Inside the world's second-largest barrier reef, English-speaking Belize sports three major atollsbut not much in the way of beaches.... Most of the good diving is reachable from live-aboards or from resorts on the offshore cayes.... The deeply-cut, spur-and-groove coral reefs of Ambergris Caye, the largest and most developed of the Belize's cayes, are interesting, but not as adrenaline-producing as the rugged underwater scenery of the outer cayes, where the walls are among the more spectacular in the Caribbean. There's a chance to see large schools of fish, a big one here and there, and plenty of large nurse sharks.... When comparing package prices, find out if they include the cost of transfers to and from the caye and what taxes are included.... There's good diving off Placencia, a funky fishing village in southern Belize, and, since it's on the mainland, you can visit Mayan ruins, the Jaguar Preserve, or take river tours. The trade-off? It's an hour's boat ride to the pristine barrier reef.... Flying to Belize is easy (only two hours from Houston) and it's simple to fly to Honduras for a second week.... Avoid Belize City at night, it has a reputation for serious crime.... Belize lies at the edge of the hurricane belt....

For full reviews of the following Belize destinations, see:

Blackbird Caye Resort - Turneffe Islands, Undercurrent- January 1998

Jaguar Reef Lodge Mainland, Undercurrent- July 1997

Rum Point Inn Placencia, In Depth- April 1995

Ambergris Caye

Alberto Bradley/Belize Yacht Club, January 1998, Raymond Chat Watts, Tucson AZ. Spent a week on an International Expeditions ecotour: jungles, rivers, ruins and even Belize City-finishing at the Belize Yacht Club with two days of snorkeling, the added three days of diving. Hol Chan was swarming with reef fish, some fairly good size. Shark-Ray Alley: swam with a dozen southern sting rays, some with five-foot wingspans, and half as many nurse sharks, the largest about six feet. . . . Alberto Bradley, a licensed tour guide, runs a 36-foot skiff (Bimini top provides shade) powered by twin Evenrude 65s. Alberto is an experience and skillful waterman and a very good diver; he was born on Ambergris Caye and knows the waters well. He skillfully runs the breakers at the opening in the reef, gives good briefings and dives with his customers. He keeps his flock together on group dives and points out things of interest. His father, Roberto, helps with equipment, then follows the bubbles allowing lengthy explorations. . . . Group dives to 80 and 40 feet; visiting The Wreck and probing Hol Chan Canyon; School of 3-foot yellow tail snappers, good-sized jewfish, an urn sponge that must have been three feet across, and a six-foot nurse shark sleeping in a canyon. Surface interval spent snorkeling at Shark-Ray Alley with a modest-sized southern sting rays and small nurse sharks. Second day, with heavy seas and reduced visibility, I was the only customer. Alberto and I dove in Hol Chan Channel outside the reef (100 feet and definitely not for beginners) and in Hol Chan Park. The latter was swarming with reef fish but clouded with sand particles churned up by the surf. Alberto a knowledgeable guide, found a golden coral shrimp; magnificent sponges, a great variety of hard and soft corals, giant anemone, large grouper, green and spotted morays and a huge spotted eagle ray. Overall diving for beginners, 5 star, diving for experienced 3 star. . . . Condominiums at Belize Yacht Club very nice. Outdoor dining for breakfast and lunch, no dinner served. Outdoor bar, small swimming pool, saltwater swimming from pier. (Alberto Bradley, Ph: 011-501-26-2608)

Amigos Dal Mar/Caribbean Villas, December 1997, Bob Kaufman, Backthy, WV. Caribbean Villas would be a good place to stay if the units received serious maintenance and if the staff paid more attention to their duties. Amigos Da Mar are great-very safety conscious and helpful. Good diving briefings. They take care of your gear overnight and hang it ready to go upon the boat that picks you up the next morning. Water: 80-83 degrees. Vis 40-80 ft. My only negative reaction is to a lot of critter handling. (Ph: 011-501-26-2706, Fax: 011-501-26-2648)

Amigos Del Mar/Offshore Express/Mayan Princess, January 1998. Hotel is very good and near the dive shop. Overpriced: several equally good hotels nearby at half the price. Amigos del Mar is a good operation offering several dives a day. Little flexibility in diving profile. After 30 minutes everybody had to go up. Diving around Ambergris Cay is nothing to write home about. . . . Two day live-aboard out of San Pedro, the Offshore Express, included five dives, all meals and trips to Turneffe, Lighthouse Reef and Half Moon Cay for $250/pp. The Blue Hole dive was the highlight. Vis: 60-80 ft. Water: 80-82 degrees. Flew in on an easy one hour flight from Cancun, after diving a week in Cozumel. AeroCaribe offers daily flights.

Amigos Del Mar/Rocks Inn, January 1998, Richard Keen, Odessa, TX. 9 days. Last 3 in storm. Love San Pedro. Not the world's greatest diving but easy. Small (6-8) groups. Back on land during interval. Amigos Del Mar conscious of fragility of ocean environment. Friendly. On time. Dependable. Rock's Inn a 5' walk from Amigos Del Mar. 3 story, top floor includes tubs; all are suites, full kitchen, living room and bedroom, one large "L" shaped room. Nice little beach. Computer available for sending E-mail. Ambergris Caye laid back, easy diving and yet good variety of restaurants. Vis: 50-80 ft, water: 78-80 degrees.

Amigos Del Mar/Belize Yacht Club, June 1998, John Van Ordstrand, N. Miami, FL. Yacht Club rooms large with kitchen and living room, very good staff, nice pool, small beach, restaurant and bar fairly nice; 10-15 minute walk to town. Vis: 50-100 ft, water: 80-82 degrees. Amigos Del Mar for rest of dives. Diving on reef just off Ambergris is average but nice for beginners. Smaller boats with 3-5 divers was great. Renee and Changa and Tony & Edgar were excellent. Well worth the 2+, hr trip to Lighthouse, Blue Hole and Turneffe. Better coral, more and better fish! Ambergris choices of restaurants (Elvis' great, Ramon's for outdoor Bar-B-Q, Jade Garden, Playador Resort Rest.), shops, a little nightlife with fair diving and day trips to atolls.

Amigos Del Mar/Corona Del Mar, July 1998, Jake & Janet Wager, Bakersfield, CA. Never asked to see C-cards or had us fill out paper work. Picked us up at hotel wharf, 10-15 minutes to reef. OK briefing. First part of first dive spent on small wreck at 70' w/dive guide feeding groupers and nurse sharks. Saw large turtle. Dive guide grabbed hold of it until it took off. Later Janet was watching a large file fish. Dive guide approached and fish went into a crevice. Dive guide just reached in and pulled it out to pass around to other divers. Surface interval spent snorkeling in shallow water (6-10') surrounded by rays and nurse sharks attracted by food. Dive guide manhandled ray to the surface! Second dive spent mostly floating 20-30 ft over reef. Visited scuba shop to discuss aggressive interface w/sea life. Told that divers come to see sea life and dive guides just want to make sure clients are happy. Corona Del Mar is a four unit fully furnished (kitchen, dining area, living room separate bedroom) hotel run by Woody and Helen from California. Breakfast included and rum punches poured (for free) anytime you visit with Woody. Our room looked over the beach. The palm trees and wharf very picturesque. Diving cut short due to high winds.

Aqua Divers/Casa Tortuga, June 1998, William Cunningham, Hilton Head Island, SC. Casa Tortuga is a rental home two miles south of San Pedro. Five bedroom home, but only appropriate for 3 couples. (One bathroom upstairs shared by two bedrooms and one bathroom downstairs shared by three bedrooms). A/C did not work in the upstairs bedrooms and no A/C units in downstairs bedrooms. We paid to have three meals prepared daily along with daily housekeeping. After the third day we were told that the housekeeper needed more money for food (we were told by the owner that this might occur toward the end of our 8-day stay). Eduardo with Aqua Dives was the only dive operation out of four who offered us a discount if we dived all week so we did. He let us use BC's, regs and wetsuits at no charge! Alex and Oliver were great dive guides. Vis: 50-80 ft. Water: 78-82 degrees. Diving restrictions: depth and time limit.

Bottom Time/Coral Beach Hotel, December 1997, Tim and Paula Pa stushin, Newport Beach, CA. San Pedro is growing. Most new development out of town but 10 times more cars than 5 years ago. Coral Beach Hotel, funky, pleasant, good AC, great balcony for people watching, reading. Bring ear plugs for New Years Eve. Restaurants; Elvis still good, Pasta Pasta excellent. . . . Bottom Time Dive good for beginners, so-so for experienced. No real restrictions. Vis: 50-90 ft. Water: 80-82 degrees. My wife and I were allowed to buddy dive our computers. Coral formations nice but taking a beating. No fish to speak of, except for Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Tons of big grouper, nurse sharks. Eagle Ray Canyons outside Hol Chan Cut: small gray reef shark, nurse sharks, southern stingray, eagle ray, barracuda, grouper. All other dives mediocre, coral damaged. Few critters, swim throughs really beat up. Ambergris diving excellent for beginners. (Coral Beach Hotel, Ph: 011-501-262001)

Gaz Cooper's Dive Belize, December 1997, Tim & Paula Pastushin, Newport Beach, CA. First dive Amigos Wreck just south of Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Forty ft. barge in 60 feet. Groupers and nurse sharks used to being fed so they swarm all over divers when you get in water. Vis: 60-80 ft. Water: 80-82 degrees. Dive restrictions: 70 ft. 40 min. first dive, 60 ft. 40 min. second dive; square profiles of both dives sent our computers well into the yellow. Surface intervals at Hol Chan, snorkeling if wanted, 55 minute interval. Second dive: Eagle Ray Canyons outside the Reserve. Nurse sharks, barracuda, small reef sharks, groupers, eagle ray, southern stingray. Good animals in or near the reserve, scarce elsewhere. Coral shows damage, especially at Hol Chan Cut, tons of snorklers have stomped the life out of the shallow corals. . . . Divemasters Andy a good host, though he said nothing to two divers who were bashing the reef on both dives. Boat was 20 ft. open boat w/canopy and big outboard. $45 for two tanks. Good operation, restrictive for experienced. Request Eagle Ray Canyons as early dive site, excellent animals!

Gaz Cooper's/Sunbreeze Hotel, May 1998, Gerry Mcatavey, Roanoke, VA. Wish I had known Blue Hole dives are only twice a week and need to be part of your plan: Blue Hole, Turneffe and Lighthouse best dives in the area. People friendly, food better than average to real good. Be careful of what the natives call pico pico [ed. note: sea lice]; nasty skin irritant, itchy, hive like. Diving was good, good visibility 70-110 ft., temps in the 80's. Some dived on their own, others went with divemaster. DM dove tables. laid back place with good local beer!

Larry Parker's Reef Divers/Royal Palm Villas, December 1997, Larry & Fawn Lovecchio, Ignacio, CO. Ambergris Caye is a fun place with the reef close to shore. Boat diving only on spur and groove formations. Deeply cut sandy canyons with several swim throughs, healthy corals and large barrel sponges. Fish life is good and most plentiful at Hol Chan Marine Reserve with large friendly grouper and nurse sharks, especially at Amigo wreck. Don't miss an opportunity to night dive at Hol Chan where unusual critters, lobster and octopi are out. Saw stingrays, eagle rays, large manta ray, large green morays and lobster. Water temp. 82-84 degrees, vis: 50' to over 100'. Dive restriction: 45 minutes. Windy, cloudy weather sometimes lowered the visibility and created rough seas. Larry Parker's Reef Divers a very good operation whose divemasters own their own boats and know what they're doing. They work with you to get longer bottom time by separating computer divers from those using tables so most of the time we had our own boat. . . . Royal Palm Villas is a nice time share resort about 1.5 miles south of San Pedro. The island has several good restaurants at fair prices: Dukes, Lilly's, Capricorn (for stone crab), and Victoria House.

Larry Parker's Reef Divers/Ramon's Village, 1998, Russ, Beeville, TX. Ramon's excellent; except service in restaurant was slow as smoke off cow manure. Too many waiters, no follow up service. One place worse, Curacao. Sea lice, pica pica or whatever-terrible! Vis: 60 ft. Depth-time restrictions enforced for diving.

Larry Parker's Reef Divers/Royal Palm Villas, April 1998, Fred R. Corban, Jr., Arlington Heights, IL. Time share south of town. Great fresh water pool and friendly staff. Reef Divers in front of Villas. Amigos Wreck, a barge sunk in about 70 feet of water. The fish abundance not that great. No predive explanation except "stay together behind me." Cleaning station on barge with large grouper and Nurse Sharks. Hol Chan Canyons in 60 feet of water. Ballyhoo, dog snapper. Hol Chan Marine Reserve in 30 feet of water. Returned to the buoyed dive boat against current I got fatigued and ran out of air at 10 feet. Boat was only 20 to 30 yards away. Dive guide Alex never did check to see how I was doing. Saw nurse sharks every day we snorkeled and diving. Southern stingrays as often. Vis: 70-100 ft. Water: 78-81 degrees.

Larry Parker's Reef Divers, June 1998, Richard & Brenda Salsman, Marion, NC. Farther out atolls much better diving than Barrier Reef. Hol Chan great for snorkeling. Getting to atolls required long, bone-crushing ride in rough seas. My wife and another female diver had to hold each other down on the boat. On one dive outside the reef, Reef Divers did not have enough tanks for all the divers, so one instructor went down with her one student for his check out so she could return to give her tank to our guide. This left six fully paid certified divers on the boat with large swells waiting for their return. A couple got seasick and their dive day was ruined. No one wanted to go out for as a second dive. San Pedro has limited grocery shopping and restaurants. Never showed a c-card. Vis: 50-100 ft. Water: 80's.

Patoho's Dive Shop/Capt. Morgans, December 1997, James Virgil, Coeur d' Alene, ID. Great Divemasters, especially for the beginners. Vis: 80-100 ft. Water: 83 degrees. Restrictions: 90-100 feet with Divemasters along.

Ramon's Village, December 1997, Sherry and Kevin Graham, Puyallup, WA. We drove the reef off Ambergris Caye for 4 days with waves 5-6 ft. Some people got seasick though it was a 15 minute ride to sites. The divemasters tried to get us in and out of the boat as quickly as possible. Disappointed in the diving: the reef was all brown, lacking in the colors I remember on other Caribbean dives. Not as many fish as other places. The Hol Chan Reserve on the inside of the reef had one calm place. I saw the most fish here and a lot of morays. Only 20 ft deep, then went to Shark Ray Alley and they allowed me to use up the rest of my tank (at my request) which is usually just a snorkel-depth of 12-15 ft. I was disappointed that our guides did not feed the critters, because it would have kept them around longer. Our last dive was on a wreck where the nurse sharks come to feed on the fish brought down by our guides. As the sharks tried to get the fish out of buckets, the divers were allowed to grab, hold and yank the sharks by their tails. I did not enjoy seeing this harassment and I was hoping one would turn around and bite someone. Not much life on or around the wreck. As soon as the weather allowed we took the 3 hour boat ride to the Blue hole at Light House Reef. Seas were rough but the new (42 ft) Miss Gina handled them well and once we got to Light House Reef the water was flat. Since you go down to 130 ft your time is spent going down and coming up slowly. My husband and I were the only ones with flashlights and the only ones to see the beautiful colors on the huge stalactites. We did two more dives on Light House Reef and they were great. Walls with some color and lots of fish, huge sponges. Land excursion to the Booby Sanctuary on Half Moon Caye was a delight and our binoculars allowed us to see the birds closeup. The next day we went to Turneffe Reef in Miss Gina that took 2 hours. All three dives were great and dive sites all had calm water but the seas were rough on the way there. If we had known the diving was so much better out there we would have stayed on the islands closer to them, but we had not been subscribing to Undercurrent then (too cheap to pay). Now we will always subscribe to your newsletter. Your Chapbook arrived a month after we returned and after reading others' opinions about Ambergris Caye dives, I was mad at myself for being so cheap. I also was disappointed in the island because its beaches and vegetation were not as beautiful as those in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, or Virgin Islands. Enjoyed an 8 mile round trip bike ride on the beach north of San Pedro to remote resorts. I didn't like the food on the island and I was saddened by the starving cats and dogs roaming the island. There is no diving or good snorkeling offshore due to the shallowness of the water. We were pleased with the service's of the dive shop and enjoyed their limit of 8 dives per boat on the short trips. The crew changed your tanks for you and there was a secured room to keep dive gear. . . . We liked to thatched roof cabanas except the beds were too soft. Ramon's has the nicest beach of the resorts close to San Pedro. Service at the restaurant was slow. We spent a week on the main island and stayed at Windy Hill Cottage a few miles from San Ignacio, which was 1.5 hour drive from airport. We liked Windy Hill except for the soft beds and the lukewarm showers. Rooms were clean. We were glad we had rented a car because the meals were expensive at Windy Hill, $7 for a breakfast, $9 for a lunch and $20 for a dinner. We ate in town and liked the food and prices at Martha's Kitchen. We think we got sick from the Chinese restaurant; I had diarrhea and nausea later that night and the next day. My husband got sick a few days later (vomiting and weakness) on the day we flew to Miami. We had been doing a preventive regimen of Pepto-Bismol tablets faithfully each day and drinking only water that the hotels provided was supposed to be safe. No more 3rd world countries for us. Hawaii here we come. Drove to the 7 Sisters Water falls and Rio on Pools, very beautiful, but be prepared for a rough and bumpy road. We took the Windy Hill tour bush to Tikal and spent the night at the Jungle Lodge. The room was clean but there were no mattress pads on the bed (gave me the creeps). The food was bad and they gave us the same three choices for lunch and dinner. We were glad we had 2 days to explore the ruins. Saw a few Toucans, spider monkeys and Howler monkeys. Binoculars are a must for wildlife viewing. Enjoyed bird watching at the 2 ponds near the Jungle Lodge. Take your own supply of drinking water because the lodge only gave us a 2 qt bottle in the room although you can buy the expensive type at the restaurant (pints only). We also drove the Hummingbird Hwy to Dangriga. The road was only paved in parts and very rough in parts. Too windy and rainy to do anything there and the beach was ugly and the water was muddy. This highway was supposed to be the most scenic highway in the country but we were not impressed. We have been spoiled by the other beautiful places in the Caribbean. Bye, Bye Belize. Oh, we also drove to the Crooked Tree wildlife sanctuary. Their hiking trails consisted of walking on the dirt roads through the village past houses (shacks). Nothing to see. You can only see the Jabiru stork there during a few months. Going to the Belize Zoo was much more enjoyable. (Ph: 601-646-1990, Fax: 601-649-1996, e-mail: ramons@c-gate.net)

Sea Sport Belize/Fiesta Inn, October 1997, Paula Tomko, Endicott, NY. Belize City has high crime rate. Bars on the doors and windows of the downtown shops. To get into a shop during business hours, you had to knock on the doors; they looked out to observe. Otherwise the whole trip was fantastic. Great reefs. Abundance of wild life, beautiful blue water. Vis: 30-50 ft. Extremely helpful staff on the dives.

Caye Caulker

Belize Dive Service/Rainbow Hotel, December 1997, Tim and Paula Pastushin, Newport Beach, CA. Caye Caulker laid back, like Ambergris twenty years ago. Rainbow Hotel is Spartan but clean, lump beds, noisy AC. Sandbox restaurant: Marin's service really slow but just relax and have another beer. Locals all friendly. No shore diving. Reef 1/4 mile offshore. When windy, the top 60 ft murky. Vis below 60 ft. always 80-100+. Water: 80-82 degrees. Lots of untouched corals, local reef diving much better than Ambergris and no diver pressure. Lots of big grouper, nurse sharks, and one 5-6 ft. Gray reef shark. Lots of single barracuda. Belize Dive Service has new owners trying hard to please. All tanks 3000+ psi. Dive your own profile or stay w/DM. Most dives drift because of lack of mooring buoys. All day three tank trip to NW Turneffe Atoll a must. Like south shore of Roatan with plenty of fish. Two big eagle rays, lots of tropicals. Excellent sponges. Trip long due to slow boat. Overall great time. (Ph: 011-501-22-2143)

Glover's Reef

Manta Resort, October 199, Michael Miller/Anne Selby, Gaston, IN. After a 3-4 hour boat ride you arrive at an island 100 ft. wide - 12 acres with thousands of coconut palms and billions of white winged sand flies. We wore DEET always and were barely bitten. Those who didn't were covered with bites. Diving is called drift diving because the boat is not allowed to anchor, but no currents so everyone dives in one direction. No pressure to get it over. Corals very healthy but little macro and not many tropicals. Saw nurse sharks, eagle rays and hawksbill turtles. Brownest reefs I have visited. Vis better than Turneffe Island, but few mangroves mean fewer fish. Vis: 50-100 ft. Water: 80 degrees. Dive restrictions: stay above 120 ft. and back in about one hour. Accommodations somewhat Spartan but hot water and clean towels. Each cabana is separate from the others and has its own hammock. Food is exceptional, buffet at breakfast and lunch with service at dinner, with wine a couple of nights. Vis: 60-120 ft, water: 80-85 degrees. We enjoyed it, but it is too mediocre to return. Belize City is a hoot. It is from another era, but better experienced during daylight hours. (Ph: 800-326-1724, Fax: 310-937-6473)

Manta Resort, February 1998, Donna and Todd Teach, Columbus, OH. Went after a week on the Wave Dancer. Tranquil, beautiful, restful, palm-covered piece of white-sand-covered Caribbean oasis. Accommodations, though rustic, were well maintained. Cabana beautiful with mahogany walls and thatched roof; got warm at night; only a ceiling fan. Our plumbing backed up twice and there was a strong sewage odor behind a few of the cabanas. Some roaches, but impossible to avoid on a tropical island. No-see-ums not a problem as long as the wind blew, but bug spray is a must. . . . Divemasters and boat captain worked hard to ensure a pleasant dive experience. Bill and Zack went down on every dive. Maxed dive time since everyone went off the boat and then cruised the wall together. As each got to 700 PSI we did safety stops and then surfaced where Captain Junior' picked us up in the 25' dive boat (a nice ladder and set-up). We experienced high seas one night dive he calmly collected each of us as we surfaced. By diving in a pack we lost some freedom of exploring. Turtles on 2 frequent, incredible encounter with a Hawksbill (shell was 5 ft, complete with barnacles). Walls more pristine though often less fish than encountered by Wave Dancer. Two very nice night dives with huge crabs (decorated and undecorated), octopus, puffers. . . . Staff polite, but not warm and friendly; I felt like we were invading their privacy. Manager Hussein spoke with his nine guests only twice during week, told us Divemasters Bill would give our orientation since he was too busy with business matters, which amounted to entertaining the resort's lawyer. The last day he asked us to tell me now to my face if you have any complaints or suggestions because they don't like to hear them in the main office. . . . We made friends with fellow guests from New York, Alaska, France and England!) and pushed our tables together to eat together. Food delicious: two choices each evening and meals regimented. . . . No individual tipping-all goes in a central pot to be distributed by manager. Disappointed I couldn't tip dive staff separate from what I gave the rest of the staff. Manta is spending a lot of money to get people to visit the resort but they need to deliver on customer service. $3000/week/couple with a lack of customer-friendly attitude will keep people from coming back.

Manta Resort, March 1998, Robert Day, Wellesley, MA. Site superb. 400+ huge coca palms on a 400-yd x 100 yd island. Big fishing birds. Excellent people, service tops, very friendly. If any wind, no bugs. However, several in our party got bites! . . . Night dives: Only 2/wk. Limit of 3 dives/day. Last dive well planned, a de-gasser; 15-18 ft. 20 hrs before flight. Coral gardens, fish; lots of the smaller reefers on top of wall. Normal schooling jacks, wrasse. Saw a white lined toadfish (only around Belize) on night dive. Boat service: Tank service A+; all gear changed to new tank. Gear thoroughly washed and dried at end. Dive Boat water sparse: 3 cups plastic for 13 divers. Breakdown: No tools, no radio. Driven hard thru 6-8 ft. waves on way to dive sites. Vis: 60-100 ft. Water: 78-82 degrees. divemasters hovered 15 ft. higher and 50 ft. away. . . . Fishing: one couple went every day; did very well. Bone fishing good too. Some families every day on snorkel boat. . . . Weather warm/hot and sticky. House with 4 beds, 2 baths, big air-conditioned! Food good, though none left; get there early. Bring snacks to fill in. Pop: $2/bottle. . . . Getting there: not for timid or seasick; arrival in dark, heavy rain, thunder. Should be more careful, picking those coming on a late plane, leaving on early plane. One couple had 10 a.m. plane (breakfast at 5:45 that day!), 15 others had 2:30 plane for home. Same couple caused late departure, causing boat trip to atoll to end in dark and late dinner. (Heavy seas, thunder, rain). For the late ones, better they rent a boat and allow group to leave on time.

Manta Resort, June 1998, Robert Plotnick, Seattle, WA. Promised we would never have more than 12 divers per boat, but they had one boat with 18-22 divers. Everyone was cramped, suiting up was difficult, and it took a long time to get everyone in and out of the water (which in 5-6 ft seas was especially unpleasant). Boat poorly maintained, and difficult to exit and enter. The divemaster was overworked; made no effort to ease our frustration about the crowded boat, told us virtually nothing about the dive sites, and seemed bored. He was competent and careful in getting us in and out of the water, and overseeing the dives. Pretty much free to dive own profiles. Vis: 60-100 ft. Water: 80-83 degrees. Resort staff s careless handling resulted in heavy damage to my hard-sided suitcase. Kitchen did a great job. Housekeeping and grounds staff also did their jobs well. Expected a first class dive operation and did not get it.

Manta Resort, July 1998, SteveHumphries, Spring Creek, NV. What was supposed to be a 2.5 hour ride to resort from Belize City turned out to be a 7.5 hour nightmare. The Pelagic (35 ft.) broke down 10 miles out. Instead of going back to Belize and putting us up for the night, the owner chartered a smaller boat (23 ft.). We initially left Belize City 4:00 p.m. and made it to the resort at 11:30 p.m. The boat was overloaded with 23 people and the bow rode too low in the waves because it was loaded with the luggage of 19 guests. It became dark, very rough seas, and the captain got 60 degrees off course. We spent 2.5 hours searching for the lighthouse that could only be seen from a certain angle at sea due to the palm trees that covered the island. We had four children on the boat, and some passengers started to panic. The radio did not work, and no one tried to calm the fears of the passengers. All the passengers were soaked, cold, hungry and tired. I don't think we realized just how dangerous the situation had been. The owner, manager and divemaster have a "I don't care" attitude, and were good at passing the buck. The island is beautiful, the grounds well kept. The walk way to the main house (where the meals are served) is in need of repair, as are most cabanas. There was a large hole in the dock that one of the divers fell through. We had a second boat break down after one dives, which left us stranded in high seas. . . . Diving is fantastic. Lots of variety, with no two areas the same. Beautiful coral formations, colorful fish and warm water. Divemaster was indifferent, sarcastic and rude. He always made sure that we had a dive profile, but he never came close to following it. Divemaster would not give his opinion on if a dive was safe for new divers or not, stating that "we go out no matter what the conditions." When asked why he didn't show us interesting things, he stated " I am not paid to show you things, I am paid to make sure you get in the water and out of the water." Junior, our dive boat captain was great, knowledgeable, always smiling. Felt secure that he would always be at the end of your drift to pick you up. Junior made the stay worthwhile. Food was good, not much variety, mostly chicken, pork chops, and lobster dishes. Though the initial cost for the resort is reasonable, you pay extra for soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and hotel tax. They tell you that DAN insurance is no good if you need the hyperbaric chamber. It is a $4,000 up front charge for the chamber, and then you fight it out with the insurance afterward. No $4,000, no chamber, so the resort offers you insurance at $15 that is supposed to cover the chamber.

Lighthouse Reef

Lighthouse Reef Resort, September 1997, Marty & Carrie O'Farrell, Seattle, WA. Food was terrible! Felt like you were eating leftovers every day. The last day for breakfast, they served us canned fruit! Bar had no bartender and no blender! Waiter had the personality of a pea. Management has no idea what service means. Beach was filled with sticks and stuff, so walking around was limited due to your feet hurting constantly. No dive shop! Divemasters didn't even dive every dive with us. He took us to the same spot the whole week. Vis: 40-60 ft. Water: 75-80 degrees. He just didn't care about us. The brochure was completely off on this place. It made it sound so wonderful and friendly. The dolphin has been gone since Jan 97. We were really looking forward to seeing her. Every dive they dropped anchor right on the coral. Rained a lot. Would have been nice to have other activities: movies, games, a more comfortable place to go and sit and watch TV. The TV is mounted way up high, not very comfortable to watch looking up, in the dining room area. At night mosquitos ate everybody alive. Dining room is not screened in. You didn't feel welcome, you couldn't find comfort anywhere outside your own room. (Ph: 941-687-4593, Fax: 941-687-9428, email: wwalt@aol.com)

Lighthouse Reef Resort, December 1997, Debbie Pasich, San Diego, CA. Great little island close to the best dive sites. Week of cloudy, windy weather with 3-5' swells in the water. Vis: 30-70 ft. Water: 78-80 degrees. Computer users were free to dive their own profiles. Dive staff although seemingly bored, did their best to ensure we dove. Most dives had typical Caribbean fish, saw a couple of turtles, some eagle rays, large lobster, big green morays, spotted drum, no sharks, several large grouper. Made several dives on the 50-70' wall in front of the resort. The diving was pretty good, but it broke my heart to see them NEVER use a mooring. Accommodations comfortable, but be prepared for very thin walls between the suites. Food below average (husband says crap). They offered choices, but it was greasy. Fresh produce was limited. Minimal seafood.

Lighthouse Reef Resort, December 1997, Buzz Waterston, Wallingford, PA. TACA flight was late so missed charter to Lighthouse Reef. TACA put us up in the Radisson and paid for four seater charter next a.m. At the resort they told us that our travel agent had gone out of business and had not paid the resort. The resort manager, Dennis, was most accommodating. Diving was good (local reefs) to excellent (all day trip to Half Moon Cay; picnic on beach, saw schooling nurse sharks just offshore from boat, saw bird sanctuary on the Cay). Excellent staff and accommodations and very laid back (didn't wear shoes all week!) Staff most helpful. Vis: 60-100 ft. Water: 82-84 degrees. 130 ft. dive restriction. Saw blacktip reef sharks, turtle, large groupers, Jewfish.

Lighthouse Reef Resort, December 1997, Kevin & Susan Frazer, Eldridge, IA. Absentee ownership has gone through three sets of on-site management in the last nine months. Even Honey, the dolphin, is gone. Staff displays the absolute minimum level of competence; they're largely indifferent. All policies are designed for the convenience of the staff. . . . Food is a cross between Carribean oily and domestic airline cuisine. Dive boats are far worse than I could possibly imagine at the Premier Dive Resort of Belize perhaps the worst in the Carribean. Except for two daylong trips, all diving was local. No form of persuasion convinced the boat drivers to motor more than 15 minutes from the dock. As a result, of the 24 named local dive sites, we dove one. Lighthouse Wall (a nearly dead, algae-covered reef reminiscent of the worst of Florida Bay), day after day. Transfers to the Reef by way of the charter air carrier, Mayan Island Air, were a real horror show (lost bag, unexplained delays. . . . All guests received a surprise on the last day: $250/week/couple in V.A.T., hotel and departure taxes. Vis: 10-80 ft. Water: 78-81 degrees. Diving restrictions: depth limit of 100'.

Lighthouse Reef Resort, 1998, Guy Schmidt, Chicago, IL. Small lush island 50 miles off Belize City; resort only human outpost on the island. Great beach for walking; pair of sandy bottomed coves on site for swimming. Volley ball court, sea kayaks, alligators inland to liven things up. Insects not bad, perhaps the prevailing east wind kept the nastys in check. No beach diving. . . . Main Caribbean style building for dining contains a small bar. A small dive shop is in an outbuilding. Accommodations: five metal roofed brick cabanas and a second grouping of new, more upscale Victorian styled villas. Cabanas have quarry tile floors, mahogany woodwork, front porches complete with clothesline for drying wet suits and clothing, screened windows, ceiling fans, air conditioners, lighting is dim. Water safe to drink and abundant for guilt-free hot showers. No drawers for storage, but shelves, writing desk and clothes hanging rods. Beds above average for the Caribbean. Villas much more upscale, more like being at home than being in the islands. . . . Breakfasts are American; other meals are Belizean, foreign to American palates and uneven in quality. Usually a choice of two entrees and one dessert. Food is not a strong point, though some entrees were good. Fruit juices at breakfast. Mini bars in each cabin reasonably priced. Soda $1.15, Belikin beer $2.25, chips $4. (Bring your own in sealed containers or red ants will claim them). . . . Diving uneven. All wall dives and most were unescorted; could dive your own profile. Current neglible, but surge on the shallower portion of some dives. Sunday and Friday dives were on reefs off the resort; reefs not impressive. Dives the rest of the week were day trips to walls off Long Caye and Half Moon Caye and one dive in the Blue Hole with an hour or two transit time to the sites. Walls were pristine and magnificent, visibility excellent, the variety and quantity of fish life satisfying. Turtles and barracudas abundant, but the big boys, except one monstrous spotted eagle ray, were elsewhere. Dolphins frolicked in our bow wave. Dive boat had a head and even a mask defogger dispenser. All dive gear fully maintained by the staff. Lunch was taken on the boat three of these days and was good, with one hot entree and a selection of snacks, salads and chips. A barbeque lunch was taken on Half Moon Caye, a bird sanctuary with the impressive hulk of a rusted out freighter on the reef. Not a 5-star resort, but a simple, bare footed, back-to-nature getaway in paradise. . . . Fly from Int'l. Airport in Belize City to a paved airstrip-20 to 25 minutes via Maya air. Flights from the island leave 8:00 Saturday morning so you may have a layover of several hours. Airport doesn't have amenities to make the wait bearable, so take taxi to the city zoo or local Mayan ruins.

Lighthouse Reef Resort, February 1998, Rich Harrison, Brandon, MS. 2 dive boats, small boat crowded with 5 divers. Divemasters Chris and Richard informative. 16 dives all new sites. Vis: 50-80 ft, water: 80-82 degrees. Food good and plenty, Only problem was VAT at departure. We were told by dive shop at home VAT included in rate.

Lighthouse Reef Resort, July 1998, Karen Rikar Wash, Plano, TX. Reefs pristine; only other boats were live-aboards. 3 dives/ day. Dive crew was personable and took care of our gear the whole week. Divemasters great at spotting creatures, even a blue marlin! Water: 83-85 degrees. Accommodations excellent. Food was excellent. No E-6 processing. Our group was split up as divers rotate between a small boat with 6 divers and a larger boat.

St. George's Caye

St. George's Cay, April 1998, Jack Hoffman, Ft. Myers, FL.Vis: 20-26 ft, water 75-80 F. Easy to get to, low maintenance trip, bungalows over water, home cooked meals great. Very personalized service-not overcrowded. Fred Good is a knowledgeable, entertaining and personable owner/divemaster. This is the place to get certified for Nitrox. Casual and relaxing trip. (Ph: 800-678-6871 or 011-501-24-4190, Fax: 011-501-23-0461)

Southern Belize

Jaguar Reef Resort, December 1997, Debbie Pasich, San Diego, CA. Great food! Lots of day tours! Hiking, biking, canoeing, snorkeling, boating. They could hook you up with diving, but we were saving ourselves for Lighthouse Reef. Did snorkel and saw the typical Caribbean fish, southern stingrays and eagle ray. Comfortable accommodations combined with a staff that made sure you were happy. Great private beach! Without a breeze the mosquitos were a problem.

Rum Point Divers/Rum Point Inn, August 1997, James Franklin, Tucson, AZ. Great resort even without diving. Location means long ride to dive sites, but new 42' dive boat with jet drive. All dives are drift, boat follows and picks up divers. Staff excellent, good briefings, start as group (6-8 divers each day) but could dive own profile, start ascent at 500 psi. Inexperienced divers had problems entering choppy seas but mostly due to delaying descent after in water. Vis: 60-80 ft. Water: 79-84 degrees. (Ph: 800-747-1381 or 504-465-0769 or 011-501-623240, e-mail: rupel@BTL.com)

Rum Point Divers/Rum Point Inn, December, 1997, Glenn Thomas & Jean Porwoll, Monson, MA. We knew to bring snacks. It's a long time between lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 7:30 and there is nothing available to snack on. . . . New 42' Pro jet-drive with twin 300 HP. More reliable then the last single engine boat. Capt. Malcolm a real pro in handling of the boat; found 30 foot whale shark for us after observing tuna feeding on the surface. Explored new dive sites since one day we were the only ones on the boat and two other days there was only one other couple. Vis: 45-85 ft. Water: 80 degrees. All drift dives so we stayed together; tendency to move along, we would have been happier to be able to stop and smell the roses. One divemaster allowed us to dive till 500 psi, 55-65 minutes of bottom time. Two dives/day and no night dives. You take care of your own equipment-don't expect to be pampered in this department.

Seahorse Divers, May 1998, Terry Andersen, College Station, TX. Placencia is a crummy town that is overpriced: $55/night for a mediocre bungalow and US prices for food and drink. Belikin beer is good, but not worth $1.50 a 10-ounce bottle at the grocery, almost double at a bar. . . . Dive operation is mediocre. Owner/DM Brian fills the boat with as many divers as he can. 20 miles east of Placencia-Whale Sharks! According to Brian, they lay outside the reef on the full moon in April, May, and June. Saw two the first day at 70 ft, and snorkeled with two the second day: 14 to 20 ft long, and rather shy. Also saw a 7-ft nurse shark, and lots of eagle rays. The dives were definitely worth the $65 2-tank dive (own equipment).

Turneffe Atoll

Turneffe Flats, May 1998, Terry Andersen, College Station, TX. Most of the dozen guest at the resort were Bonefish fly fishermen, and about a third we Turneffe re divers. The staff was terrific-friendly, knowledgeable, helpful. All the good food you can eat; very nice accommodations, even A.C. Although we only stayed for half a week, managers Doug and Nancy helped us make reservations for the remainder of the week in Belize. DM Kevin was great, and allowed us to dive our abilities. Never more than six divers, usually four. Coral in fine shape, and plenty of fish life: many eagle rays, dolphins, and schools. Vis. 80 or more, water 80+. (Ph: 800-815-1304 or 605-578-1304, Fax: 605-578-7540, e-mail: flats@blackhills.com, Website: www.tflats.com)

Turneffe Island Lodge, August 1997, Linda and Bill Lloyd, Alexandria, VA. After having read and liked the reviews in the Chapbook, three of us went to the Lodge. Our high expectations were met and surpassed! The diving was superb; locations just minutes from the lodge and sea life was plentiful. Saw hammerhead at the Blue Hole. Dives led by the dive staff manager who assured that we got maximum bottom time by diving multi-levels. Safety his primary concern. Vis: 50-100 ft. Water: 83-84 degrees. Dive restrictions: not to exceed max. depth set by guide. . . . Lodge very well run, food delicious. Only fifteen cabins; wonderful intimate atmosphere accentuated by friendly staff who were always willing to accommodate our requests. (Ph: 800-874-0118, Fax: 770-534-8290, Website: www. turnefflodge.com)

Turneffe Island Lodge, September 1997, Marty & Carrie O'Farrell, Seattle, WA. People running the show are fantastic! Very warm and caring, made you feel so comfortable. Food gourmet every time. Great service. Hermit crab races, very enjoyable! Always something to do for the guests. Had a beach BBQ one night. Rooms rustic but comfortable. Bartender knew what drinks everyone liked by the second day. He'd come down to the beach and serve you. Dining area comfortable. Bar had room for dancing. Great for watching a movie or reading a book (on a rainy day). Beach was raked daily. They sprayed every couple of days for bugs and mosquitos. Nice walkways around the grounds. . . . Diving great! Saw big things every dive. Lots of great sites. Divemaster really cared about showing you things. . . . Room for improvement: Dive shop and gift shop need more stuff for sale. Large dive boat Bodacious should be laid to rest! Very diesely, smelly, dirty. We used it to go to the Blue Hole. All the other dive boats were great! Very comfortable. Great place for fishing, snorkeling, swimming and diving and R&R.

Turneffe Isle Lodge, March 1998, Ted Fishman, Greensboro, NC. Eagle rays, turtles, sharks (nurse, sand, black tip, hammerhead) on practically every dive. Got to play with a family of dolphins (30 or so). Sea was rough at times but didn't keep boats from going and didn't seem to affect visibility (which was very good). Water: 81-83 degrees. Dive restrictions; don't exceed computers, tracked depth, bottom time for each diver from computer readings. Extremely accommodating hotel and dive staff. Only negative was the shower water pressure, but this was a secluded resort with all utilities self generated.