Diving Belize City Belize // Dive Cruise // Sea Sports Belize
Belize City Dive December 2019
Last dive of the year! Last dive of the decade!
It felt like meeting up with friends, headed to go diving with Sea Sports Belize for a second time. We were so impressed with them the first time we dove with them last year that there was no difficult decision to make when choosing a dive operator in Belize City.
Getting to Belize City
From the boat, we had to catch the first tender ashore. This is a tricky bit since priority for the first tender goes to anyone who has an excursion booked through the ship company. We did not; we were self-booked. Also given priority are suite guests and upper-level cruise members.
Luckily, I have sufficient “status,” and was able to procure tender tickets for all six of us.
Finding the Dive Shop
It’s a short three-block walk to the dive shop that sits right on a canal hosting commuter traffic and fishing sailboats.
The first time we headed there, we showed one of the guards at the pier a photo of the building, and he recognized it immediately.
So, this time we breezed right past the taxi hawkers and rolled through town
Pre Dive Prep
Linda and crew greeted us and gathered our paperwork and checked our sea cards. We proceeded into the staging room where we assembled our first set-up that was carried to the boat. They like to observe your familiarity with your gear before heading out back to the boat.
We left our rolling bags in the shop, brought our gear to the boat and headed out of the harbor. There was our party of six plus one additional diver, Bill.
Heading out to the Reef
The last time we dove here in March, the waves all the way out to the reef were steep. We slammed up and down for about 45 minutes to reach the inside of the reef. This time, it was a nice, smooth ride all the way out to the staging spot.
Our captain Paul and the dive master Emmy made some final preparations as we headed toward the dive site.
Inside the reef, we paused to do a final gear check and readiness, then headed to the outside of the reef. The anchor was dropped in a large sandy patch, and over we went.
First Dive at Triple Wall
We gathered, then descended. There was a short swim toward the drop-off. Beautiful walls, cuts, channels, and passages transversed the outer reef.
Once we were in the water waiting to submerge, three spotted eagle rays cruised past; a definite good sign!
Emmy had a magnetic slate that he would write the names of sea life if they were long and complicated. It was humorous, like a billboard announcing “spotted spiny lobster” or “pistol shrimp.” He would hold the sign and point until everyone had swam past the novelty.
We saw brittle stars, sponges, corals, every kind of tropical fish imaginable, eels, and a lot lot lot of lion fish. Every time I stopped to look carefully at the small life on a coral head, I usually could pick out at least one lion fish somewhere nearby.
A ladder assisted us at the end of the dive, and we handed up our gear into the boat. We dove Triple Wall first, then The Lounge second.
Surface Interval
For our surface interval, we headed back inside the reef. A full lunch of chicken wraps, chips, and cookies and real soda was provided.
The sodas were in real glass bottles, with metal caps. It always seems like soda tastes so much better out of a glass bottle! There was Coke, Sprite, and Fanta.
Last time we dove with Sea Sports Belize, those big waves resulted in our surface interval moving to the shores of an island close by. I picked up some lucky sea beans that day.
Diving the Lounge on Dive Two
We headed back to the outside of the reef, to another spot. Equally beautiful with similar formation and channels in the rocks; this was a slightly shallower dive.
Both of my dives were 3,000 psi to about 1,300 psi so not terribly strenuous. I did wear a 1 mm skin, and that worked well for the depth and water temperature.
New Cruise Ship Pier Construction
Post-dive we headed back to Belize City. We could see the cruise ship in the distance. Also, we could see the construction on a new cruise ship pier that will be finished in four or five years.
That will result in the existing cruise ship pier-side businesses relocating to the island. Shore excursions on the mainland will still necessitate a tender ride. However, the transfer from ship to tender will be in more calm, controlled, protected waters.
Post Dive
Back at the full dive shop, we threw our gear on the dock and rinsed it all in a bucket and showered off. Our gear dripped a bit, then we loaded it into our rolling bags, and put them on the boat.
Once again, they took us by boat around to the cruise ship pier so we didn’t have to walk back – a very nice touch!
Wet Lizard
We had enough time to head to the Wet Lizard for some cool drinks, ceviche, and wander around a bit before the last ferry back to the boat.
Local beers and fresh conch ceviche – perfect way to end our stop in Belize City!
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