Our First UnBelizeable Experiment

[Polaris]

For those who may have been interested in a SCUBA trip to Belize, Monkey Business and I decided to plan one at the end of September and to share with CHUM in case anybody wishes to join us. We plan to go Sept 28 and return Oct 6 and stay on Caye Caulker Island at the Sea Reef Inn. It is only about $50 to $60 a night. It is not by any means fancy but has good reviews and 3 minutes from Sunrise Scuba. They are "allegedly" the only dive shop on the island that has Nitrox. They offer half-day and full-day tours with 2 to 3 dives each and can also take us to see the Blue Hole. I have seen Southwest flights from Hobby to Belize City and the ferry tickets and shuttles are easy to obtain as transport to and from the ferries are a common route for people going to Belize.

Here is the website for the dive shop. https://www.sunrisescubabelize.com/
There are several websites where you can get ferry tickets, as several companies offer them and run ferries consistently for 10 to 12 hours a day, so it will not be difficult to get tickets.
For those interested, there are a number of cabanas within walking distance from the dive shop but will cost more depending on your preference.

For those that wish to join us please post and we can make sure the dive shop books our dives together!

 

[VikingDiver]

Did you have estimate overall cost for this? Flights, room, etc.

 

[Polaris]

Flight is $660 round trip (Sept 28 to Oct 6) - I found that flying through IAH has direct flights
Sea Reef Inn (1 bed, 2 guests, 8 nights) $660
Ferry $35 each way
cannot get an estimated shuttle price ( from airport to ferry) until closer to departure date

Prices are based on "Tours" and not number of dives and we plan 6 days of diving (Tues - Sun)
Spanish Bay 2 dives + 2 Nitrox = $195
Turneffe North 3 dives + 3 Nitrox = $275
Blue Hole (this tour starts at 5:15 am and ends at 4 and too deep for Nitrox) 3 dives $360
Esmeralda 2 dives + 2 Nitrox = $170
Local Reef 2 dives + 2 Nitrox = $140
Turneffe Elbow 3 dives + 3 Nitrox = $315
Night Dive + 1 Nitrox = $80

If you choose to do all the tours with Nitrox (Except Blue Hole) the total comes out to $1535.

Added together we are looking at $2925. This is based off today's prices on the days planned (Sept 28 to Oct 6)

Hope this helps!

 

[VikingDiver]

Wow, thank you for that! Maybe next year

 

[Skyjunky]

I did Belize twice in 6 months this past year. Even got engaged there. It's just under $200 round trip for a puddle jumper to the islands. 20 min flight vs an hour ferry than can get choppy. You'll be there at the tail end of sargassum season.
You'll need to rent golf carts to get around town. Runs about $50/day.
The taxi from BZE to the ferry is about $35.
Skip Blue Hole. It's not worth the hype or expense. The reefs along the way are good.
I would also add a ferry to Ambergris Caye during your land day. San Pedro is fun town with great food.

You'll be there during lobster and conch season. Schedule a lobster/conch bbq beach trip if time allows. Belize allows you to take the conch shells home in checked luggage.

 

[Polaris]

We booked the flight for two extra days. (Sept 26 to Oct 6) Thank you for the info Sky Junky. I can't imagine we will dive every day and being at the shop at 5:30 does deter me a bit from diving the Blue Hole. I have read it's not that interesting, however the tour includes other dives. We will see what is available.

 

[ReefHound]

I'm trying still to make this work. We stayed on Caye Caulker about 8 years ago and loved it. Everything is walkable so we felt no need to rent anything except a golf cart taxi from ferry dock to hotel and hotel to airport. Lots of night life. It's a backpacker's destination. We did the Blue Hole because it's a log book dive. Whenever someone knows you went to Belize the first thing they ask is how was the Blue Hole. The other two dives were much better and those Turneffe trips will be better.

 

[Sushi Boy]

I’d recommend doing Blue Hole. Sure it’s an early start and TAKE YOUR DRAMAMINE before boarding but like RH said, it’s a logbook dive, a one-and-done. The 2nd dive site at a nearby reef was really good, as I recall. You get to see something most people never see and you spend a nice day on a boat.

 

[Polaris]

I always need Dramamine for a boat! It is a must on the Fling so therefore a necessity anywhere for me! We booked the seaside Cabanas instead. It is a bit more expensive but has a pool and right next to the port and a 5 minute walk to the dive shop. We saved a bit by getting a room with 2 double beds for some reason. It's about $1800 for 10 nights. A deposit is nonrefundable.