Big Blue Dive Adventures is now offering two action packed holidays in exotic Belize starting this January. Space is limited…Aquaholics should think of booking sooner than later!
Tucked away just south of Mexico, Belize finds itself on the sunny Caribbean sea. The country boasts the longest stretch of the Meso-American barrier reef, the second biggest barrier reef in the world. This peaceful, English speaking democratic county offers a wonderful mix of cultures and races such as Maya, Mestizo, African, European and Asian.
For the adventure traveler, Belize delivers! If you have been craving a unique vacation destination and love encounters with big animals, unparallel marine life and wild jungle vegetation read on…
Adventure #1
The first trip is the ultimate scuba adventure for experienced or beginner divers. A 13 day marine conservation trip that teaches you how to dive while you tour the most diverse and amazing marine locations in the Caribbean, including places with names like Big Blue Hole. It starts off in southern Belize and ends in Tulum, Mexico.
The marine conservation expedition starts off on a tiny, picturesque island off of southern Belize for 6 nights. There are a few governmental buildings here and a population of about 25. You will be staying in brand new waterfront accommodations on a pristine sandy beach. We are normally the only tourists on this island. It is truly off the beaten path and about 25 miles offshore.
Here the ocean will be your classroom. No previous scuba diving experience is necessary; you just need a clean bill of health. Here you will not encounter another group of divers underwater, we have the coral reef all to ourselves. The first two PADI courses (the open water and advanced open water) are included and you will then be certified to go down to 130 feet and do night dives! We will also give back to mother earth by doing some very useful marine conservation survey dives. We join hands with my old employer (Polly Wood), Reef Conservation International to study conch, lobster and grouper populations during some of our scuba dives. This information is passed on the Belizean Fisheries Department in hopes of creating future additional marine reserves. Expect to do 15 dives on this leg of the trip. We have our own chef here who will make sure your cravings are more than looked after. Other island activities include: sport fishing, skin diving, island hopping, beach combing, playing dominoes with the locals or just enjoying some quality hammock time.
A typical day includes waking up early to enjoy the best underwater action (when the fish are very frisky and playful). We meet up at 7 am for some coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice and then submerge ourselves for our first dive. The first dive of the day is usually a deep dive where we get up close and personal with tons of large animals. Expect to hang out with turtles, eagle rays, dolphins, nurse sharks, massive groupers, tarpon, barracuda, trumpet fish, angelfish, cherubfish and Atlantic spadefish (just to name a few).
We come back to the island to have a massive breakfast served to us as our hunger awakens. You then have a couple hours to relax until our next dive. After dive #2, we come back to the island and lunch is served to us. We then take another little break and head back into the lovely Caribbean sea for a third dive. One of my favourite dive sites here is called Vigilance and is a soft coral paradise. There is so much to look at as Belize boasts the healthiest coral reefs in the Caribbean due to their unsurpassed commitment to conservation. They are world leaders when it comes to conservation, with about 70% of their forests and coral reefs under present conservation protection.
You will learn about fish, invertebrate and coral identification on every dive which makes it all that more interesting (since you will know exactly what you are looking at).
One very magical event takes place in southern Belize every month, just following the full moon, thus determining trip start dates. There is a night dive phenomenon called ‘The String of Pearls’. One species of fish lays strings of eggs on the full moon every month. These strings light up underwater as they dance in every direction.
We will be all trained up at this point to enjoy a night dive. We turn our lights off and sit in a shallow section of the house reef and wait for the show to start. This is like nothing I have ever seen before and is only reported in southern Belize.
The best way to describe this phenomenon is like you are swimming through the Milky Way with tons of stars lighting up around you. As the first light in the string lights up, the last one extinguishes (like Christmas chaser lights). There are up to 20 phosphorescent lights per string, and there are thousands of strings dancing around the reef. There is also the regular phosphorescence which lights the more you dance around. This dive is truly ‘out of this world’.
Next on the trip, we taxi the group up to the very cute island of Caye Caulker in northern Belize which will be our stepping stone to dive the Blue Hole!
There are many Blue Holes in this world but none compare to the size and splendor of this one. Dive into ancient history! It is 1000 feet wide and almost 500 feet deep. The sheer depth gives the hole the deep aquamarine color. This dive is a must for any serious diver; it is even Jacques Cousteau’s favorite all-time scuba dive.
The Big Blue Hole used to be one of the largest dry caves in the world during the last ice age. As sea levels rose, the cave filled up with water and the sheer weight of the water caused the roof of the cave to collapse, allowing us the opportunity to dive into a geological wonder! We scuba dive down to our maximum depth of 130 feet where we start to see possibly the largest stalactite under-hanging pinnacles ever created. These massive stalactites are very enticing and practically beg you to swim around them to witness their sheer audacity. Keep an eye out for sharks as many reef, nurse and the occasional hammerhead call this Big Blue Hole their home.
Also from Caye Caulker we will go snorkeling, pet stingrays in Shark Ray Alley, go sailing, feed crocodiles, visit a booby bird sanctuary at a UNESCO World Heritage site, eat fresh lobster and perform karaoke.
Finally for the grand finale, we will road trip up to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico for some cave diving and to visit some spectacular Mayan beach-front ruins.
Cenote diving: we will be guided in very small groups by experienced cave divers into the Mayan underworld of one of the largest underwater cave systems in the world. The visibility of the water in the cenotes can often reach 300+ feet. The way the light enters these caverns is truly magical. Witness stunning laser-light shows, haloclines, thousands of stalactites plus many more incredible features!
All food, accommodation, scuba diving, equipment rentals, marine park fees, PADI certification cards, logbooks and land and boat based transportation are included. International airfare to either Cancun or Belize City, country exit fees and gratuities are not included.
Adventure # 2
The second trip is a 5 day jungle, waterfall and Mayan ruin tour which starts off in the beautiful Cayo district of western Belize. This trip takes you to 3 waterfalls in western Belize, cave-tubing, and then to Guatemala to explore the majestic Mayan ruins of Tikal.
This trip starts 2 days after the marine conservation expedition finishes.
If you are craving the ultimate adventure,
Checkout www.bigbluediveadventures.com for further details and trip start dates!
Maximum 8 people per trip.
