Snorkeling in Belize

Does anyone know of any tours that leave directly from the docking city. I was told that I needed to catch the water ferry to Caye Caulker and then catch a tour which would cost additional $$ and time. We would like to go to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley Snorkeling

Hi, we booked a snorkeling excursion in Belize through shoretrips, at shoretrips dot com. Have not been yet so can't give you a review, but the boat picks you up at the cruise ship pier and drops you back off. It includes two snorkeling spots- one at Shark ray Alley, and a visit to Caye Caulker for lunch on your own. $57/pp.

. . . if you want to go to Hoi Chan Marine Reserve, which is what I will do next time I visit Belize: it is off Ambergris Caye, which is to the NORTH of Caye Caulker; and it is my understanding that it is usual practice for Ambergris Caye/Hoi Chan tour providers to pick you up from your ship en route, while it is moving down the Gulf of Honduras to anchor in Belize Harbour before Belize City. This would save a TREMENDOUS amount of time if it is true; and if you could then DINE on Ambergris Caye for lunch before your tour provider returns you to your ship or to Belize City, you would have a wonderful day.

The Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, south of the Hoi Chan Marine Reserve, also offers excellent snorkeling opportunities and the Shark/Stingray Alley; I have snorkeled there, and it is quite beautiful, and the water is crystal clear for underwater photography along the reef. The downside for me was Caye Caulker itself, which you may read about at great length on another thread begun by another visitor who was similarly unimpressed by the island itself. I have already posted too much of my point of view on that thread. :rolleyes:

But if instead you go on your ship all the way down to Belize City, and then have to tender into the Cruiseship Terminal, go to the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Terminal (a few blocks away), take the water taxi ride to Caye Caulker, take a licensed guided tour out to the reef before Caye Caulker, grab lunch, and then get back on the water taxi to Belize City before the last water taxi leaves and before the last tender to your ship leaves, much of your day IMHO--if not your digestion also--is in tatters. I would, had I been on a cruiseship at the time, have been willing to pay quite a premium to be able to "jump ship" at Ambergris Caye, and get busy snorkeling. But perhaps in fact--for the services you will receive, and the experiences you will have--the "premium" is not that bad, and the cruiseship package may be better than you could manage on your own! For information on that I hope those who have actually done it both ways will write in for you to this thread.

Those who own property on Ambergris Caye would like you to go to Caye Caulker instead. Every visitor, after all, contributes to noise, congestion, trash disposal difficulties, sanitation issues and crowding of restaurants. But I suspect there are excellent reasons why people buy property on Ambergris Caye, and I for one would like to find them out! :D

There are several good tours that you can book at the tenderdock or online. Google "Belize snorkeling" and see what you get.

Hi, we booked a snorkeling excursion in Belize through shoretrips, at shoretrips dot com. Have not been yet so can't give you a review, but the boat picks you up at the cruise ship pier and drops you back off. It includes two snorkeling spots- one at Shark ray Alley, and a visit to Caye Caulker for lunch on your own. $57/pp.

Hey Jamie,

When is your tour booked? I would appreciate your feedback on this excursion, as I may book this on my next cruise.

Cheers!

DH and I snorkled at Shark Ray Alley and also out on the reef - fantastic snorkling, better than anyone else we've been. Be prepared to wear life vest however out on the reef - I am very strong swimmer (previous lifeguard) and needed it to rest when battling currents off the reef back to the boat.

Once picked up at the cruise pier area (boardwalk) it takes about 30-40 minutes to arrive at your destination. Keep an eye out for wildlife along the way - many large iguanas in the mangroves along some of the small islands and we encountered dolphins out in the water while heading to the reef.

As for eating at Caye Caulker restaurant - nothing special but nice laid back spot with a choice of a few types of sandwiches. All in all it was a quaint day, but the snorkling was worth it. We still had plenty of time to shop the boardwalk and purchase a wood carving and some items at the American run drugstore.

Enjoy!

Rasta Pasta Rainforest Café has surprisingly good small pizzas if you are looking for something plain and relatively safe for lunch. We ate 'em, and were pleasantly surprised. It is the only place mentioned for dining in the 2007 Destination Belize (the Belize Tourism Industry Association official publication) for Caye Caulker. I returned with to Swampland at the end of January with a 2008 Destination Belize, but I lent it out to two prospective honeymooners so I can't check it there . . . .

Do any of you guys have any reviews for the different tour groups.

So far, here's what i've seen

Star Tours Belize

http://www.startoursbelize.com/tour.html

$50.00/pp

Snorkel in Shark Ray Alley, Coral Gardens, and Channel or Swash. We provide sodas, water, equipment, and light snacks as well. You can also relax on any of our resort´s beaches after your tour or have lunch at our restaurant.

Coral Breeze Belize Tour

http://www.coralbreezetours.com/Belize/Caye/Caulker/cruise/snorkeling/current_category.15/Product.2/tours_add.html?t_product=2

$75.00

Coral Breeze's snorkel adventure includes:

Snorkeling at Belize's world-famous "Shark Ray Alley".

Snorkeling at "Coral Gardens" along the Barrier Reef.

Beach-bumming and swimming at the renown "Split" on Caye Caulker.

Lunch at a local restaurant on Caye Caulker (if lunch option selected).

Shopping, beach bumming, and sightseeing on Caye Caulker.

I've read some good reviews at Coral Breeze Belize Tour...but havent' heard anything of Star Tours.

Any help would be greatly appreciated..thanks!

I was hoping that someone would make it real easy, and simply suggest the best tour, with the tour operator, with the contact information.....lol

I guess we will have to do some extra work at this.... I need to know by mid April.

Cheers!

If one is determined to leave from Belize City to do whatever one proposes to do in the water, one should probably contact Hugh Parkey's Belize Dive Connection at http://www.belizediving.com or email hugh@belizediving.com or telephone 888-223-5403. This is a BIG operation, with many boats of all sizes, many guides, and a wide selection of places to go [there are a LOT of them] at a wide selection of prices. I have not gone with them myself, as I did not leave from Belize City for my snorkeling venture, but I did walk across the street from the Radisson Fort George where I was staying to Hugh Parkey's pier, and talked with one of the guides for quite a while one day--so it is about three "blocks" from the Cruiseship Terminal as you go north (past the Lighthouse). If you always have the Bay of Honduras on your RIGHT HAND, you are walking in the right direction to get there. You can surely see his operation ahead of you when you get to the Lighthouse.

Nothing is for free.

If you booked ahead they might pick you up from, and deliver you to, the Cruise Terminal--but I just don't know. They did seem to me in the two weeks I was in Belize City to be the only free-standing establishment with an office and a staff and a pile of nice-looking boats in Belize City. There are a lot of nice-looking boats in the water capable of taking you anywhere you might want to go, and Hugh Parkey may not be the cheapest of the cheap. But I suspect he is the benchmark for you to measure offers against. "Operating from the Radisson Fort George Marina since 1995," which gives them 13 years experience, anyway . . . .

Best wishes for wonderful dives, and for heaven's sake write a review when you get back! :rolleyes:

Coral Breeze tours were great!!!!

Does anyone know of any tours that leave directly from the docking city. I was told that I needed to catch the water ferry to Caye Caulker and then catch a tour which would cost additional $$ and time. We would like to go to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley Snorkeling

Hi,

We will be in Belize via cruise ship on May 1st and I have been in contact with a few companies that have been very helpful but I have not found much feedback on them (probably since they are out of Amberegris Caye) They are Eco (ecological) Tours, Ambergris Divers and Ocean Adventures. I will probably book one of them to do the Hol Chan and Shark Ray snorkeling but I have not decided which one yet. They all have websites if you want to look at them.

Thanks, cruisefreak13

Thanks!

If one is determined to leave from Belize City to do whatever one proposes to do in the water, one should probably contact Hugh Parkey's Belize Dive Connection at www.belizediving.com or email hugh@belizediving.com or telephone 888-223-5403. This is a BIG operation, with many boats of all sizes, many guides, and a wide selection of places to go [there are a LOT of them] at a wide selection of prices. I have not gone with them myself, as I did not leave from Belize City for my snorkeling venture, but I did walk across the street from the Radisson Fort George where I was staying to Hugh Parkey's pier, and talked with one of the guides for quite a while one day--so it is about three "blocks" from the Cruiseship Terminal as you go north (past the Lighthouse). If you always have the Bay of Honduras on your RIGHT HAND, you are walking in the right direction to get there. You can surely see his operation ahead of you when you get to the Lighthouse.

 

Nothing is for free.

 

If you booked ahead they might pick you up from, and deliver you to, the Cruise Terminal--but I just don't know. They did seem to me in the two weeks I was in Belize City to be the only free-standing establishment with an office and a staff and a pile of nice-looking boats in Belize City. There are a lot of nice-looking boats in the water capable of taking you anywhere you might want to go, and Hugh Parkey may not be the cheapest of the cheap. But I suspect he is the benchmark for you to measure offers against. "Operating from the Radisson Fort George Marina since 1995," which gives them 13 years experience, anyway . . . .

 

Best wishes for wonderful dives, and for heaven's sake write a review when you get back! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the info, Driftwood. I will contact them. And of course, reviews and feedback are always an absolute....

Cheers!

Wow, that did sound preachy, didn't it? I just meant that as you had asked an excellent question, it was a shame that people who have had the specific experience you were asking about weren't piling in to say anything specific. All experience is now "awesome," which of course says so much. With so little strain on the brain--should there be one. :rolleyes:

If, for example, one could take a boat from the Cruiseship Terminal--or for that matter, from Hugh Parkey's pier--directly to the reef or Turneffe or the Blue Hole or wherever you would like to dive--and then return when you pleased, you would never have to worry about the Water Taxi schedule or wait for a water taxi or :eek: [dine on Caye Caulker, e.g.--sorry, there seems to be no death's-head emoticon available] :eek: but return directly to the Radisson area and dine, if you were hungry, or drink, if you were thirsty, at the Smoky Mermaid, admiring if you are blind or ignoring as best you could the Angela Gegg signed masterpiece hanging on the wall [de gustibus non est disputandem, believe me], where you could get dependable food and drink in a very comfortable environment with actual clean restrooms and a few turtles available--to look at--and a cat, who will look at you--and then walk two blocks to the Cruiseship Terminal to step onto your waiting tender.

What a world of headaches (and stomachaches) is dissolved when money is your aspirin! Hope all your dreams come true! :D

We were on the Spirit in early March and took the Coral Breezes tour mentioned above ($ 75). I would recommend this to anyone.

The Coral Breezes employee was waiting for us on the dock near the Wet Lizard. There were about 12 of us on the tour. The boat ride up to Caye Caulker was 35-40 minutes. We had 35-40 minutes of snorkeling on the reef, then another 25-30 minutes with the sting rays. They took us to a restaurant on Caye Caulker for lunch. Nothing fancy, but it was good. With a 35-40 minute return trip to Belize City, we still had over an hour to shop and grab drinks before catching the tender back to the ship. There was never a worry about not getting back in time to get to the ship.

One note - the boat ride to Caye Caulker can be a bit rough, depending on the weather. If you have back problems or other issues, it might be a consideration.