Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / November 2004
Diving in Belize
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teflon.trucker@canada.SeeEh - 07 Nov 2004 17:31 GMT Howdy. Wondering if anyone has tried Belize. How's the economy, good dive shops, good dive sites? Heard it's kind of a party place. And what's with that "black hole" in the reef I've seen pics of in scuba mags? Appreciate any info from anyone out there. Thanks and cheers.
Rudy Benner - 07 Nov 2004 17:39 GMT > Howdy. Wondering if anyone has tried Belize. How's the economy, good > dive > shops, good dive sites? Heard it's kind of a party place. And what's > with > that "black hole" in the reef I've seen pics of in scuba mags? > Appreciate any info from anyone out there. Thanks and cheers. This is funny.
Alan Street - 07 Nov 2004 17:42 GMT > Howdy. Wondering if anyone has tried Belize. How's the economy, good dive > shops, good dive sites? Heard it's kind of a party place. And what's with > that "black hole" in the reef I've seen pics of in scuba mags? > Appreciate any info from anyone out there. Thanks and cheers. <http://www.google.com/groups?as_q=belize&safe=off&as_ugroup=rec.scuba.l ocations&as_scoring=d&lr=&num=100&hl=en>
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chilly - 07 Nov 2004 20:19 GMT > Howdy. Wondering if anyone has tried Belize. A number of us.
>How's the economy, ?? What is it that you want to know about their economy?
>good dive > shops, good dive sites? Many good dive shops, though I have a personal favorite . . Amigos del Mar. Many good dive sites locally off of Ambergris Caye and a number of excellent sites out at the Atolls.
>Heard it's kind of a party place. There are parties to be found here and there. Are you asking specifically about San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye, or the whole country?
>And what's with > that "black hole" in the reef I've seen pics of in scuba mags? Um, Blue Hole, you mean? Look here: http://www.bluedive.com/overnight.html#bluehole and here: http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/greatbluehole.html and here: http://www.scubaboard.com/t76388-BELIZE'S_GREAT_BLUE_HOLE_Is_It_Really_Worth_Div ing_Part_1.html some pictures: http://www.vtours.com/cdt/belize/003a.html
> Appreciate any info from anyone out there. Thanks and cheers. Just Joe - 08 Nov 2004 02:06 GMT Not a new diver, but new to this group. Sorry about the lack of specifics. I didn't know Belize was quite so big; I'll have to look at a good dive map soon. Plan on going there in the spring.
As for the economy, I was just wondering about overall prices: are prices of diving, food, travel, etc. comparable to, perhaps, other places in the Caribbean, or is it more expensive?
From what I've heard from one soul already there, he liked the drinking establishments, perhaps that's what he meant by it being a party place. In any case, thank you VERY much for the info, the links, and sorting me out on the name of the "Blue Hole". It DOES look like a great dive.
Now, if only someone can point me the way to a couple of scuba bunnies, life would be complete... ;-).
Cheers.!
Dan Bracuk - 08 Nov 2004 02:14 GMT "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:
:Um, Blue Hole, you mean? Look here: :http://www.bluedive.com/overnight.html#bluehole and here: :http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/greatbluehole.html and here: :http://www.scubaboard.com/t76388-BELIZE'S_GREAT_BLUE_HOLE_Is_It_Really_Worth_Div ing_Part_1.html :some pictures: http://www.vtours.com/cdt/belize/003a.html Here is the Reader's Digest version ==> It's boring.
Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/
chilly - 08 Nov 2004 07:20 GMT > "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> pounded away at his keyboard resulting > in: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Here is the Reader's Digest version ==> It's boring. Well, you've been in the Hole one time and didn't see any sharks. Whereas I've been in the Hole 6 or so times, and have always seen sharks. In fact, up close and personal a few times.
No one is trying to say that it is a pretty coral dive. It isn't so if that's what's expected, there's going to be disappointment. Sorry you didn't enjoy it, but more do than don't.
Of all of the people that have been in the Blue Hole on the same day trips as myself, I've never met any that didn't enjoy it. Of all of the people that I've met in Belize that have done the dive, all of them enjoyed it. The only people that I've ever seen say they didn't think it was all that . . .well, there's you and a couple of others that I've seen post something on the web here and there. Even of those that have posted that they wouldn't do it again said that it was worth doing one time.
Dan Bracuk - 13 Nov 2004 02:23 GMT "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:
:Of all of the people that have been in the Blue Hole on the same day trips :as myself, I've never met any that didn't enjoy it. Of all of the people [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] :the web here and there. Even of those that have posted that they wouldn't :do it again said that it was worth doing one time. Since the boat stopped there anyway, diving Blue Hole was certainly a better choice than sitting on the boat. Plus, the run ashore to Bird Sanctuary Island was also fun.
But if I was staying on land in Belize somewhere, I would not pay any money whatsoever to dive Blue Hole.
It's too boring.
Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/
chilly - 13 Nov 2004 14:29 GMT > "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> pounded away at his keyboard resulting > in: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > better choice than sitting on the boat. Plus, the run ashore to Bird > Sanctuary Island was also fun. Halfmoon Caye.
> But if I was staying on land in Belize somewhere, I would not pay any > money whatsoever to dive Blue Hole. If that was the only dive of the day, neither would I. Happily, it is not the only dive that day. The two followup dives are awesome. And surface interval (lunch on Halfmoon Caye) can't be beat. What a beautiful little island, with or without the Booby birds and frigates.
> It's too boring. I'm sorry for you that you didn't enjoy your dive there. On the upside, you probably dove the same followup sites as did the day trippers.
Dan Bracuk - 13 Nov 2004 14:54 GMT "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:
:I'm sorry for you that you didn't enjoy your dive there. On the upside, you :probably dove the same followup sites as did the day trippers. The two afternoon dives were at a site Uno Coco off Long Caye. This was probably a nice site. I don't really remember each specific site, but in general the Wave Dancer took us to nice sites.
None of these sites were close to Ambegeris Caye, so I will give that area a big Not Observed.
Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/
chilly - 13 Nov 2004 21:20 GMT > "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> pounded away at his keyboard resulting > in: > :I'm sorry for you that you didn't enjoy your dive there. On the upside, you > :probably dove the same followup sites as did the day trippers. > > The two afternoon dives were at a site Uno Coco off Long Caye. That site name isn't ringing any bells but I've done a number of dives off of Long Caye. All quite beautiful.
>This > was probably a nice site. I don't really remember each specific site, > but in general the Wave Dancer took us to nice sites. > > None of these sites were close to Ambegeris Caye, so I will give that > area a big Not Observed. That area is different from out at the Atolls but I've still had many fabulous dives there . . .and one or two boring ones. But then that is true of a few places I've been and different dives on different days.
Ramone Cila - 13 Nov 2004 17:28 GMT > But if I was staying on land in Belize somewhere, I would not pay any > money whatsoever to dive Blue Hole. > > It's too boring. I found the photo possibilities amongst the stalagtites a great amount of fun. In fact playing with light and composition and placing divers in contrast to the environment, I have come away from Belize's Blue Hole with some very fine images. I don't expect great reefs anymore in Red Sea but I'd dive it again in a heartbeat. I don't expect great schools of pelagics in Bonaire, but it has always been great fun. I don't expect reef scenics in Blue Hole, but it offers other advantages that can't be found easily in most other locations.
I wouldn't want a steady diet of Blue Hole, heck I wouldn't want a steady diet of Milne Bay either, but I have certainly enjoyed the opportunites Blue Hole provided.
chilly - 13 Nov 2004 21:20 GMT > > But if I was staying on land in Belize somewhere, I would not pay any > > money whatsoever to dive Blue Hole. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Blue Hole, but it offers other advantages that can't be found easily in most > other locations. Or at all. And the sharks are all quite marvelous too.
> I wouldn't want a steady diet of Blue Hole, heck I wouldn't want a steady > diet of Milne Bay either, but I have certainly enjoyed the opportunites Blue > Hole provided. There ya go.
Ramone Cila - 14 Nov 2004 16:59 GMT > Or at all. And the sharks are all quite marvelous too. It's funny, having read here that people see them, but I have never run into sharks in the Belize Blue Hole.
Are they approachable, skittish, curious or uninterested in divers? Geez..a shark around the stalactites would be an awesome photo op!
DrYak - 15 Nov 2004 03:39 GMT I saw a couple of Caribbean reef sharks during the safety stop at the Blue Hole. They swam by to check us out and were gone again. Then again it might have been one since I never saw them both at the same time.
Definitely curious and did not hand around long enough to approach.
>>Or at all. And the sharks are all quite marvelous too. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Are they approachable, skittish, curious or uninterested in divers? Geez..a > shark around the stalactites would be an awesome photo op! chilly - 15 Nov 2004 07:18 GMT > > Or at all. And the sharks are all quite marvelous too. > > It's funny, having read here that people see them, but I have never run into > sharks in the Belize Blue Hole. http://www.bluedive.com/gallery.html
http://www.bluedive.com/gallery2.html
http://www.belizetravelcentral.com/turneffe_diving.html
This site has a picture of a shark near a stalactite, towards the bottom of the page: http://www.scubabelize.com/Blue%20hole.htm
http://www.belizeexplorer.com/cgi-local/explorer.cgi? db=explorer&uid=default&Category=Natural+Attractions&view_records=1&nh=15&mh =1#photos
http://home.student.uva.nl/kristian.krig/Go__/bluehole/bluehole.html
http://www.scubadivingbelize.net/blu.html
Warning slow load: http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~khernst/Belize.html
This page has a picture of the stalactites and divers. I don't know where the shark picture was taken but don't believe it is the Blue Hole: http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/diver.html Don't you just love the excellent position the divers have taken in the water column? snort.
Here's some less than spectacular video footage: http://www.oceanfootage.com/stockfootage/Blue+Hole//?DVfSESSCKIE=5cda83704d60309 6fde144219f0384868a399cb5
Here is an excerpt from a recent post by Gaz Cooper about diving the Blue Hole:
Nearly all the boats that dive the Blue Hole from San Pedro see the sharks, and the reason for this is that they get to the Blue Hole FIRST before the Aggressors and other large boats, resorts etc that are located in the area. (make a mental note here that normally its the very experienced divers that usually book the liveaboards and stay at the remoteAtoll resorts because thats where the best diving in Belize can usually be found)
Being the first to dive the Blue Hole affords them better visability since the first group to dive the Blue Hole gets the best vis, the reason for this is, as you decend it causes the silt to dislodge as the bubbles rise and releases the silt causing visability to become reduced. When you consider that San Pedro sends up to 5 boats a day to the Blue Hole you can understand why those that dive it later in the morning under the pretext (Lets wait till the san pedro boats leave so its less busy) dive a site that has had probably 50 divers through it already before they get the chance to dive it. This puts them at a distinct disadvantage as to the quality of the dive especially in the area of visability since 40-50 divers and there bubbles will reduce visability by up to 50% in some cases, in addition there are the Sharks.
The Sharks will sometimes follow you throughout the dive but are mainly ultilized at the end of the dive since you have an extended safety stop of 10 minutes or so and while waiting out that time on the sandy ledge located at 15ft you are buzzed and entertained by up to 30 Caribbean Reef Sharks. The sharks are enduced to come to the surface by baiting the water with sardines this will bring them to the surface from the depths of the Blue Hole and give the diver the opportunity to view these magnificent creatures during the safety stop.
The liveaboards do not bait the water nor the local resorts and if this is not done the likelyhood of seeing any sharks is reduced by 90% so you can clearly see that most divers that dive the Blue Hole from a liveabord or an Atoll resort will have a far inferior dive due to these reasons.
> Are they approachable, skittish, curious or uninterested in divers? Geez..a > shark around the stalactites would be an awesome photo op! I realize I got a bit carried away with the URL's above but at least one of them has a picture of the stalactites and a shark. As for my own experiences, I've seen them too approachable, skittish, curious, too curious and uninterested. :^)
My last dive in the Hole, I saw only one shark, every other time, I've seen many. My very first dive off the boat into the Hole, as I splashed, I looked down and there was a great mutha gliding past, just beneath me. On my second last dive in the Hole, I spied a real beauty parallel to me in the water about 15-20 feet away. I was shining my light all up and down its length admiringly when suddenly it turned towards me. I quickly doused my light and swam off after my buddies. But my spidey senses were tingling . . .so I looked behind me and sure enough . . .there it came . . .ever so slowly but closer, closer, always closer . . .
By this time, I'd gone vertical and eyes big as saucers waited for the taste bite . . . which didn't come. The shark slid ever so slowly just below me, first its snout, then its eyes, its gills, its fin . . .As a measure of how I was ever so slightly narced, I actually extended my right fin tip to see if I could touch it . . .I mean, how close was it really? And then, as suddenly as that, it was gone. I breathed my first full exhalation about then, turned back to my buddies who had also stopped to watch and we continued our ascent to the safety stop as if nothing unusual had occurred. At the safety-stop, we were joined by 5 or 6 more that circled within a few feet of us but didn't bother anyone more than that.
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