Dive Review of Hopkins Underwater Adventures/Almond Beach Resort in
Belize/Hopkins

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Hopkins Underwater Adventures/Almond Beach Resort, May, 2014, by Joel M Horie, UT, US ( 2 reports). Report 7615.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Friendly, well run shop. Declan and Lucie are very personable. Dive Master Ralph runs a good crew. He pays attention to details and really keeps an eye on things on deck and in the water. We had a 2 to 4 swell and chop on two dive days, and they did a great job of getting even new divers up the ladders and back on board. We did a two tank to South Water Caye area and then a three tank to Glovers Reef. Plenty of small tropicals, at least one Nurse shark every dive(other group saw a hammerhead), big lobsters, a few turtles every dive(Loggerheads and Hawksbills), Southern Sting rays. Healthy size Grouper, Oceanic triggers, Cobia, Spotted Eagle rays, big jacks, schools of Creole Wrasse. Sea Fans and large Barrel sponges, blue and green tube sponges. All dives were guided drift dives(no moorings or anchoring), but no current. A guide in front and one in the back. Usually a slow tour along the reef at the edge of a wall. A guide would ascend with the first buddies to hit 700#, everyone else could stay with the other guide until they hit their limit. Hot lunch on shore break. One day it was a mild chicken curry and rice. Next time it was chili and mashed potatoes. Fruit and grapefruit juice. Seemed like a 30 minute ride to South Water Caye area and another 30 minutes past that to the south end of Glovers. They have an 8 diver minimum for each trip. We rented shorties, regulators and BCs. Their regulators come with computers. All gear was loaded and setup on the boat for us. You meet at the shop and their boat is on the dock directly behind shop. If you stay at Jaguar Reef/Almond Beach, it's just a few minutes walk on the beach or dirt road to the shop. Lots of reviews for food on tripadvisor. We liked Innie's for the Garifuna specialties(Stew Chicken for $10BZ was the deal of the trip), Driftwood for Pizza, Loggerheads for burgers and fish and chips. Thongs was good for breakfast and had reliable hours. The grocery stores Dong Lee and Happy have most of the necessities, especially beer and snacks. Bring bug spray, but if you can sit in an area with breezes, it's not so bad. Sand fleas and doctor flies along the coast, mosquitoes in the jungle. Rooms at Almond Beach were spacious, bottled water with a hot and cold dispenser. In room coffee, fridge. The resort has a backup generator. Bioluminecense tour is just down the road at Sittee River marina. We really enjoyed it. Nature river cruise first, then ends with glowing green fun in a salt water lagoon. It's best on a night with no moon and no recent rain. If you have a car, you can set up the tour at the marina(at least a day before) and save some money over the hotel or travel package prices. Do not eat or touch the raw cashew nut. You have been warned. The cashew fruit, however is delicious.
Websites	Hopkins Underwater Adventures
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	26-50 dives
Where else diving	Grand Cayman, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, St. Croix
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	choppy, no currents
Water Temp	80-80°F / 27-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Stay with group, end dive at 700#, then 3 min safety stop. Stay on top of water during surface intervals.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Hopkins Underwater Adventures/Almond Beach Resort in Belize/Hopkins

Hopkins Underwater Adventures/Almond Beach Resort, May, 2014,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Hopkins Underwater Adventures/Almond Beach Resort in
Belize/Hopkins