Anyone dive in Venezuela

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william - 30 Sep 2004 01:14 GMT

I am planning a trip to Venezuela around mid to end October and am
hoping someone could pass on some tips or info regarding dive sites and
operations etc.
William.

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Robert Doc Adelman, C.I.D. - 30 Sep 2004 18:03 GMT

> I am planning a trip to Venezuela around mid to end October and am
> hoping someone could pass on some tips or info regarding dive sites and
> operations etc.
> William.

Now that's a big country. Anywhere in particular?

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william - 01 Oct 2004 00:07 GMT

Robert Doc Adelman, C.I.D. wrote:

>>I am planning a trip to Venezuela around mid to end October and am
>>hoping someone could pass on some tips or info regarding dive sites and
>>operations etc.
>>William.
>
> Now that's a big country. Anywhere in particular?

I'll be staying in Caracas. So anywhere near there, say within an hour
or two's drive.

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punk - 30 Sep 2004 19:26 GMT

Aruba is only 15 miles from the Venezuelan coast.

> I am planning a trip to Venezuela around mid to end October and am
> hoping someone could pass on some tips or info regarding dive sites and
> operations etc.
> William.

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Ramone Cila - 30 Sep 2004 19:50 GMT

> Aruba is only 15 miles from the Venezuelan coast.

At one single solitary point along a coastline that is hundreds and hundreds
of miles long.

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chilly - 30 Sep 2004 20:35 GMT

> > Aruba is only 15 miles from the Venezuelan coast.
>
> At one single solitary point along a coastline that is hundreds and hundreds
> of miles long.

Ramone, hi. I was still wondering where it was in Belize that you did your
diving. TIA

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Ramone Cila - 30 Sep 2004 22:53 GMT

"chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> wrote in message

> Ramone, hi. I was still wondering where it was in Belize that you did your
> diving. TIA

"still"? I apologize I must have missed your first question.

Short version (scuba only): I did a 42 day trip aboard Reef Rover in 1978
that started just above Ambergris (Mexico really), headed South towards
Caulker, Chapel, Turneffe, Lighthouse and Glover's and then made the mini
crossing to the mouth of Monkey River. We made dives all along those sites
and areas and indeed it was quite nice. I have since done Turneffe again in
'85, Ambergris again in '90, Lighthouse (from Wave Dancer) in '94 and then
in '99 Ambergris, Lighthouse and Turneffe in a bit of a whirlwind bareboat
tour. Nothing south of Lighthouse and Turneffe since '78.

The most appealing spot, to me, in Belize remains Turneffe Atoll. Not
because of great vis, or nominal conditions, but because in all of Belize I
think Turneffe exhibits the greatest diversity of marine life. Certainly
it's the mangrove system for cause, but nonetheless I enjoy that most.

Belize is OK, but given the wealth of diving opportunities open to divers
these days I find Belize wanting by comparison. Again, I recognize I am in
the minority on this ng in that regard, but it is my opinion based upon my
experiences there and other places. Now, I am specifically speaking about
the diving. Certainly there are other reasons to enjoy or like Belize (in my
case I happen to love the countryside food, particularly the root boil-ups
and pepper sauces), but as far as the diving goes, by comparison to other
diving opportunities of similar price and time, it wasn't anything special
my last visit and I am doubtful it has improved (though miracles do happen

:^)

To each his own though, I am confident there are places I find most
appealing that you have no wish to return to. Example: I happen to find the
critters of Mabul far more entertaining and attractive than the vistas of
Sipidan, though I believe I have read here that you enjoyed Sipidan more.
But aren't we lucky that the sea still holds a such a disparity of riches
that we each can still have opinions like this. One day it will all be so
broken down that the idea of what is good and what is bad will be limited to
what is living and what is dead.

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chilly - 01 Oct 2004 08:05 GMT

> "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> wrote in message
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> "still"? I apologize I must have missed your first question.

Thank you now for the wonderful response. I'm very glad I asked you again.

> Short version (scuba only):

short version? LOL.

>I did a 42 day trip aboard Reef Rover in 1978
> that started just above Ambergris (Mexico really), headed South towards
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> in '99 Ambergris, Lighthouse and Turneffe in a bit of a whirlwind bareboat
> tour. Nothing south of Lighthouse and Turneffe since '78.

Outstanding! How wonderful.

Can you tell I'm green with envy and pink with awe.

> The most appealing spot, to me, in Belize remains Turneffe Atoll. Not
> because of great vis, or nominal conditions, but because in all of Belize I
> think Turneffe exhibits the greatest diversity of marine life. Certainly
> it's the mangrove system for cause, but nonetheless I enjoy that most.

I love Turneffe Atoll too, just not enough to stay out there. Well, maybe.
I've been thinking that Turneffe Flats Lodge for a week, looks like a pretty
good deal and then I could head back inland for a bit. Or alternately start
inland, head to Turneffe and then a week of whooping it up in San Pedro.
Did you know that Maya Air has flights to San Ignacio now? I can more
easily fit in a day at Actun Tunichil Muknal.

> Belize is OK, but given the wealth of diving opportunities open to divers
> these days I find Belize wanting by comparison. Again, I recognize I am in
> the minority on this ng in that regard,

I don't know that you are. There is lots of dissenting opinion every time
it comes up.

> but it is my opinion based upon my
> experiences there and other places. Now, I am specifically speaking about
> the diving. Certainly there are other reasons to enjoy or like Belize (in my
> case I happen to love the countryside food, particularly the root boil-ups
> and pepper sauces), but as far as the diving goes, by comparison to other
> diving opportunities of similar price and time,

Where is similar price and time? I'm always interested.

> it wasn't anything special
> my last visit and I am doubtful it has improved (though miracles do happen
> :^)

:^)

I've found that it differs from site to site and day to day. I've had some
of my very best dives ever, at sites like Cypress Gardens, but I've also had
some of the worst.

I've done many, many, many dives off of San Pedro now, and on my last trip,
I noted that I was a bit bored. If I dive there again anytime soon, it will
have to be because I'm guaranteed some different sites. I do like to stay
in town, but maybe I need to dive farther north. Maybe a week at Gaz's
place would be the thing to do, if I didn't go to Turneffe.

> To each his own though, I am confident there are places I find most
> appealing that you have no wish to return to. Example: I happen to find the
> critters of Mabul far more entertaining and attractive than the vistas of
> Sipidan, though I believe I have read here that you enjoyed Sipidan more.

Did I say that? Must have misspoken. I found the creatures of Mabul far
more entertaining than those found at Sipidan . . .other than the day the
bumpheads came for me, but that was a snorkel and not a dive. I did
particularly enjoy the hammerheads and the manta rays and did find the
physical beauty of Sipadan to far outweigh that of Mabul . . . but the
diving at Mabul was a constant source of amazement to me. On many of the
dives, I wouldn't have needed to move more than a couple of feet to have
been completely entertained and overwhelmed for more than an hour. The
combination of diving both, was a real winner. As for Borneo Diver's, not
that it matters now that they are shut down on Sipadan at year's end, but
the acco and food were significantly superior at Mabul. Too bad it's not as
pretty and has no good snorkeling off shore.

> But aren't we lucky that the sea still holds a such a disparity of riches
> that we each can still have opinions like this. One day it will all be so
> broken down that the idea of what is good and what is bad will be limited to
> what is living and what is dead.

Some places are already like that. So come on, give over. Where's your
most recent favorite place?

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Chris Guynn - 01 Oct 2004 15:20 GMT

> Aruba is only 15 miles from the Venezuelan coast.

From "The Whole Nine yards"

Oz: "Aruba isn't really all that great... of course, you might like it. I
went there for my honeymoon, so maybe that's why I didn't like it very
much."

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Richard Adams - 30 Sep 2004 21:55 GMT

Chichiveriche is a famous location about halfway between Caracas and
Maracaibo, and it really is pretty good. The state of Falcon has a lot of
totally undiscovered diving sites, and Los Roques islands off the coast are
good though I never went to Los Roques.

> I am planning a trip to Venezuela around mid to end October and am
> hoping someone could pass on some tips or info regarding dive sites and
> operations etc.
> William.

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lance smith - 01 Oct 2004 16:18 GMT

> I am planning a trip to Venezuela around mid to end October and am
> hoping someone could pass on some tips or info regarding dive sites and
> operations etc.
> William.

I dove the islands around Los Roques when PH/Antares Dancer was still
there. Excellent diving, pristine environment. It's a long way out
there, but it's a short flight on a puddle jumper. The island itself
has nothing, kinda like TJ w/o the bars and tourists.

-lance smith

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Greg Mossman - 06 Oct 2004 22:55 GMT

> I dove the islands around Los Roques when PH/Antares Dancer was still
> there. Excellent diving, pristine environment. It's a long way out
> there, but it's a short flight on a puddle jumper. The island itself
> has nothing, kinda like TJ w/o the bars and tourists.

Assuming by TJ you mean Tijuana, that's a city of 1.2 million people. Los
Roques must be pretty crowded.

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