as you cruise through certain parts (small rapids). I think you would be taking a very big risk taking your camera out near the water.

 

Now, we did take our digital, but what we did was invest in a waterproof housing for our particular camera (Canon). It was $180 and SO worth it. We took it snorkeling, to the beach, cave tubing, etc. Everywhere we went people were asking us about it.

 

Also, this excurision is very safe. It's away from the city (they bus you about an hour or so away) and beautiful. They meet you the moment you step off your ship and the terminal where the cruise ship passengers are dropped off is not open to the public--you have to have a cruise card to enter--and has security guards. It's very safe. And although I personally wouldn't, many people on these boards report walking about Belize City with no problems.

[Deemuch]

Thanks everyone for the information, it has been given me a bit more insight! appreciate it.

 

I guess I still have some concerns. If it was just me & the husband, then that would be different, we have white water rafted & we love this kinds of excursions. However, I have my young kids to think about, and safety for them, is my priority.

 

Does anyone know if the river water is shallow or deep through most of the excursion? I ask becuase I seen video where it shows people stands in waist high water pulling their tubes along....but it is a river, so most likely it is deeper in most area's over the head??

 

Also...I know there are mini rapids...now when going through these as a chain, is it strong enough to pull the chain apart? And if so, is there possibility of the tube flipping over? Again, I ask becuase i have concerns for my youngest, who would be terrified if this happened. While she would have fun tubing I think, I have to get a handle on just how "fast" and rough this rapids are, becuase if she gets thrown into the water, and starts floating downstream, I think this will not be a good idea. She has taken a few swimming lessons but technically can't swim...maybe doggle paddle...so this is something to consider. If I was holding her, thats fine, but we are all in separate tubes....so I have to think of the "what if's".....

 

Don't want to over-react, but again this is a real river, not necessarily predictable...so I want to be really informed...and worst case I opt out & do another exucrison more suitable to my kids. Lamanai river excursion is my second choice....

 

 

thanks again, I just love these boards, they are so informative! What did we ever do before the internet!!! :)

[Deemuch]

I love the idea of Camera Housing!!! Please tell me what model camera you have & a bit more info on the housing etc. I need to buy a new Digital, the one I have I dont use for vacation pics & stuff, I use it for ebay & sending quick pics of family etc... But for my REAL photo's I still use my Canon Sureshot Zoom, it's about 19 yrs old but it takes really GREAT photo's...even after all these years, I still have people asking me what kind of camera I use. When I compare to other people who use digital camera ( even good quality ones ), mine are still much better!

 

I want to invest in a good digital, and nothing will replace my old camera until i find one that can do just as good of a job, quality wise. I have borrowed friends camera's to experiment with, and still have not have anything compare. Digital prints are just not the same quality I find. I will never print my own, I take WAYYY too pics for that to ever happen. Even going through tons of rolls of film & getting double prints, I still soend way less than someone who does digital prints. So I still prefer the "film"

 

ANYWAYS...that being said, as I am sure thats a whole other discussion...:D

 

How would you rate your camera?. I love the waterproof housing & would buy it alone just on that fact, even if it meant still using my "old" camera for everything else. Is the housing easy to take on/off when not using in water? How is the quality of prints?

 

If you dont mind, tell me a bit about your camera & specs...I am very interested , I can do some research on it, if you provide me with model # etc..

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Now, we did take our digital, but what we did was invest in a waterproof housing for our particular camera (Canon). It was $180 and SO worth it. We took it snorkeling, to the beach, cave tubing, etc. Everywhere we went people were asking us about it.

 

[Freem06]

[As for the tip, they collect it at the end on the bus ride back and say they split it with everyone.

 

How much should I bring for a tip. This is the first time I have heard of this. I am using cave-tubing .com

[PaddleAddict]

Does anyone know if the river water is shallow or deep through most of the excursion? I ask becuase I seen video where it shows people stands in waist high water pulling their tubes along....but it is a river, so most likely it is deeper in most area's over the head??

 

Also...I know there are mini rapids...now when going through these as a chain, is it strong enough to pull the chain apart? And if so, is there possibility of the tube flipping over?:)

 

Well, yes, it is a river, but honestly, when I was there in September it was very mellow. Yes, there are deeper places, but there are also shallow places where you could stand. I think it also depends on the time of year (how much rainfall they have had). They do have life jackets attached to the tube that you can use if you feel nervous. When I went, the rapids were really tiny. I am using the term "rapid" loosely, although I am sure that at certain times of the year they get bigger.

 

All in all, it was very safe, and cave-tubing.com links you all together in a chain so you can float along. It's very dark in the caves, though. How are your kids with the dark? I still wouldn't bring your digital camera though. It would get wet.

[PaddleAddict]

I love the idea of Camera Housing!!! Please tell me what model camera you have & a bit more info on the housing etc.

The housing we have is for the Canon SD600 PowerShot camera. The housing is called the Canon WP-DC4 Waterproof Case for Canon SD600 Digital Camera, and I bought it for $175 plus shipping on Amazon. It is also available on the Canon website, but it's more expensive.

As for the camera, it's my boyfriend's camera and I bought it for him for his birthday. It's a really nice camera. I have an earlier version of this camera, the SD450. Mine is nice--it's small and compact. It takes pretty nice photos, but not the greatest in the world. It doesn't do as well in low light, and the zoom function doesn't take good images. The SD600 does much better in low light, and produces images that a bit nicer than mine. I believe the next level up of the PowerShot models does even better, and has better stabilization.

I really love Canon for digital cameras. They're nice, they're compact (the PowerShot series) and they take nice photos.

As far as printing, I hear you on digital images. They are tricky. But I have found that it's a combination of your resolution and the printer you use. I have received some very nice prints from Shutterfly and a few other online photo processors. If you have at least 6 or 7 megapixels, and you're shooting at the highest quality, I would recommend trying Shutterfly or Snapfish for prints. They're pretty cheap, and they come out nice.

As far as the underwater camera housing goes, it is SUPER cool. They offer different housings for the different model cameras, so it fits your camera perfectly and you can use all the same functions as if it were out of the housing. You need to make sure to apply the lubrication for the o-ring to ensure a watertight seal. If you are going to humid place, you need to put the camera in the housing before you go outside (preferably in air conditioning) or you might get fog build up on the inside of the housing. It took really great pics and we never had a problem with leakage. Be careful, though, because this product is not guaranteed NOT to leak (although it 99.9% won't leak). You can test it out when you get it by submerging it with tissue paper inside to see if it leaks. We had no problems.

Hope this helps!

[Deemuch]

Thanks paddleaddict for the info !

 

When you say dark, do you mean totally darkness, and for long periods of time, or just brief float-throughs of darkness?

 

Didi anyone's tube break away from the chainlink??

 

Thanks

 

 

All in all, it was very safe, and cave-tubing.com links you all together in a chain so you can float along. It's very dark in the caves, though. How are your kids with the dark? I still wouldn't bring your digital camera though. It would get wet.

[Deemuch]

 

The housing we have is for the Canon SD600 PowerShot camera. The housing is called the Canon WP-DC4 Waterproof Case for Canon SD600 Digital Camera, and I bought it for $175 plus shipping on Amazon. It is also available on the Canon website, but it's more expensive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks paddleaddict for all the info!:)

 

I will be sure to look into it, even if canon has other models, if they also have the water housing case , I love that idea...so that's exciting!!

 

Did you do snorkling with that camera, and how did that turn out? And you said you took pics of the tubing ride?? Did they turn out as well??

 

 

Thanks

[PaddleAddict]

I would say that you are in the dark for about 20 minutes or so--the duration of going through one cave. If you do two caves, it would be two 20-minute periods of darkness. It's pretty dark. Not pitch black or anything, but definitely hard to see. Everyone gets head lamps, but they are rather dim. Yes, I think it would be possible to break off from the chain, but not particularly likely. It's pretty safe. We saw kids doing it when we went.

 

Yes, we took the camera snorkeling, swimming with the stingrays, swimming at the beaches, in the pool on the ship and cave tubing. It was great! The pictures turned out really nice--just as if it wasn't in the housing. It's a great product.

[queeni]

I thought the second cave was dark for a longer period of time, but it was so crowded that all the little lights made it so that you could see those around you. I really enjoyed the first cave more because our group was the only ones in there and it was just really neat. I felt bad for the cruise excursion people who only saw the second cave. They missed out.

 

The river was low when we were there and some parts outside of the cave were only about 3 to 4 inches of water over small pebbles. We wanted to walk at that point, but our guide would not allow it and pulled us the whole way over the rocks.

 

The only thing that bothered me about being in a chain the whole time was my neck started to kill me and there was no way to change your position. I really wanted to let my feet down in the center of the tube, but like I said the guide would not allow it. The only advantage to the cruise excursion is that you can sit in your tube any way you like and pause or speed up as you please. That being said, I would still book with Yhonny again. You get more for your money.

[Deemuch]

Thanks again Paddleaddict & others for all the additional info...

 

Can you buy postcards from them ( cave-tubing.com ) or somewhere esle in Belize , pics of the caves you have visited?

 

You say it is dark in the caves for about 20 min...are you at a standstill for alot of that time, looking at the walls of the caves? or are you in fact moving, but the caves just happen to be big & thats why it takes so long? Just curious....any bats??

 

I never considered the water level of the river. I guess you cannot predict what it will be then...so it could be low & slow or fairly high with faster rapids. I wonder if time of year has anything to do with it? Maybe certain times of the year would be considered rainy season...we are going in January...anyone have any idea when rainy season is in Belize??

 

 

As always...thanks :)

[PaddleAddict]

Not sure when the rainy season is, but yes, the river will be deeper and run more quickly when it has been raining a lot.

 

In the caves, the water was moving rather slowly, so that's why I say 20 mintues. The quicker the water is moving, the quicker you would go through. And I only went through one cave. Maybe the other cave is shorter?

 

I actually did see a bat, but only in the dry cave we walked through. As we walked through the bat flew around. I sort of poked my head in a little deeper into the cave where it was darker and I could hear lots of them squeaking and rustling. I thought it was neat, but bats don't bother me. I wouldn't worry about it too much, unless you have a terrible phobia.

[Deemuch]

I actually did see a bat, but only in the dry cave we walked through. As we walked through the bat flew around. I sort of poked my head in a little deeper into the cave where it was darker and I could hear lots of them squeaking and rustling. I thought it was neat, but bats don't bother me. I wouldn't worry about it too much, unless you have a terrible phobia.

 

 

No, not afraid of bats, thought it would be neat to see some. I figured caves would have bats, but you wouldnt necessarily see them or hear them...was just curious :)