Scuba Diving in Belize

[t_nix]

Where is the best place to go scuba diving and which companies do you all recommend? Thanks!

Tiffany and Jonathan

[tootsiescurly]

Logistics make it hard to dive with any op but the ship. We have done it twice and have decided not to dive in Belize in November. Our dives with the ship's excursions have been less than desireable.

[King Neptune]

Logistics make it hard to dive with any op but the ship. We have done it twice and have decided not to dive in Belize in November. Our dives with the ship's excursions have been less than desireable.

 

Would you explain why you felt they were less than desireable? Thanks.

[Boytjie]

Logistics make it hard to dive with any op but the ship. We have done it twice and have decided not to dive in Belize in November. Our dives with the ship's excursions have been less than desireable.

 

We were on a charter and a group of us booked through Shore Trips and went diving wih Seasporst Belize. It was all good.

 

In Cozumel we booked through HAL and had a good experience with that too.

[cruzegirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tootsiescurly

Logistics make it hard to dive with any op but the ship. We have done it twice and have decided not to dive in Belize in November. Our dives with the ship's excursions have been less than desireable.

 

quote:

Originally posted by Boyjtie:

We were on a charter and a group of us booked through Shore Trips and went diving wih Seasporst Belize. It was all good.

 

In Cozumel we booked through HAL and had a good experience with that too.

 

We also used Sea Sports Belize via Shoretrips.com Nov. 2006. They were great and very accommodating about cruise ship passengers. The diving for me was awesome. The colors are unbelievable. I've yet to top the colors and such down there. Total enjoyment.

[jcpelly]

We were with Hugh Parkley's Dive Connection to Turneffe Atoll and it was really good diving with lots of critters. The dolphins followed us along side the boat for a few miles from their little island. Saw 5 moray eels in the first 10 minutes off the boat and a black with white spotted toadfish which I understand was a good find. Lot of good little stuff in the shallows.

[tootsiescurly]

Carnival uses Hugh Parkeys. They are fine but we don't care to dive with 20 other people, some very inexperienced and/or careless. Also, after diving in Cozumel, Turneffe Atoll just isn't as pretty.

 

Seasport Belize has always been very uncooperative when we try to book from a cruise. They will not take our reservation unless we have 4 divers. We have even asked them to take our reservation in case they had 2 more divers for the day we would be in Belize and they refused. Moral of the story - spend a week in Belize and go to Ambergris Caye. The diving is much better there.

[jcpelly]

We must have been to a different dive site than you went to at Turneffe Atoll as I have dove cozumel a lot and thought this was just as good, but different. We had our own equipment and they allowed us to dive our computer limits on our own away from the group. We got over 60 minutes bottom time and spent a lot of it with the divemaster after every one else went up just finding cool stuff with him. He even commented that it was one of the best dives he has had in all the time he had been there diving.

[gmcrow]

Carnival uses Hugh Parkeys. They are fine but we don't care to dive with 20 other people, some very inexperienced and/or careless. Also, after diving in Cozumel, Turneffe Atoll just isn't as pretty.

 

Seasport Belize has always been very uncooperative when we try to book from a cruise. They will not take our reservation unless we have 4 divers. We have even asked them to take our reservation in case they had 2 more divers for the day we would be in Belize and they refused. Moral of the story - spend a week in Belize and go to Ambergris Caye. The diving is much better there.

 

I am always amazed at the differing opinions I read about Belize. Our experience was fantastic and we thought the diving at Turneffe was the best in the Western Cabibbean. More fish & healthier reefs. The logistics are tricky, and not everybody enjoys the long boat ride but we thought it was well worth it. http://www.cruisedivers.blogspot.com

[t_nix]

Carnival uses Hugh Parkeys. They are fine but we don't care to dive with 20 other people, some very inexperienced and/or careless. Also, after diving in Cozumel, Turneffe Atoll just isn't as pretty.

 

Seasport Belize has always been very uncooperative when we try to book from a cruise. They will not take our reservation unless we have 4 divers. We have even asked them to take our reservation in case they had 2 more divers for the day we would be in Belize and they refused. Moral of the story - spend a week in Belize and go to Ambergris Caye. The diving is much better there.

 

What were they doing to be considered "careless"?

[tootsiescurly]

What were they doing to be considered "careless"?

Touching coral, kicking over sponges, taking shells - all things harmful to the reef environment. Also, not paying attention to other divers around them which results in masks and or regulators kicked off or out of someone's mouth; not paying attention to surrounding divers and slamming them into the bottom. We have experienced all of these things diving in Belize with the cruise ship.

[t_nix]

Touching coral, kicking over sponges, taking shells - all things harmful to the reef environment. Also, not paying attention to other divers around them which results in masks and or regulators kicked off or out of someone's mouth; not paying attention to surrounding divers and slamming them into the bottom. We have experienced all of these things diving in Belize with the cruise ship.

 

Eek! That doesnt sound like too much fun! I am just worried that if we book through a company other than Carnival we will have trouble getting off the ship in time to meet and go on a separate tour. The last time we were in Belize and went cave tubing, we waited and waited to get off the ship because all the carnival tours and vip people had to get off first and then we had to wait until our ticket number was called before we could get off and we nearly missed our planned trip. I just didnt want to run into the same problem again.

[suzski]

Carnival uses Hugh Parkeys. They are fine but we don't care to dive with 20 other people, some very inexperienced and/or careless. Also, after diving in Cozumel, Turneffe Atoll just isn't as pretty.

 

We dove with Hugh Parkeys while on Legend last summer and thought they were fantastic. Although the group started out big, they split us up into smaller groups and we had two fantastic dives....we personally much preferred those dives to Cozumel and found Hugh Parkeys to be a very professional organization.

[t_nix]

Do any of you know how long the boat ride is from the ship to the dive spot? We have a friend going with us that tends to get sea sick on a long boat ride and I want to make sure she knows the length of the ride so she can prepare for it.

[suzski]

If I recall correctly, it was about 30-45 minutes to get from the ship to Spanish Lookout Caye where everyone gets their gear, and then another 45 minutes to an hour out to the first dive site.

[tootsiescurly]

Do any of you know how long the boat ride is from the ship to the dive spot? We have a friend going with us that tends to get sea sick on a long boat ride and I want to make sure she knows the length of the ride so she can prepare for it.

 

All the cruise ship excursions go to Turneffe Atoll. It is about 45 min. from Parkey's shop which is 30-45 min from the ship.

[Orcrone]

We have used ShoreTrips.com. Never a problem. ;)

 

Bob

I looked at their website. Their shore dive leaves at 9:00 AM and the last fly-n-dive leaves at 9:45. We don't get to port until 8AM. If I'm not mistaken this is a tender port and since I won't be booking a ship excursion I won't be first off the ship. Will I have enough time to make either of these? I believe they won't you there 1/2 hour early.