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Dive Review of Ambergris Divers/Sun Breeze Hotel in
Belize/Barrier Reef off of Ambergris

Ambergris Divers/Sun Breeze Hotel: "Ambergris Caye, Belize: Corals ok; fish life diminished", Nov, 2017,

by John A Thich, CO, US (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 9970.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We were scuba diving in Ambergris Caye 15 years ago. Diving outfits were not as professional but the barrier reef was full of life and the corals were very healthy. Today the corals we observed are doing ok but fish life did not seem to be nearly as abundant. We did do a night dive in the marine park which is apparently where all the smart fish now live (lots of rays). We saw only a few lion fish during our 14 dives...most have been harvested by locals and our DM's. The nurse sharks are very tame and during a shark feed, we were surrounded by 8-10 sharks with some moray eels and groupers trying to get in on the feed. Otherwise, we saw only occasional schools of small fish, a couple of turtles, a couple of manta rays, a couple of moray eels, a dolphin or two, a few groupers, a few small lobsters and some barracudas. The general dive site topography consisted of lots of sandy bottom canyons between coral ridges. Overall, the dive sites were interesting and still generally colorful. We did the blue hole and two other sites 15 years ago that took 2.5 hours to get to by boat. These had plenty of fish life then and apparently still do today from reports of those who took the extra cost trip (all day). We expected San Pedro to be busier and more built up...and it was. Narrow roads and lots of golf cart traffic...the place is still somewhat run down and trashy in parts. Surprisingly, the accommodations at Sunbreeze (located on the beach)were very good, service was excellent, staff were very helpful and friendly. The food at the restaurant (Blue Water Grill) associated with the hotel was more than very good and reasonably priced. We went as a group of Colorado divers (approx 50) and likely were able to negotiate good rates. The airport was a block away and Ambergris Divers had a dive shop satellite adjacent to the hotel. No long distances to walk to anything. The dive operation was very well run and the staff very helpful. The dive masters were very knowledgeable and provided very thorough briefings and were very safety conscious. The dive boats were spacious and all equipment was serviced between dives and ready the next day. All the dive sites were within 10 minutes boat ride from the dock. I believe that we might have had more luck with fish life had we gone further out along the reef away from the popular and most economic dive sites for the diving outfit. While it was supposed to be rainy every day (10/28-11/4), we were lucky and had great weather almost the entire time. Beyond the reef, the water was more choppy at times making getting back into the boat more difficult. Water temperature was such that many went in with shorties or no wet suit. I used a 3mm and was comfortable. Visibility varied but was generally 30+ft. Currents were light to non existent at most dive sites. We enjoyed the overall experience despite what we as divers are seeing at many popular dive locations around the world...degrading corals and vanishing fish life.
Websites Ambergris Divers   Sun Breeze Hotel

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef, Okinawa, Sipadan(x2) Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, Belize, Sechelles, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Vietnam, FL keys
Closest Airport San Pedro Airport, Ambergris Caye Getting There direct flight to Belize City airport from Dallas Fort Worth; then a puddle jumper to San Pedro Airport

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 75-80°F / 24-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Depth limits usually 80-90 ft max, more commonly 60 ft. Staying in groups (5-10) led by DM; mandatory deco stop 15ft; start surfacing process at 1000 psi
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 1 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 1 stars
UW Photo Comments Only a couple of divers had cameras; boat had no camera table...just a bucket of fresh water. No camera facilities at the satellite dive center
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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