Privately Arranged Snorkeling Tours in Belize?

I am finding it somewhat difficult to locate snorkeling tours in Belize.

I did find Ecological Tours. Anyone have experience with them, or any other privately arranged tour?

Please provide a ton of details. Thanks.

I am using Sea Sports Belize on my Sept 7 cruise on the Carnival Liberty (we'll be in Belize on Sept 10).

http://seasportsbelize.com/

They are a little on the expensive side, and are a small operation. For example, on our trip, they are taking a total of 5 people out that day. I'm sure that's why they have to charge more, because they aren't making up for it on volume.

Other people on here have said they really like them, but there are not as many reviews as other services like Eco Tours Belize or whatnot. I will try to post a review when I get back in this forum.

I am using Sea Sports Belize on my Sept 7 cruise on the Carnival Liberty (we'll be in Belize on Sept 10).

 

http://seasportsbelize.com/

 

They are a little on the expensive side, and are a small operation. For example, on our trip, they are taking a total of 5 people out that day. I'm sure that's why they have to charge more, because they aren't making up for it on volume.

 

Other people on here have said they really like them, but there are not as many reviews as other services like Eco Tours Belize or whatnot. I will try to post a review when I get back in this forum.

I am looking at a snorkeling tour as well. From seasportbelize website it isn't clear how you get from their office to the site. In talking with them do you take a boat or do you fly?

I am looking at a snorkeling tour as well. From seasportbelize website it isn't clear how you get from their office to the site. In talking with them do you take a boat or do you fly?

They said its about a 5 min walk from the pier/tourism village to their location. From their, they take you out. They send you a printout with directions once you book. I'm doing the barrier reef snorkeling though, not the Hol Chan one. That one you might fly. Contact them and ask.

I've found 3 snorkel tour companies that appear to be reputable: EcoTours Belize (aka Ecological Tours), Sea Sports Belize, and Coral Breeze Tours.

I am curious which firm gives you the best value? Which goes to the best snorkel spots?

By the way, where are the best snorkel spots that these tours typically have access to by boat (not plane) for cruise ship passengers?

I've found 3 snorkel tour companies that appear to be reputable: EcoTours Belize (aka Ecological Tours), Sea Sports Belize, and Coral Breeze Tours.

 

I am curious which firm gives you the best value? Which goes to the best snorkel spots?

 

By the way, where are the best snorkel spots that these tours typically have access to by boat (not plane) for cruise ship passengers?

I haven't done any of them yet, but I chose Sea Sports Belize specifically because they specialize in taking small groups (I didn't want to be in a herd with people kicking me in the face) and they seem to indicate on their website that they let the customer have some input into where you want to go (they insinuate that there are a couple different potential locations depending on what you want).

They specifically mention Goff's Caye, Sargeant's Caye, and Gallow's Point. I am planning on asking them which is the best spot when I get there but I think I'd be leaning towards Goff's Caye because the island looks amazing. Conversely, I don't think Sargeant's Caye even has any trees on it.

mas0764...

Now that you're back, can you please provide complete details?

mas0764...

Now that you're back, can you please provide complete details?

Sure thing.

Our cruise on the Carnival Liberty brought us to Belize on September 10. Apparently that is a Belizean National Holiday. I've heard a lot of bad things about Belize, but once we got outside the tourism village, frankly, the surroundings were not nearly as bad as Roatan or even Cozumel in some places. I commented on this later to some other people on the cruise and they remarked that it was because all the vendors who usually harass you were not working that day, because it was a holiday.

I did think the streets were a little empty as we walked the couple blocks from the tourism village to the Sea Sports Belize building. That being said, there were still a handful of people trying to sell me a tour or private cab for the day. However, once I mentioned I had booked with Sea Sports Belize they all seemed to respect that and they even pointed me in the right direction.

The walk was a little farther than I thought it would be, but not far at all. Just a couple blocks. It probably felt farther than it really was because we were running a little late and I was in a hurry.

However, when we got to the building, one of the couples had not even arrived yet. The tour would consist of my group (three friends) and then two married couples also went with us, along with our tour guide and boat driver.

I don't remember the boat driver's name off the top of my head, and I believe the tour guide's name was Victoria. She was very knowledgeable and very helpful, in fact, she even helped rig my underwater camera to a lanyard I had so I would not be risking dropping it to the bottom of the water, haha.

I already had my snorkel gear, but they helped pick out gear for my two friends and soon enough we were off. The boat was not particularly big, it was enough for about 8-10 people to sit on benches with an aisle down the middle, there were 7 in our group total plus the driver and guide.

Once we were underway, I asked where we were going and indicated I was interested in going to Goff's Caye, as it said on their website was a possibility. However the guide explained to me that other groups would probably be going there and they didn't want to have to "fight the traffic" so to speak. Instead, she explained that we'd be going to Gallow's Point. I was a little disappointed because pictures of Goff's Caye I had seen looked amazing, but I trusted their experience and I told her I just wanted to see the best snorkeling.

So away we went, the speedboat took us out on about a 20 or 30 minute ride, out past where our ship was anchored. It took us past a lot of mangrove forests which were way out into the ocean, that was pretty cool, they were just out there by themselves. At one point the guide said he saw a manatee, unfortunately I did not.

We got to South Gallows Point a few minutes later and it soon started to pour rain. Fortunately, it didn't disturb the snorkeling too much, however I think the rain does make the water more cloudly, but that was hardly Sea Sports Belize's fault.

The snorkeling at South Gallows Point was very good, lots of different types of fish, and some areas that were just like gardens of coral. Sadly, not too much color, I saw some purple colored coral fans, but a lot of it was brownish. That being said, there were some areas where it just stretched on and on, it was really cool.

After a while in the water, they took us to another small island nearby, I believe it was George's Caye, I could be getting the name wrong. The island had some buildings that looked like houses but I didn't see anyone living there at the time. There was also a functioning bathroom that we could use and even a little cemetery.

While at the island they gave us lunch which was like a jerk chicken, rice and beans, avocado slice, and a soda. It was pretty tasty, I felt like it didn't quite hit the spot after floating in salt water for an hour, but it was still very good and filling.

After a while on the island, they took us back out to North Gallows Point. I actually thought the coral looked healthier and there was more of it out at North Gallows Point. By this time it had also stopped raining, which was positive. We had another 45 minutes or so in the water.

I took a ton of pictures but I was just using an iPhone in a Lifeproof case, so I didn't always get zoomed in on a lot of nice coral features. Most of my pictures were from floating on top of the water pointing down. I was able to dive down but my own buoyancy kept forcing me back to the surface, lol.

After another 45 minutes or so in the water, they announced that it was time to take us back. Too bad it was over, but after about 2 solid hours in the water I had enough, haha.

The ride back was uneventful, think everyone was tired, and we tipped the guide and driver and were on our way to spend the rest of our time in Belize at a restaurant. They were able to take us right back to the Tourism village so we didn't have to walk back.

.....

Overall I would say I was very happy with Sea Sports Belize despite the extra cost. The day itself was a little disappointing because it poured rain and was overcast, I believe the water would have been clearer and the experience much better in general had it been a nice day, but that's just life.

I thought we got more than a sufficient amount of time in the water and I thought the tour was very good. Notably, they did not make me wear a snorkel vest, I just went right in the water without one, even though I did bring one just in case.

The coral was very nice; it might have been slightly better at the West Bay Beaches in Roatan, but I didn't spend as much time in the water there, but they were both good. It was definitely better than at Cozumel from what I saw. Overall it was probably my best snorkeling experience ever; and that "probably" would have been a definitely had it been a nice sunny day.

I was really hoping I'd see some exotic fish like a barracuda or shark or sea turtle or something, but it was mostly just tropical fish, which were all great.

If you have any more questions, just ask! Happy to answer.

If anyone can recommend the best upload site for pics, that would also be appreciated, because they are all still on dropbox for me, haha.

Just DO NOT use Coral Breeze. This has been discussed a lot, used to be great, now pathetic, unless you want to be crammed into a small boat like we were in April...Their downfall occurred when they quit using Hammerhead as their boat crew...I believe the other two mentioned are fine..

mas0764... Thank you for your thorough update.

We used Ivar on our last trip to Belize and he was awesome. Went snorkeling. He was in the water leading us--and pointing out things we would have otherwise missed. He gave very good presnorkeling instructions making sure we were careful around the coral to protect it. We then went swimming with the rays and sharks then went to one of the Cayes for a beach lunch. We liked it so much we booked him again for our next trip.

pbuay@yahoo

We used Ivar on our last trip to Belize and he was awesome. Went snorkeling. He was in the water leading us--and pointing out things we would have otherwise missed. He gave very good presnorkeling instructions making sure we were careful around the coral to protect it. We then went swimming with the rays and sharks then went to one of the Cayes for a beach lunch. We liked it so much we booked him again for our next trip.

pbuay@yahoo

What company did you go with? And how long was your port stop?

DD is interested in the nurse sharks. Please tell more about this.

It was not a company but an independent operator. We loved the tour. He will accommodate whatever your schedule is. I think our port was 8-4. Ivar was great and really just wanted us to have a good time. It is paid in cash on the day of the tour. We are doing this tour again on our next cruise with a large group. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,

Laura

It was not a company but an independent operator. We loved the tour. He will accommodate whatever your schedule is. I think our port was 8-4. Ivar was great and really just wanted us to have a good time. It is paid in cash on the day of the tour. We are doing this tour again on our next cruise with a large group. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,

Laura

Could you post his contact info? We are interested for this in the spring.

Sure, his name is Ivar and his email is pbuay@yahoo and don't forget the dot com ....have to post this way or we will get flagged, I think.

He is great. Tell him Laura from California sent you.

Thanks, I will go ahead and contact him.

We used Sea Sport Belize on our Carnival Conquest stop on October 31 based on information we got from here. It was excellent! We originally picked this company because we hate the large group snorkeling where you get kicked in the face by other people's fins. Well, we were in for an absolute treat! Because the other two people on our boat went on to a dive site (with their dive master), it turned out to be a private snorkel tour for two with Capistrano, our snorkel guide! We snorkeled for over two hours at two sites on different sides of Sargeants Caye. Cap was in the water with us the entire time and gave us a running commentary of everything we saw!

As others have said, this is a small company and their prices are a little higher, mainly I think because they only cater to small groups. They need at least three people in total before they'll confirm your trip -- in fact, we were "on hold" till just a few days before as the divers did not book till fairly close to the date. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a more personal experience, then the price difference is definitely worth it, and I recommend them highly!

I saw your post, did you see any sting rays on your excursion with him and was it costly?

Sure, his name is Ivar and his email is pbuay@yahoo and don't forget the dot com ....have to post this way or we will get flagged, I think.

 

He is great. Tell him Laura from California sent you.

This may seem silly, but I hate snorkeling where you have to just dump yourself off the edge and into the water - I've got bad hips an maneuvering myself is sometimes not a pretty picture! LOL. Have the companies you've used had boats with ladders that you can step yourself into & out of the water?

I contacted Ivar from the email posted here a while back. He responded about a week later saying he works with Coral Breeze. Not interested in that company based on the feedback all over the internet. So I guess using Ivar is out for us.:(

I contacted Ivar from the email posted here a while back. He responded about a week later saying he works with Coral Breeze. Not interested in that company based on the feedback all over the internet. So I guess using Ivar is out for us.:(

I have him reserved for our May cruise. I think I better follow up and make sure we're still a go.

I have him reserved for our May cruise. I think I better follow up and make sure we're still a go.

Yes and please report back what he says. He recommended we visit the coral breeze website and everything.

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We just returned from a cruise and had the best snorkeling trip of our life!

Excursion: Belize Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Marine Park Snorkel Excursion by Air booked thru http://www.ShoreExcursioneer.com

Wasn't much impressed with Belize and don't really care if we ever go back, but I would for this snorkel trip. We saw tons of sharks and they surprised me how big they were. Got to pet one and again was surprised by the sandpaper feel of it. Saw at least 3 different types of sting rays and some turtles too. The reef itself was just amazing and saw fish I had never seen before. The guides would point them out and then tell us what they were. Even saw a big, green eel! He was a bit scary looking :eek:

Even the flight over was an experience. Who needs TSA? :eek: Walk up to the ticket counter at the airport after a short taxi ride and they asked for our first names, handed us a laminated boarding pass and we walked on to the plane. Guide met us in San Pedro and walked us to the snorkel boat. Easy.

They had plenty of water and watermelon on board for everyone. Wish we had the option of a little more food and drink as we were starving after the two different stops, but it was all good.

I would do this again in a heartbeat.

Yes and please report back what he says. He recommended we visit the coral breeze website and everything.

 

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I received back verification from Ivar that we are booked for a private with him in May. I was even able to add a person with no problems. Maybe he was already booked for the dates you wanted or already obligated to Coral Breeze. We booked with him several months ago.

I received back verification from Ivar that we are booked for a private with him in May. I was even able to add a person with no problems. Maybe he was already booked for the dates you wanted or already obligated to Coral Breeze. We booked with him several months ago.

Thanks for reporting back. I'm going to email him again. Maybe I wasn't specific enough the first time.