Snorkeling in Belize - need help

[NLFlower]

We will be on the NCL Sun in December and would like to go snorkeling. The tours offered by NCL are all around 3 1/2 hours (which isn't long enough to fill the day) except for the trip to Shark Ray Alley (which sounds a bit dangerous due to the strong current and the stingrays). Are there good snorkeling trips that last longer than 3 or 4 hours? Perhaps one that would allow us to hang out on an island afterward? Are there any trips available to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve reef? Is Shark Ray Alley not as intimidating as it sounds? Please share your experiences! Thanks!

[zydecocruiser]

Stingrays have been getting a really, really bad rap lately. Shark/Ray Alley is really not intimidating to me.

 

Some of my experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=107899

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=161932

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=257119

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=275150

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=414454

 

I'll be on the Sun in November and undecided what I'll do. Maybe pick up an excursion on the dock or perhaps try NCLs version of Shark Ray Alley.

 

I'll try to keep updated...

http://www.zydecocruiser.com/ncl_sun_2006/nclSun06Main.htm

[leennp]

We just returning from a cruise on the NCL Sun. In Belize we booked a private snorkel charter for 10 of us, it was $69 per person and we had the boat to ourselves for the entire day. We booked through Marvin Deras at Ecological Tours. The guides were fantastic. We stopped at 3 different snorkel spots, including shark ray alley, which is not intimidating or scarry at all. It is amazing to see, even if you do not get off the boat. Also had lunch at Cay Caulker. Back to port at about 4pm. I highly recommend the private charter if you can get at least 10 together. We were by ourselves at each snorkel stop, can't imagine getting in the water with 100 other people at the same time. The ships snorkel tour was more expensive than our charter and I feel we had so much better of an experince.

[DELUVBOAT]

I cruised to Belize about 18 months ago with my family (husband & 4 children). We hooked up with Marvin (via his employees) also. We were a little hesitant about the price ($275-$300 USD). We stopped to snorkel at shark ray alley and another spot. We had lunch on Caye Caulker. THIS WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE CRUISE!! We all loved it! I'm headed back in December and will book with Marvin's group again.

We had 6 of us and they booked another 6-8 people. It was very comfortable on the boat.

Oh, almost forgot..we got to see several dolphins too.

 

Feel free to email me with questions.

 

rodandlisa@gmail.com

[OrieD]

Hi!

 

I am also really interested in a snorkeling excursion in Belize. We are sailing on the Explorer OTS for Thanksgiving. How do you reach Marvin?

 

Thanks for the recommendations!

[leennp]

The email address he used in all of my contacts is cavetubing@yahoo.com, the company also does cave tubing.

[Cruise-Crazy]

I would not worry about the Stingrays, they are used to people by now.

 

I will be snorkling in Belize on my cruise about two weeks from now.

[NLFlower]

I read in a book that you can take a water taxi from Belize City to Caye Caulker and get a snorkel tour there. Has anyone done this? How easy is it to get a water taxi for the trip to Caye Caulker? Does anyone know of good snorkeling companies in Caye Caulker?

 

Thanks!

[tpride3]

Would also love to know about the water taxi. Thanks

[lynninsc]

Hi! We did a land vacation this past June to Belize and used the water taxi several times. It is very easy and also reliable. Caye Caulker is a neat island. We stayed on Ambergris Caye for the week, but took the water taxi back to Belize City one day, and also to Caye Caulker one day. When you leave the cruise ship terminal catch a taxi to the Water Taxi Terminal. The water taxi from Belize City to Caye Caulker takes about 30 minutes and I think the round trip cost is $20. Google Caye Caulker water taxi association and you should be able to find the schedule. We are considering going on a cruise in April that stops in Belize, and we will probably take a water taxi over to Caye Caulker for the day.

[clackey]

I read in a book that you can take a water taxi from Belize City to Caye Caulker and get a snorkel tour there. Has anyone done this? How easy is it to get a water taxi for the trip to Caye Caulker? Does anyone know of good snorkeling companies in Caye Caulker?

 

Thanks!

Try www.gocayecaulker.com and Google Caye Caulker. Lots of info. We'll be there the 29th.

[msd760]

we also just just returned from the Sun and booked a snorkel tour with Ecological tours. Our guide's name was Carlos and he did a great job. We left at 10AM and snrokeled at 2 different spots. The first one was out along the barrier reef and it was great. Carlos takes you on about a 45 min trip thru the reef where you see alot of coral and fish. After that we went to shark/ray alley.That too was amazing. The rays were everywhere and Carlos even grabbed a few and brought them to the surface so we could touch them and take some pics. I saw many rays and even saw a 6 foot nurse shark around 30 to 40 yards away from us. We were supposed to go to the beach for some lunch and relax but it had rained and many people wanted to return to port. The tour was nice and I would recommend it and do it again if I had the chance. They do have a web sight but i forget the address. Our cost was $59 per person and you can find them as soon as you get asure in Belize. They are located across the boardwalk from the Iguana bar where you will come ashore from the Sun if you are cruising that boat. Have Fun

[alaskagirl]

Last Christmas we went to San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Water taxis are easy and cheap to use. Depending on the weather the ride can be smooth or a little rough. Shark Ray Alley is not what we would consider frightening. We went both snorkeling and scuba diving there with our 10 year old son and we all had a ball. Yes there are stingrays, large sea turtles, nurse sharks and a plethora of other sea creatures but they are not out to harm you. There are plenty of boats around and a lot of people but groups stay together and spread themselves out from each other. I highly recommend it. We didn't notice any strong currents at Shark Ray Alley but sure did at the "Cut" on Caulker, it was wild!

[POOHISME2]

I just returned from Belize on the Dawn and did the shark ray alley tour thru NCL. I was not really impressed. It is a 1.5 hour boat ride to the site and there was not a shark tobe found. We did see many stingrays and some beautiful coral, but at the end of the trip they thru some blood oveboard and one lone nurse shark came around. We were all out of the water by then. If you click on my webshot link you can see the photos of the shark from above the water. We then went to Ambergis Caye another 45 minute boat ride, had lunch and had time to walk around. ITS PRETTY SMALL AND NOT MUCH TO DO.

[Randy & Kathy]

Coral Breeze snorkeling tour review

My wife and I were on the Carnival Legend and were in Belize on Nov. 22, 2006. We had contacted Coralbreezelimited.com and arranged to go on the shark/ray alley snorkeling tour. We had been advised to be there at 9:00 AM Belize time (10 AM EST) and we would see them in front of the Wet Lizard Bar. We arrived early in order to allow us some souvenir shopping time. We met Heni and Mario of Hammerhead Water Sports, who conduct the tours for Coral Breeze, and we stowed our gear on their boat and went off shopping. There were 6 other people from another ship scheduled to be on the tour with us but they were not there yet. They finally arrived an hour late and we started the tour; however, this loss of time put the crew under pressure as they had to provide the tour that had been promised to us and get us back in time to catch the last tender to the ship before it sailed.

We first went to Caye Caulker in order to place our lunch order with the restaurant and to pick up some bait. We then went to the Coral Reef, which we learned was 180 miles long (2nd longest in the world). We received safety instructions from Heni, got into our gear and life ring, then entered the nice warm water (we were advised that the water temperature is from 79 -85 degrees all year). We were led to the coral formations where we observed what appeared to be the beginning of a coral “mountain” which slowly rose up from the sandy bottom and became taller and thicker looking as we would swim toward it. There were many various size and color of fish swimming all around the coral but they never got too close to us. Heni located a Conch Shell and brought it to us to observe, then she located a Morey Eel and pointed it out so that we could attempt to get pictures of it. She was constantly monitoring us and checking to see if we were OK. She was always providing information regarding the reef and the life living in this aquatic home to so many creatures.

We then, after about 30 minutes, were led back to the boat and climbed aboard. We traveled a short distance to a shallow area, which was about 3-4 feet deep. Heni then began to drop some bait into the water and suddenly I could see sting rays swarming all around that back of the boat. We removed our swim fins and climbed down the ladder and into the water. I immediately felt the rays rubbing on my ankles as they were going after the bait. They felt as smooth as velvet; it kind of reminded me of the way a cat will rub against one’s ankles as you stand still. I had to bend down in order to get my mask below the water line and I could see about 24 rays all swimming around us in a circular fashion and coming in to sort of “vacuum up” the bait from the bottom. They were being patient with each other; I saw no signs of aggressiveness from them at all. As we were standing there watching the rays we began to kick up sand and silt from the bottom making the water cloudy and it became more difficult to get a clear picture with my underwater camera. I then moved away a short distance to where the water was clear and I was then advised by Mario that a nurse shark was moving in. I saw it come in our direction but would always turn away from us and the many rays that were still feeding there. The shark would move away into the darkness then in a few minutes return from a different direction, constantly circling us. I was able to get some pictures of the shark and the rays as well. This was a most thrilling experience, once I was swimming toward the shark in order to get a clearer picture, then I asked myself ”what are you doing?- that is a shark that is 5 to 6 feet long.” Sadly, it was time to go as we had spent about 30 minutes there as well. We never experienced any problem with the current all day. We returned to the boat and headed back to Caye Caulker in order to eat lunch. It was a nice place to wind down and enjoy a tasty lunch. Because of our late start we could not take a one hour tour of the island so we had to head back to the dock. We arrived in time to catch the tender and soon were back on the ship with this strange feeling of euphoria. I have certainly done of number of different and exciting things in my life but I had never been left with such a feeling as this. I will always remember Heni and Mario as they were so wonderful to us and provided us such a terrific day. We met some very nice people while there in Belize and we will have our souvenirs and pictures to remind us of this most wonderful time, even though we were not in Belize very long. Coral Breeze offers a number of different kinds of tours and we would not hesitate to book another of those tours with them if we should ever be fortunate enough to return to this beautiful place again. Thank you, Heni and Mario.

Randy & Kathy

[mayrashke]

Randy & Kathy-glad to hear you ahd a great time on your sharkray excursion with coralbreeze. We have booked with them for Jan./07. (I read about one person being disgruntled with Hammerhead about having to pay for a non-snorkeler but it says when you book how much it is for an observer.)

? Were you worried that your tour might not go? There is an 8 people(I think) minimum for that excursion to go? How did you know it was going for sure if there was just the two of you booking? They have been very good and said if our tour does not have the minimum #, that we can get our deposit back OR do the Manatee Watch/snorkel/Bannister Caye excursion and that 4 people are the minimum. But I sure hope we get to do the SharkRay one!!

Thanks for the review.

[Randy & Kathy]

Randy & Kathy-glad to hear you ahd a great time on your sharkray excursion with coralbreeze. We have booked with them for Jan./07. (I read about one person being disgruntled with Hammerhead about having to pay for a non-snorkeler but it says when you book how much it is for an observer.)

? Were you worried that your tour might not go? There is an 8 people(I think) minimum for that excursion to go? How did you know it was going for sure if there was just the two of you booking? They have been very good and said if our tour does not have the minimum #, that we can get our deposit back OR do the Manatee Watch/snorkel/Bannister Caye excursion and that 4 people are the minimum. But I sure hope we get to do the SharkRay one!!

Thanks for the review.

 

I'm not sure why somebody would think that the tour operators would take someone along and that they would not have to pay for the trip. We had not idea how many others had booked until we got there. We then found that 6 others from another ship were going along. The time to depart came and the 6 were still not there. Heni & Mario just kept waiting, looking at their watches, waiting and not knowing where the other 6 were. Then 4 arrived and we kept waiting for the last 2. Finally, they arrived an hour late and we took off immediately. The thought of having it get canceled never entered my mind, I just felt that we would go on the tour sooner or later. Fortunately it worked out for all involved. I hope you don't get any last minute delays, the trip was really worth it for us, what a wonderful collection of memories.

Randy

[tcalwillson]

If we take a water taxi over to Caye Caulker, will there be local companies available to take us out to Coral Bay or Shark Ray Alley? Not sure if there are places available right on Caye Caulker that will offer that or if we need to book it all from Belize City.

[Randy & Kathy]

If we take a water taxi over to Caye Caulker, will there be local companies available to take us out to Coral Bay or Shark Ray Alley? Not sure if there are places available right on Caye Caulker that will offer that or if we need to book it all from Belize City.

 

I'm not sure as we had very little time on Caye Caulker. The only thing that I was able to see was the restaurant where we ate lunch and some local cottages. You might contact the Tourism bureau of Belize, I"m sure that they, or another poster with that experience, could advise you of that. Good luck.

Randy

[lindnet]

If we take a water taxi over to Caye Caulker, will there be local companies available to take us out to Coral Bay or Shark Ray Alley? Not sure if there are places available right on Caye Caulker that will offer that or if we need to book it all from Belize City.

 

There are a lot of scuba and snorkel shops on Caye Caulker. When I went there last week, I just stayed there on the island while the rest of my group went snorkeling with Coral Breezes (they said it was the best snorkeling trip they had ever taken). There are dive shops on both sides of the road, all the way down to the end of the island. I didn't pay any attention to the prices, though.

[coltahonas]

I just researched how to get to Caye Caulker to snorkel with the stingrays WITHOUT having to book with the cruiseline (mostly to save money). Flights leave the Belize City Municipal airport every other hour to Caye Caulker for only $60US round trip with "Tropic Air" and "Maya Island Air" (I wanted to avoid the (sometimes) choppy water taxi ride). Just google these airlines if you need further info. Apparently the views from these small planes are excellent! Once there, I have heard that Carlos is the best (carlosayala@gmail.com) for snorkeling tours and you can ask for him by name when you land. Also, E-Z Boy Tours, Star Tours and Tsunami Adventures have been well recommended. I have not done any of this travelling as of yet... this is what I came up with after HOURS of research on-line so if you need specifics I'm not likely to know more than this.

Oh! Almost forgot -- Ambergris Caye has "Shark Ray Alley" and Caye Caulker has it's own version of it that some town people have affectionately called "Stingray Village". It is at Stingray Village that you can stand in shallow water with the stingrays. It is at Shark Ray Alley that you are snorkeling out in the open.