best part of Belize to dive?

"Reef Fish" <Large_Nassau_Grouper@Yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>Stimp wrote:
>> I'm heading to Belize in March and was wondering if anyone here can
>> recommend a good spot to dive the "2nd Largest Reef in the World" (tm) ?
>
>I thought the 2nd largest was the Palancar in Cozumel.

The Great Barrier Reef is supposed to be the largest reef and the
Belize Barrier Reef is the largest in the Atlantic and the second
largest in the world. It is 620 miles long, and I think the north end
is contiguous with the reefs off Cozumel and the south end with
Honduras.
>
>Take a liveaboard and dive the outer reefs (Lighthouse Reef), and dive
>the biggest Blue Hole in the world, and other sites around.
>
>Just finished crossing from the fjords of NZ to Hobart, Tasmania. No
>diving, and the only souvenir I bought in Hobart was a monthly calendar
>featuring some chubby, old wimmin of Tasmania. Several of the pix are
>in http://baretobedifferent.com.au
>
>-- Bob.

"Stimp" <ren@spumco.com> wrote in message
news:slrndtn9kh.6om.ren@carbon.redbrick.dcu.ie...
> On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 Reef Fish <Large_Nassau_Grouper@Yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > Stimp wrote:
> >> I'm heading to Belize in March and was wondering if anyone here can
> >> recommend a good spot to dive the "2nd Largest Reef in the World" (tm)
?
> >
> > I thought the 2nd largest was the Palancar in Cozumel.
> >
> > Take a liveaboard and dive the outer reefs (Lighthouse Reef), and dive
> > the biggest Blue Hole in the world, and other sites around.
>
> hmm... might jes do that... ya I dunno if it's the 2nd largest reef,
> that's what I read in lonely planet :)

It is and you can read that most anywhere. For example, just last night, I
read in my Paul Humann Coral Identification book.

And you can read it here:

http://wonderclub.com/WorldWonders/BelizeHistory.html
http://www.coralcay.org/science/belize.php
http://www.earthdive.com/front_end/home/ecoregion_9.asp (see second last
paragraph)
http://gomexico.about.com/cs/belize/a/belize.htm
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/index.html?.../reef.htm~main
http://www.belizediscover.com/Belize_diving.htm


All that said, it should be noted that the Belize Barrier Reef, is a part of
the Meso-American Barrier Reef system, the world's second-largest barrier
reef which stretches more than 450 miles from Cancun to Honduras (the
majority of which lies just off of the country of Belize).

Here's a map of the reef area:
http://www.mbrs.org.bz/english/map_of_project_area.htm

On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 Michael <mzeitlin@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Reef Fish wrote:
>> Stimp wrote:
>>> I'm heading to Belize in March and was wondering if anyone here can
>>> recommend a good spot to dive the "2nd Largest Reef in the World" (tm) ?
>
> Best part to dive: Tackle box canyons and related tunnels - north about
> a mile from the canyons. Stay in Ambergris Caye. Take a day trip if
> you must to the Blue Hole so you can say you have been there. It's a
> one time trip - you won't repeat it. But you will repeat the canyons.
> Fantastic.

looks good. I'll check them out.

cheers!
--

fiddlewidawiddum

Stimp wrote:
> On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 Michael <mzeitlin@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > Reef Fish wrote:

But you didn't cite anything I wrote.
> >
> > Best part to dive: Tackle box canyons and related tunnels - north about
> > a mile from the canyons. Stay in Ambergris Caye.

If that were true, the Belize liveaboards would have stopped there
EN ROUTE to the Lighthouse and Outer Reefs.

> >Take a day trip if
> > you must to the Blue Hole so you can say you have been there. It's a
> > one time trip - you won't repeat it. But you will repeat the canyons.
> > Fantastic.

The Blue Hole is hardly the only attraction in the Outer Reefs,
compared
to Ambergris Cayne. while it is true the Belize Blue Hole is mostly a
one-time thing, but that's mostly because the liveaboard restricts the
divers to 130 fsw which was where you can hardly see the stalactite
formation as you could at 150 fsw or deeper into the Hole. I dived
that
Blue Hole 4 times, for lack of anything else to do during that dive
from
a liveaboard (both the Aggressor and the Peter Hughe's).

-- Bob.

Reef Fish wrote:
> Stimp wrote:
>> On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 Michael <mzeitlin@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>> Reef Fish wrote:
>
> But you didn't cite anything I wrote.
>>> Best part to dive: Tackle box canyons and related tunnels - north about
>>> a mile from the canyons. Stay in Ambergris Caye.
>
> If that were true, the Belize liveaboards would have stopped there
> EN ROUTE to the Lighthouse and Outer Reefs.
>
>>> Take a day trip if
>>> you must to the Blue Hole so you can say you have been there. It's a
>>> one time trip - you won't repeat it. But you will repeat the canyons.
>>> Fantastic.
>
> The Blue Hole is hardly the only attraction in the Outer Reefs,
> compared
> to Ambergris Cayne. while it is true the Belize Blue Hole is mostly a
> one-time thing, but that's mostly because the liveaboard restricts the
> divers to 130 fsw which was where you can hardly see the stalactite
> formation as you could at 150 fsw or deeper into the Hole. I dived
> that
> Blue Hole 4 times, for lack of anything else to do during that dive
> from
> a liveaboard (both the Aggressor and the Peter Hughe's).
>
> -- Bob.
>

I have been to 150 +/- feet to see the stalactite's (and the sharks for
that matter) and the mini-caves. One time thing.

Sure there are other great spots in the outer reefs (Turneffe Islands,
etc.), but the reefs just off Ambergris Caye will give any first time
diver to the region a great feel for what Belize diving is about - and
you will return time and time again inexpensively.

I would stay at the lIghthouse Reef Resort. In my opinion it's the
best in Belize. It's remote, has really nice dive spots and it's near
the Blue Hole.
The resort is dive dedicated and just great


Michael wrote:
> Reef Fish wrote:
> > Stimp wrote:
> >> On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 Michael <mzeitlin@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> >>> Reef Fish wrote:
> >
> > But you didn't cite anything I wrote.
> >>> Best part to dive: Tackle box canyons and related tunnels - north about
> >>> a mile from the canyons. Stay in Ambergris Caye.
> >
> > If that were true, the Belize liveaboards would have stopped there
> > EN ROUTE to the Lighthouse and Outer Reefs.
> >
> >>> Take a day trip if
> >>> you must to the Blue Hole so you can say you have been there. It's a
> >>> one time trip - you won't repeat it. But you will repeat the canyons.
> >>> Fantastic.
> >
> > The Blue Hole is hardly the only attraction in the Outer Reefs,
> > compared
> > to Ambergris Cayne. while it is true the Belize Blue Hole is mostly a
> > one-time thing, but that's mostly because the liveaboard restricts the
> > divers to 130 fsw which was where you can hardly see the stalactite
> > formation as you could at 150 fsw or deeper into the Hole. I dived
> > that
> > Blue Hole 4 times, for lack of anything else to do during that dive
> > from
> > a liveaboard (both the Aggressor and the Peter Hughe's).
> >
> > -- Bob.
> >
>
> I have been to 150 +/- feet to see the stalactite's (and the sharks for
> that matter) and the mini-caves. One time thing.
>
> Sure there are other great spots in the outer reefs (Turneffe Islands,
> etc.), but the reefs just off Ambergris Caye will give any first time
> diver to the region a great feel for what Belize diving is about - and
> you will return time and time again inexpensively.

"Yosolita" <heikejohanna@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1138918259.476713.313320@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
> I would stay at the lIghthouse Reef Resort. In my opinion it's the
> best in Belize. It's remote, has really nice dive spots and it's near
> the Blue Hole.
> The resort is dive dedicated and just great

I'm guessing that there ain't much to do out there besides dive. If that's
the case, why would the Lighthouse Reef Resort be preferable to a
liveaboard?

On Thu, 02 Feb 2006 16:56:15 -0800, Greg Mossman wrote:

> "Yosolita" <heikejohanna@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1138918259.476713.313320@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
>> I would stay at the lIghthouse Reef Resort. In my opinion it's the
>> best in Belize. It's remote, has really nice dive spots and it's near
>> the Blue Hole.
>> The resort is dive dedicated and just great
>
> I'm guessing that there ain't much to do out there besides dive. If that's
> the case, why would the Lighthouse Reef Resort be preferable to a
> liveaboard?

It's less likely capsize or sink?

<nospam@all.please.net> wrote in message
newsan.2006.02.03.04.32.21.771080@all.please.net ...
> On Thu, 02 Feb 2006 16:56:15 -0800, Greg Mossman wrote:
>
>> "Yosolita" <heikejohanna@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:1138918259.476713.313320@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
>>> I would stay at the lIghthouse Reef Resort. In my opinion it's the
>>> best in Belize. It's remote, has really nice dive spots and it's near
>>> the Blue Hole.
>>> The resort is dive dedicated and just great
>>
>> I'm guessing that there ain't much to do out there besides dive. If
>> that's
>> the case, why would the Lighthouse Reef Resort be preferable to a
>> liveaboard?
>
> It's less likely capsize or sink?

And holds still even in a storm . . . usually.

Lee

"Lee Bell" <pleebell2@bellsouth.net> wrote:

><nospam@all.please.net> wrote in message
>newsan.2006.02.03.04.32.21.771080@all.please.ne t...
>> On Thu, 02 Feb 2006 16:56:15 -0800, Greg Mossman wrote:
>>
>>> "Yosolita" <heikejohanna@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>> news:1138918259.476713.313320@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
>>>> I would stay at the lIghthouse Reef Resort. In my opinion it's the
>>>> best in Belize. It's remote, has really nice dive spots and it's near
>>>> the Blue Hole.
>>>> The resort is dive dedicated and just great
>>>
>>> I'm guessing that there ain't much to do out there besides dive. If
>>> that's
>>> the case, why would the Lighthouse Reef Resort be preferable to a
>>> liveaboard?
>>
>> It's less likely capsize or sink?
>
>And holds still even in a storm . . . usually.

And you can walk around without having to hold onto something.
Probably less crowded bunking.


grandma Rosalie