Cavetubing or Swimming with Nurse Sharks & Stingrays

[meliss35]

What do you recommend to do with two teenagers (13 & 17) either cavetubing or swimming with nurse sharks & stingrays? My daughter (17) and I went tubing on a river this summer in Maine. It was a slow river and it was fun because she was with her friends. Do you recommend doing the cavetubing if we already have done river tubing? Is going in a cave with the tubes interesting?

Has anyone done the swimming with nurse sharks and stingrays? Was there nurse sharks there or was it mostly stingrays? My husband, daughter and I went swimming with stingrays in the cayman islands about ten years ago. Would this be similar to that excursion?

 

What else would you recommend for us to do?

[wadethegringo]

I cant comment on the caves. But offer a tip for the snorkel...There are far more sharks than sting rays. for rays, Cayman is by far the best. The sharks in Belize hear the boat coming. So have your masks, fins and cameras ready. Most tour Guides will "chum" the water upon arrival. but as other boats arrive or chum runs out the sharks will cruise around looking for more handouts.

[meliss35]

Thanks for the replies. I am more interested in seeing the sharks than the stingrays since I already experienced it in the Caymans. Is it safe to swim with the nurse sharks? Was it worth the trip? Should we do it with the ship since the ship tenders? I don't want to be freaking out that we can't get off the ship right away because we aren't going on the ships organized tour and take a chance to miss the boat. Is there other snorkeling spots that the tour goes on?

[TeeBuccs]

Thanks for the replies. I am more interested in seeing the sharks than the stingrays since I already experienced it in the Caymans. Is it safe to swim with the nurse sharks? Was it worth the trip? Should we do it with the ship since the ship tenders? I don't want to be freaking out that we can't get off the ship right away because we aren't going on the ships organized tour and take a chance to miss the boat. Is there other snorkeling spots that the tour goes on?

 

Getting away from the port and traveling thorugh the cayes was a nice experience. Snorkling with the stingrays is similiar to what you did in the Caymans - I might be strange, but I enjoy this experience everytime! As for the nurse sharks, there is a different stop to snorkle with them. The boat captains do feed them but they are much more timid and tend to leave the area quickly. They appear very safe and docile from what we experienced.

 

I will say however that if you enjoy snorkling - this is the excursion for you. The reef out near Caye Caulker is amazingly beautiful. I have snorkled a lot of places and this was a wonderful experience - full of fish, eels, just a ton of sea critters. And along the boat ride back we had some fun and friendly interaction coicidentally with dolphins.

 

And to answer your question above...we did an independent tour. Once we tendered ashore there was plenty of time to catch the private company and have a full-day with them with a little time left to shop at the pier area before returning to ship. Be prepared, there will be a long line (wait) to tender back to the ship so unless you are in a hurry this buys you a little more time. ;-)

 

Enjoy no matter what your decision!

[phantom_of_valkyrie]

You know--I just got back from a cruise last week. I'm all about Cave tubing. It was an amazing experience. BUT....I definitely think nurse sharks and stingrays would be more exciting. And you did stingrays 10 years ago which means your children probably don't really remember it.

 

Cave tubing is cool but it is relaxed. You are just being pulled down a river in the caves, seeing the bats and the cave formations. Personally I could never swim with the sharks. Far too scary. So it's a hard comparison. Easy relaxing float or scary amazing sharks.

 

But I'd say if those are your 2 you are debating--go with nurse sharks and stingrays. Way more of an adrenaline rush.

[jimgev]

I think there are times of the year when sharks are more common. I went on the shark ray snorkel last April. We swam with swarms of rays but never saw a single shark

[Grayce]

I did the sting ray/shark snorkel through Carnival in Sept. 2004. The area where this is done is much deeper than the Cayman island ray tour. You cannot stand up in the water, it was at least 10 feet deep. There were tons of rays and sharks but the sharks tended to swim away once we jumped in the water. You could totally touch and interact with the rays but the sharks would not let you get that close. The water was also teeming with many other kinds of colourful tropical fish. I would totally recommend this tour. I still consider this tour the best I have taken on any cruise.

[Another ship trip]

I have been to Belize many times and have done both of these excursions. The cave tubing can be fun as long as your guide isn't like Oscar the Grouch. Other than our grouchy guide, it was fun. He made our group link up legs several times and paddle as hard as we could to "Hurry up". Had it been a bit more leisurely, it would have been more fun. I tube/float the Guadalupe here in Texas and rushing just defeats the purpose! I went with my son. It was fun but probably wouldn't do it again as I have done similar tubing rides and had more fun.

I went on the nurse sharks excursion probably about 6 years ago. They were very aloof and I only saw two from a distance for a brief glimpse. They really don't like being bothered. Did lots of snorkeling the day I was there, and near the reef it was actually a lot of work as it was against the tide and pull. I am a scuba diver and thought this was not as good of an excursion as it sounds in the advertisement regarding the shark part, but I did enjoy the small town we went into after our snorkel and it was a sleepy town and I recall and we relaxed for about an hour at a beachside bar. There was limited shopping. I might do it again, but more for the ride out there than for the nurse sharks. I don't really remember the rays there specifically but I see them almost every time I dive so maybe that's why. The ride back to the boat is about an hour and was bumpy and loud--but I was probably more prone to feeling the bumps that day as I remember having a raging headache on the way back. That can certainly color how you interpret an excursion I suppose. If I had thrill seeking teens that had not snorkeled with sharks before, then I would imagine they would like to do this excursion.

[meliss35]

I am now thinking I may not do the stingray/shark excursion since I already have done that. I think the kids would enjoy snorkeling and maybe some beach time. What would you suggest is the best place for snorkeling in Belize? Do they stop at a beautiful beach? What tour company do you recommend? When I was looking at the stingray/shark excursion it had snorkeling and beach time too. If this is the best for snorkeling then maybe we would still do this. I believe it stops at Caye Calker. Is that a nice beach? What do you think?

[Grayce]

Bannister Island is a really nice beach/island. I'm not sure about private companies, we just did a tour through the ship (Norwegian) that took us out to a reef for snorkeling and then to Bannister Island for a few hours. Bannister had volleyball and some booths where you could buy food and drinks. The reef that they took us to had a really strong current and some of the tour guides were using kayaks to pull some people back to the boat because they were getting tired.

[ssl1]

I spent about 10 days in Belize last summer on a vacatio that I had arranged. 1/2 in the jungle where we did caving, cavetubing and the Big Hole Drop in successive days and then out to Ambergris Caye for snorkeling, hanging on the beach and snorkeling at Shark-Ray Alley. I was there in July. On the first snorkel trip we did see the sharks initially and they did swim away once we entered the water. However, at Shark-Ray Alley they were everywhere!!! You couldn't swim without bumping into one! I have pictures of me holding a shark that the guide thrust into my arms and said "just pat his head" which is of course just what I did. What a thrill. There were several rays of different sizes, but they were definitely outnumbered by the sharks.

 

The 2 trips you are suggesting are quite different and have been described accurately by other posters. My boys (13 & 17) want to do them both also while we'll be on a cruise in February. You might be able to find an independent snorkel operator who will take you to Shark-Ray Alley as well as other snorkel location(s) to see other sea creatures.

 

Cavetubing is fun too if you want something a little more relaxing.

I don't think you'll go "wrong" with either choice.

Have fun.

~SSL!

[TakeMeAway1001]

We are stumped on what to do for our cruise too, DD is 16 and has no interest in Cave Tubing or Zip Lining (changes her mind weekly).

We are looking at a few independent companies right now

www.coralbreezetours.com

www.belizecruiseexcursions.com

www.startoursbelize.com

www.mayatravelservices.com

 

We want some snorkel/beach time but I think the nurse sharks sound interesting too :)

 

Good luck and let us know what you decide~

[meliss35]

It looks like I have a choice between three snorkel trips:

1) Shark Ray Alley, Coral Gardens - snorkeling and Beach time at the Split at Caye Caulker

2) Shark Ray Alley, Hol Chan Marine Park - snorkeling and beach time at San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

3) Manatee Watch, Barrier Reef snorkeling and Bannister Island Beach break

Which beach is the nicest (Caye Caulker, Ambergis Caye or Bannister Island)?

Which place is better for snorkeling (Coral Gardens or Hol Chan Marine Park)?

Has anyone done the manatee watch and was it worth it? Not sure where they go for the Barrier Reef snorkeling.

I want to go to the best snorkeling place and nicest beach if possible in Belize.

[meliss35]

Has anyone gone on Star Tours? They have a trip that goes to Hol Chan Marine Park, Shark ray alley and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye for $65. The NCL has a similar trip for $105 per person. It is a saving of $160 for four people.

[ssl1]

That's a lot for 1 day. I'll try to answer what I can from my 4 day stay outside of San Pedro 2 summers ago.

 

Hol Chan Marine Park has a lot of beautiful sea life. You'll never know what you'll see. Various people will describe seeing different things. Shark-Ray Alley has sting rays and nurse sharks primarily. The Barrier Reef is off the coast of Belize close to Ambergris Caye. I believe all these snorkel spots are close to/along the reef.

 

The beaches along Ambergris Caye (and outside of San Pedro especially) are not great. Nice to relax on but many you need to walk out on a pier to swim. Try to check out where you will be first.

 

San Pedro is a small town that I felt safe enough to walk to and around by myself while by DH was scuba diving one afternoon. Lots of restaurants, shops, etc., many tourists. Bring along a bottle of water if you're walking around there in the summer...it gets really hot!

Have fun.

~SSL1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2/2008 RCL IOS - Western Carribean

2006 NCL Spirit of Aloha - Hawaii

2001 ROC Voyager - Mediterranean

[wadethegringo]

Has anyone gone on Star Tours? They have a trip that goes to Hol Chan Marine Park, Shark ray alley and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye for $65. The NCL has a similar trip for $105 per person. It is a saving of $160 for four people.

 

Is this price from the cruise ship dock or do you need to get to Caye Caulker?

 

I have taken the tour while staying on the island. Good tour. If it is from the cruise ship dock, go for star tours. If you need to get to Caye Caulker yourself. you may think about the NCL tour.

[meliss35]

I contacted star tours and they said that they can't do the ambergis caye trip for cruise passengers even though it said for cruise passengers on the web site. The only options to go to ambergis caye with snorkeling is thru Norwegian shore excursion or to fly there with ecotours. Has anyone done the Norwegian shore excursion or ecotours to ambergis caye with snorkeling and shark ray alley?

[astaffy]

We went on a snorkel tour and had an awesome tour guide, we saw lots of stingrays and nurse sharks we were able to touch them and everything the guide fed them and they were all over us, this was the best tour we had ever been on before.

[astaffy]

Forgot to tell you it was the shark ray alley tour out of ambergis caye that we went on that was sooooo good