Dive Review of Belle Amie in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

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Belle Amie: "Fantastic Encounters with Whalesharks & Sea Lions", Sep, 2024, by Catherine May, ON, CA ( Sr. Reviewer 10 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 13108.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Video link: [youtu.be link] Our first impression of this trip wasn't a good one. The check-in process was the most cumbersome we've experienced to date. It required going to a secondary location prior to taking the bus to the boat, a small overcrowded room, where staff asked us questions that had already been answered in the questionnaire sent prior to the trip (ie. number of dives, insurance, certification, etc.). This was an unnecessary inconvenience. On the dive boat itself, we had a large spacious room with a king sized bed and 2 night tables. There was a long rack for hanging clothes, but drawer space was limited to the night tables. The dive deck was large, but only half the space was for gearing up with the other half devoted to tables for camera gear, where much of the space wasn't utilized. This extra room could be devoted to the area for gearing up, since it was a tight fit to accommodate all of us. The dining area & separate lounge area were spacious & well appointed. The charge of $100 USD for internet for 1 device was outrageous. I don't understand why these companies don't just add an extra $20 to the trip itself to cover their costs. It was obvious that safety was a priority. We practised a fire drill, were all provided with a Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS, & lifejackets & smoke hoods were in each cabin. The staff were friendly & devoted to ensuring we enjoyed ourselves. The captain circulated amongst us frequently & the senior divemaster, Pascal, provided superb information, answered all of my questions, and actively looked for things to show us while diving. In contrast, a young divemaster simply swam around with us & didn't show any effort in searching for & pointing out interesting critters. Hopefully he will get the feedback I forwarded along. The food was very good with the homemade treats being especially appreciated. I particularly enjoyed & took advantage of the gourmet coffee machine. What really made the trip were the sea lions & whalesharks! It was incredible watching the sea lions dive bomb & twirl through the divers. It was obvious how much fun they were having. As for the whalesharks, we spent hours snorkeling one day with these gentle giants. It was humbling sharing their ocean home. The rest of the diving was good & consisted mainly of hard corals with some macro, many different species of morays, & species native to the area (butterfly barberfish, king angelfish, giant hawkfish, etc.) Unfortunately our dive trip was cut short by 2 dives at the end due to a tropical storm moving in. This was handled safely by taking us to a sheltered port where we caught a bus & were driven to a hotel by the airport. Meals & accommodation were provided. All in all, this was a fantastic trip, on a great boat, with wonderful staff & I would highly recommend it :)
Websites	Belle Amie
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Komodo, Bali, Palau, Banda Sea, Raja Ampat, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Hawaii, Maldives, Caribbean, Mexico, USA, Canada
Closest Airport	Cabo	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	74-°F / 23-°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	40-50 Ft/ 12-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	60 minute dive limit
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There was tons of space available, but not temperature controlled since all the space was located on the dive deck itself. My GoPro ended up overheating so from then on I charged it overnight in my cabin.

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Dive Review of Belle Amie in Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

Belle Amie: "Fantastic Encounters with Whalesharks & Sea Lions", Sep, 2024,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Belle Amie in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez