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Dive Review of Peter Hughes -- Sun Dancer II in
Belize/N/A

Peter Hughes -- Sun Dancer II: "Great Solution for a 2-Year Hiatus (We Had Mega Saltwater Withdrawl)", May, 2015,

by Fritz Besch, NM, US ( 1 report). Report 8194.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments The Good: This is our second trip on the Sundancer II. We really liked the crew, the food, the room, the diving and the options! My wife and I totally enjoyed this trip. We've been out of the water since June of 2013 (Turks&Caicos Aggressor) and wanted an easy & relaxing trip to get our gills wet again!

I really love the boat and the new fin-tastic service is nice. At first I thought I didn't want anything to do with it, but after you get into the grove, it's very nice to have someone put on your fins and then take them off before you get out of the water. The crew accommodated several of the passengers request to swap the schedule around so that we could dive a dusk/night dive before dinner. I made every one of these dusk/night dives because I just hate to get ready to eat dinner then have to go put a cold wetsuit on again! Not to mention, the cold beer (always on tap) that I had with dinner. The boat was always moved to calm water for sleeping. The bed was very comfortable and everyone we talked to liked their rooms.

The diving was great with the reef as good as it was when we went in 2006. The sponges and coral are fantastic! Maybe we are jaded with big schools from the Pacific so we didn't think there were as many fish as we remembered (this was the same when we were on the T&C Aggressor). I know for a fact that there weren't as many smaller fish and I only saw one "large" anemone on the entire trip. We did have several turtles and sharks! We saw dolphins and eagle rays too! There were lots of large green morays and many spotted morays. Tons of lobster and I even saw my first Slipper Lobster! The dive masters know where a seahorse is and it was still there for us to see (6" tall!). Of course the Tarpon are always there and were in full swing during the night dives!

The Blue Hole was a blast(I just love a mild narc)! We saw a box crab and a lobster during the dive and of course all of the stalactites. Taking the rest of the morning off to visit Half Moon Caye and the bird sanctuary was also very enjoyable. We say many Iguana's and of course the Boobies!

The boat offered 5 dives a day and I rarely dive them all. On this trip I made 21 dives and was quite happy to have the ability to skip a dive or two when I felt like it.

The Bad: There was nothing really bad at all about this trip! I was grateful to have A/C in the room and it actually worked too good at night(but we did have plenty of covers!). I never complained once!

The Great: If you go prepare to be overwhelmed with positive enthusiasm from Captain Megan and the rest of the crew! We totally loved how they went out of their way to make our vacation Fantastic! The other passengers were fun too. We met many that had similar interest (duh) and had the chance to share experiences with some "newer to the sport" divers while learning about possible future destinations.

Conclusion: If you're looking for relaxing & great diving, a boat with excellent food, crew & accommodations, and a no - stress vacation, the Sundancer II is a fantastic option! We got our gills wet and are looking for our next trip!
Websites Peter Hughes -- Sun Dancer II   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Most of the hot spots except the very latest ones! We've been to:Australia (Great Detached Reef), Sipadan, Phllipines, Wakatobi, Red Sea, Cozumel, LaPaz, Fiji, and a few lakes in AR&TX.
Closest Airport Belize City Getting There AA flies to Dallas then to Belize City. No issues except delays returning due to Dallas weather.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy, no currents
Water Temp 81-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-150 Ft/ 24-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions The crew asked that you not go deeper than 110ft (except the Blue Hole - 130ft). They stress buddy diving and expect it. They are good stewards of the reef and help you to learn how to stay off of it if you need help. I never felt limited or prevented from diving the way I wanted to.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments I didn't take a camera for this trip, but I am usually well engaged with a D90 in an Aquatica housing and two big strobes. The crew handled cameras very well and the tables to hold the cameras were adequate. There were ample places to charge batteries and of course work on the computer to copy and back-up files. The crew video and slide show was a great way for me to capture memories of this trip without the "fun" of taking my own gear. Besides, it looks like I could entertain another technology update....
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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