Goff's Caye or Caye Caulker better for snorkeling?

I am looking at both for February 2105.

We're not really interested in sharks or stingrays (been there done that too many times) but would like to go where there would be a live reef and more colorful fish.

Has anyone recently snorkeled in both places and have a comparison?

Thanks

I am looking at both for February 2105.

We're not really interested in sharks or stingrays (been there done that too many times) but would like to go where there would be a live reef and more colorful fish.

Has anyone recently snorkeled in both places and have a comparison?

Thanks

Also, is the Hol Chan reserve just off Caye Caulker?

Goffs is an uninhabited small island and is on the reef, snorkelling is ok, Caulker is a resort island that has no reef within swimming distance, you can get a boat from there to Hol Chan Marine reserve and it has many fish, turtles and is the most prolific for wildlife, I haven't been there since 2010 though

Hi. Hol Chan is north of Caye Caulker. It's actually closer to Ambergis Caye. While you can take a boat from Caye Caulker to Hol Chan, it's a much longer ride so usually only done as a full day tour which would probably be tough to do as a cruise passenger. I had read before going that some places will lie and say they are taking you to Hol Chan when they are actually taking you to Coral Gardens which is much closer.

I did a land vacation in May to Belize, and we took the water taxi over to Caye Caulker for the day. We did a snorkeling trip with Tsunami adventures which was great. I really liked the company - they were very clear and honest about where they went and took us out even though with only 2 people we did not meet their minimum number of guests. Our tour took us to 3 sites - can't remember the name of the first - saw a small ray, a ton of fish, two squid, a moray eel, and nice coral at this location. Second stop was a shark/ray alley stop - there is another shark/ray alley by Hol Chan. My understanding is the one by Hol Chan may have larger sharks/rays, but the one by Caye Caulker does still have a huge number of both sharks and rays - unfortunately they do chum the water for this. Third stop was coral gardens - beautiful fish, a shark swimming under us, a lobster, and some nice coral spotted at this one. Overall, the snorkeling was phenomenal. Hol Chan is supposed to be even better though - some people we met who went same day as us to Hol Chan said they saw huge turtles at the site they went to.

There's a flight excursion that goes to Ambergis Caye and goes to Hol Chan that looks pretty cool from Shore Excursioneer- there was a post regarding it on here recently. If you truly want to see the best snorkeling, that's what I would recommend since it would get you to Hol Chan (I've never done that excursion though so don't know logistics/etc). If you are happy to see good reefs but know you might not have seen "the best," I'm sure you will be very happy with snorkeling Coral Gardens and the other stops from Caye Caulker. There's also very little current so it's like swimming in a bathtub with awesome fish. We didn't know about the flight excursion when we went and didn't think we had time to get to Hol Chan. Caye Caulker was also a cute little island to walk around and got some great lunch as well.

Hope this helps!

Hi. Hol Chan is north of Caye Caulker. It's actually closer to Ambergis Caye. While you can take a boat from Caye Caulker to Hol Chan, it's a much longer ride so usually only done as a full day tour which would probably be tough to do as a cruise passenger. I had read before going that some places will lie and say they are taking you to Hol Chan when they are actually taking you to Coral Gardens which is much closer.

 

I did a land vacation in May to Belize, and we took the water taxi over to Caye Caulker for the day. We did a snorkeling trip with Tsunami adventures which was great. I really liked the company - they were very clear and honest about where they went and took us out even though with only 2 people we did not meet their minimum number of guests. Our tour took us to 3 sites - can't remember the name of the first - saw a small ray, a ton of fish, two squid, a moray eel, and nice coral at this location. Second stop was a shark/ray alley stop - there is another shark/ray alley by Hol Chan. My understanding is the one by Hol Chan may have larger sharks/rays, but the one by Caye Caulker does still have a huge number of both sharks and rays - unfortunately they do chum the water for this. Third stop was coral gardens - beautiful fish, a shark swimming under us, a lobster, and some nice coral spotted at this one. Overall, the snorkeling was phenomenal. Hol Chan is supposed to be even better though - some people we met who went same day as us to Hol Chan said they saw huge turtles at the site they went to.

 

There's a flight excursion that goes to Ambergis Caye and goes to Hol Chan that looks pretty cool from Shore Excursioneer- there was a post regarding it on here recently. If you truly want to see the best snorkeling, that's what I would recommend since it would get you to Hol Chan (I've never done that excursion though so don't know logistics/etc). If you are happy to see good reefs but know you might not have seen "the best," I'm sure you will be very happy with snorkeling Coral Gardens and the other stops from Caye Caulker. There's also very little current so it's like swimming in a bathtub with awesome fish. We didn't know about the flight excursion when we went and didn't think we had time to get to Hol Chan. Caye Caulker was also a cute little island to walk around and got some great lunch as well.

 

Hope this helps!

THANK YOU firstalaskatrip!

You've finally made sense of all of the descriptions I've been reading.

We don't really want to get into the flight thing and your description of the Coral Gardens sounds perfect.

We've decided to do an excursion with Belize Exotic Adventures to the Coral Gardens. They've responded to all of my request promptly and sound like a reliable company.

Glad to be of help Chamima. I can't comment on the company you picked since I don't know any of the companies other than the one we used, but I am sure you will have a wonderful time at the reef. It is absolutely beautiful! Have fun!

I felt the same way, but after reading lots of ideas, we decided on Hol Chan since it is our first time to Belize. The variety is what is driving us. We contacted Belize Exotic Adventures and will give it a shot the first week of February.

Please come back and let us know. Which company are you choosing to go to HC?

Kelley

We ended up going with Sea Sports Belize. It is a two snorkel trip plus lunch, and seems to be a smaller group. It is a bit more, but I never heard back from Eco Adventures and this place was great with communication. It was $90 each, but it is the barrier reef and who knows when or if we come back.

I am watching this topic. My cruise is at the end of Feb. Look forward to hearing back. Firstalaskatrip, how much did the Tsunami tour cost? Thanks for the information here.

Hi M&T - the two local reef tour that we did is $35/person. They have a longer one I wish I could go on that's $65, but I'm not sure that one would fit with a cruise - we didn't think we had enough time which is why we did the shorter one. here's the link to their site with prices: http://tsunamiadventures.com/snorkeling-tours/ Have fun on your cruise - I'm sure you will have a great time snorkeling!

Thanks. We may do that.

I know this may be too late for the OP but in hopes of helping others, this is an excellent company and Caesar our guide was wonderful. The snorkeling at Coral Gardens is the best we have had - anywhere - and the shark/ray encounter is fantastic. Do not hesitate to book with them!

researching for our summer cruise... thanks for good information :)

I know this may be too late for the OP but in hopes of helping others, this is an excellent company and Caesar our guide was wonderful. The snorkeling at Coral Gardens is the best we have had - anywhere - and the shark/ray encounter is fantastic. Do not hesitate to book with them!

Our experience with Belize Exotic Adventures was very different.

When we finally found their representative he walked us over to the hotel dock where they had their "boat" waiting. It was a dingy (large row boat with a motor and no overhead cover) that already had about 15 people packed shoulder to shoulder. This was for the 45 minute ride over to the Coral Gardens.

For the first time EVER in 45 years of cruising (and many, many snorkel excursions) my husband looked at the boat and said "NO WAY" and we turned around and walked away.

If you book with them ask to see a picture of the boat you will be on.

Would recommend Goff's for snorkeling, but we loved our day on CC just enjoying the view and company at the Lazy Lizard.

Our experience with Belize Exotic Adventures was very different.

When we finally found their representative he walked us over to the hotel dock where they had their "boat" waiting. It was a dingy (large row boat with a motor and no overhead cover) that already had about 15 people packed shoulder to shoulder. This was for the 45 minute ride over to the Coral Gardens.

For the first time EVER in 45 years of cruising (and many, many snorkel excursions) my husband looked at the boat and said "NO WAY" and we turned around and walked away.

If you book with them ask to see a picture of the boat you will be on.

We were in a decent boat holding 20-24 people, not what I would consider a row boat, but it was open air shallow water skiff, like many dive/snorkel boats are. There was nothing complex to it - just a bench along both sides with the steering in the back. It had a bimini that came out when you were stationary but you do not ride with those down. Perhaps we were looking at the same boat and simply had different expectations? For me, this was a very common type of boat to expect in Belize to hop the cayes. I am sorry you decided not to go - Coral Gardens was truly the best snorkeling ever.

We just did the Goffs Caye through Exo Exotic. It started off kinda rough. ( our reservation paper said 9-9:45 departure and we didn't get going until after 10:15) they are an hour behind our ship time so we just sat around and waiting for the 2 hours for it to start. Once we got going, all was pretty smooth. The little island was pretty cool. Definitely a neat spot. Got kinda crowded as the other excursions started showing up but we still had plenty of room. Snorkeling was great, the guides were helpful and the water was amazing. We would do this again and would recommend it.

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Caye Caulker isn't a snorkeling island. The reefs off shore are, however to far and dangerous to swim to, you will need some type of excursion. Some excursions mention a stop at Caye Caulker, however it is more of a "pit" stop and maybe a meal.

Caye Caulker is great for snorkeling. They have plenty of boats over there that take groups out. Stayed there for a week once several years back and it was my first snorkeling experience..... loved it.

I have been to Goff's Caye twice and going back for the 3rd time in June. The whole experience is great! The snorkeling is wonderful and the water is amazing. Super friendly people and very informative guides. The BBQ'd chicken was great as well!

Yes agree with klc and tarheelschick, Goff's is a beautiful little spit and we enjoyed the beach and the amazing water view. A gent was there selling hand-carved bowls and such, and we were the only group there that day so that was nice.

I have been to Goff's Caye twice and going back for the 3rd time in June. The whole experience is great! The snorkeling is wonderful and the water is amazing. Super friendly people and very informative guides. The BBQ'd chicken was great as well!

I have been to both places and liked Goff's Caye. But if you are looking for the better snorkeling, it is Caye Caulker, hands down. If you want a little tiny island to sit on, then Goff's is the better choice.

Of the two, we actually like wading out from GC to snorkel rather than the option at CC but that's just our opinion of course.

Of the two, we actually like wading out from GC to snorkel rather than the option at CC but that's just our opinion of course.

But do you see any fish?