Western Caribbean Water Quality, Visability

[Sea Life]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Did lots of snorkeling in the Windwards and Leewards and other than a few small spots they have nothing to compare with the Western Caribbean, its just superior in every way. We dove in most of the spots mentioned by other posters and I'm in agreement with them. The Bay Islands have the second largest reef in the world if my memory serves me and tons of dive sites. Diving here is really easy, tank fills are around 5 or 6 bucks and your less than 5 minutes in your dink to good dive sites if your in the Westend. We snorkeled twice with whale sharks off Utila and played with the dolphins for close to a half hour about 3 miles offshore, really unforgettable experiences. Having sailed the Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean we much prefer the Western Caribbean. Lots more culture and costs are quite low. Quality of fresh food is far better than the Eastern Caribbean. We almost passed it by which would have been a real big mistake. The Eastern Caribbean is nicer for sailing as you can go back and forth between Islands with relative ease on almost any day of the week. You've made a good choice heading in this direction and leaving your boat in the Rio over the summer is really living easy. Its a great cruisers hangout, your wife will enjoy herself.

+1 We liked the Western side way better. If we do another year, we are heading back. The Eastern side is just not as good in almost every way.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Sea Life

+1 We liked the Western side way better. If we do another year, we are heading back. The Eastern side is just not as good in almost every way.

Shhh...dont tell EVERYBODY....then it'll be over crowded and expensive here too!

[robert sailor]

In my limited experience the only really good diving in Belize is the outer barrier reef areas or the atolls. Nothing is cheap in Belize however and using diving services in the outer atolls is quite pricey..If your in for a short holiday of a few weeks then it's worth it but as a cruiser diving every day or two it starts to add up fast. Even getting your tanks filled there is quite a bit more expensive than the Bay Islands. I never found these dive operations overly friendly to cruisers and I understand that they have additional costs operating in these atolls so it's almost worth buying a compressor if there were several people diving on an ongoing basis. Diving in Roatan or Utila is very cheap in comparison and I found them to be very cruiser friendly. We like both areas, Belize and Honduras a lot but my wife, if given a choice would rather spend time in the Bay Islands and Roatan in particular . She says it's the best Super markets in the Caribbean, with the best choice of goods. Prices are very reasonable and the fresh fruit and vegetables are excellent. Mostly 3rd world with some first world mixed in, ideal mix. Decent medical facilities, good dental work,first rate international airport with flights to almost everywhere in the world and very reasonable public transportation. Buses cost about 2 bucks from the center of the island to each extreme and taxis are about 4 bucks for the same distance(long way)
Outstanding well protected anchorages and you can choose between peaceful serene areas with a couple of boats to areas that many cruisers like to hang out. As popular as these islands are there are not that many cruising boats here. If you compare it with the Eastern Caribbean Islands this area is just a drop in the bucket. There's probably more cruising boats in Antigua than there is in the whole country of Honduras. To me, right now it's almost perfect. My wife just reminded me that boat repairs and good marinas are very limited in Belize. Lots of charter boats in Belize as well....none in the Bay Islands. Guatemala and particularly in the Rio Dulce has excellent and extremely affordable marinas and excellent and extremely affordable craftsmen and repair services, also a very well developed social scene including all sorts of get togethers, movie nights, that sort of stuff. Its a day sail from the mouth of the Rio to Belize and an overnight sail from the river mouth to the Bay Islands. The big problem here is moving on...LOL. R

[CaptsWife]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Was that Jonesy from Niki Wiki?

Yes. At BLM there were informational Friday info. He was one of the speakers.

[CaptsWife]

Great info in this thread. We'll be heading over to Isla Mujeres from Cuba sometime in the spring then heading south making our way to the Rio Dulce for hurricane season. I appreciate the info.

[NirvanaBob]

I think you are in the Pacific side of Central America. If so, generally, visibility worsens as you proceed southerly towards Panama City. That said, there ARE great diving spots in Costa Rica and Panama. In CR, about 300 miles offshore, the Cocos Islans are world class. Nearer shore, in southern CR about 10 miles out from Drake’s Bay is Isla Cana, also good. In western Panama is the Coibas Islands, a national park with excellent diving. The park, however, is expensive. $20 one time fee and $60/day/person day use (I mayhave the fees backwards but you can go to their website and its all clearly spelled out). Some likr Perlas Islands, about 40 miles south of Panama City. I found the waters not to be too clear, and BTW, as you make your way along the length of western Panama’s coast, the water temperature drops about 10-15 degrees F, just south of the Coibas. Cheers, Bob

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by CaptsWife

Yes. At BLM there were informational Friday info. He was one of the speakers.

Cool. Ive crossed paths with Niki Wiki in the W Carib.

What is "BLM"?

[CaptsWife]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Cool. Ive crossed paths with Niki Wiki in the W Carib.

What is "BLM"?

Sorry. Brunswick Landing Marina in Brunswick, GA.

[NirvanaBob]

Apologies for earlier post. Was brain dead and didn't read closely enough re WESTERN CARIBBEAN region vs Western Panama. The snorkeling/scuba diving in Colombia's San Andres and Providencia Islands (200+ miles north of Bocas del Toro, Panama is excellent. Coral reefs, rock reefs, 50-100 foot visibilities, lots of sea life. Not crowded dive sites (36 in Providencia and 20+ in San Andres). San Blas Islands in Panama are unparalleled when winds are calm. Miles of coral reefs, lots of easy snorkeling opportunities, plenty of sea life. Many good dive sites in and around Bocas del Toro; visibility varies, but good.
Bob

[CaptsWife]

Originally Posted by NirvanaBob

Apologies for earlier post. Was brain dead and didn't read closely enough re WESTERN CARIBBEAN region vs Western Panama. The snorkeling/scuba diving in Colombia's San Andres and Providencia Islands (200+ miles north of Bocas del Toro, Panama is excellent. Coral reefs, rock reefs, 50-100 foot visibilities, lots of sea life. Not crowded dive sites (36 in Providencia and 20+ in San Andres). San Blas Islands in Panama are unparalleled when winds are calm. Miles of coral reefs, lots of easy snorkeling opportunities, plenty of sea life. Many good dive sites in and around Bocas del Toro; visibility varies, but good.
Bob

Good to know, Bob.

We will one day get down there. But I have to say, I'm a bit worried about piracy issues on the way. I've been told to sail 100 miles or so off the mainland coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua, but then that makes for one hell of a sail without reprovisioning, refueling, etc. At least for us. Or maybe it's much ado about nothing?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by CaptsWife

Good to know, Bob.

We will one day get down there. But I have to say, I'm a bit worried about piracy issues on the way. I've been told to sail 100 miles or so off the mainland coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua, but then that makes for one hell of a sail without reprovisioning, refueling, etc. At least for us. Or maybe it's much ado about nothing?

Nope, unfortunately there are real security issues off the N coast of Honduras and the Nicaraguan banks.

Visit www.noonsite.com as a starting point for more info.

Damn shame, I would really like to explore the Nica banks more.

[CaptsWife]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Nope, unfortunately there are real security issues off the N coast of Honduras and the Nicaraguan banks.

Visit Noonsite.com — as a starting point for more info.

Damn shame, I would really like to explore the Nica banks more.

Yeah. I'm sure we'll go in the next year or two. Makes me nervous.

[model 10]

[QUOTE=belizesailor
Damn shame, I would really like to explore the Nica banks more.[/QUOTE]

You could if you and your mate had an Uzi and were OK with shooting people. You would only be up against poor fishermen with old rusty pistolas.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Ecos

You could if you and your mate had an Uzi and were OK with shooting people. You would only be up against poor fishermen with old rusty pistolas.

Yup there are issues there but using common sense can help avoid most issues. Some cruisers have cut that corner pretty tight, others try to day sail it by stopping in some of the atolls and yes they were boarded and robbed. Cruising friends returning to the Bay Islands from the mainland in Honduras were boarded and robbed about 2 miles offshore of the mainland but everyone of those decisions was really unwise. The Bay Islands are probably safer than my home town so never a need to worry here but the mainland of Honduras is a different story. When we sailed from Providencia to the Bay Islands we purposely passed the Nicaraguan/ Honduras coast at night about 60 miles offshore with no lights and no AIS on. We rounded the top corner just at day break and had an uneventful sail to Guanaja. Most of the boardings have been fishermen in small open boats so meeting one or more of these 60 plus miles offshore on a windy night is really rare in my opinion. Yup for sure it adds to your passage times but so what, pretty small stuff in the whole scheme of things. These trips are taken on a regular basis by cruisers going both ways and I haven't heard of someone well offshore that got into trouble.

[foufou]

Half moon Key 54 miles off shore of Belize city was spectacular. Good visibility, good vibes.