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Dive Review of Off the Wall Dive Center and Resort in
Belize/Glovers Reef

Off the Wall Dive Center and Resort: "Relaxed Diving - great little eco resort for beginners and families", Jan, 2018,

by Lynn Palensky, OR, US ( 1 report). Report 10763.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling 4 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 2 stars
Comments [We chose Off the Wall Resort for a family trip that included a 7 year old, one non-diver and one diver/fly fisher. We could do all three in one place for a great price – fly fish for bone fish, snorkel and dive. It’s a lovely little (7) unit place that composts, recycles, minimizes waste, uses solar, etc. Its owned and operated by a Portland, OR couple. Good food, bungalows are right on the water or just back from it. Lovely views that face east. The dive operation is solid and simple – two boats, two guides and 2-3 dives/day available plus optional night dives. There are gear-hanging areas within 30 feet of the boat dock. We went in the winter so the weather wasn’t stellar. It was pretty windy and often chilly at times. The solar arrays couldn’t heat the water enough to get a warm shower (outdoor) after the dives, but the owners made up for it one night by having buckets of hot water to pour over us from the kitchen.

The staff were great – helpful and accommodating and they had everything dialed in. At the same time it all felt quite relaxed. The hermit crabs! Hermit crabs are literally EVERYWHERE, which made the island feel so alive and fun, especially for the 7 year old. Osprey, birds, hermit crabs and other critters were cool to watch.

Snorkeling was limited to the east shore due to weather, but it was a great place to snorkel. Nice corals, nurse sharks, schools of fish – nice area. Diving was just okay for us, but our bar is pretty high after having traveled to Indo, Socorro’s etc. The water was clear and blue, but as we’ve found with other places in the Caribbean, the fish numbers and diversity are just not there. We had dolphins join us for one day which was a highlight and the night dive was nice (but that’s another story). All in all, it worked great for our extended family and to just get in the water during the cold winter months in Oregon and Washington.

The reason I took Dive Rescue was inspired from my night dive there. We all went with the dive guide on the boat to a place just off the resort. One of the divers was 14 years old and diving alone (no designated buddy) and it was her 9th dive. The girl was apprehensive about descending in the dark and asked my to stay with her. It was windy topside and everyone else was already down (including my brother). I finally got her down and she popped back up to the surface 3 times. She insisted on finishing the dive. I finally signaled to the guide that she was having issues and he needed to deal with it. I was not feeling good about abandoning my buddy and going up and down with her. I got our feeling frustrated about the situation – more than the guide and likely the girl. The long and short is that it felt like the local guide wasn’t taking the time to understand the experience levels of all the clients and ensuring that a young diver had a designated buddy. If anyone needed a buddy it was her and the guide could have played that role. I was disappointed in his “relaxed” attitude, but I am more prepared to deal with that kind of situation now – with the diver as well as the guide.

Overall the resort was great for what we wanted and needed for the family. We did <10 dives on the trip and loved the little island trail, hermit crabs, and value!
]
Websites Off the Wall Dive Center and Resort   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Bahamas, Cozumel, Fiji, Raja Ampat, Socorro's, Christmas Island, Vanuatu, Puget Sound, Thailand
Closest Airport Belize City Getting There Fly into Belize City then local flight (20 min) to Dangriga, Belize

Dive Conditions

Weather windy Seas choppy
Water Temp 75-79°F / 24-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available?

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 1 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments Leave the camera at home or bring your point and shoot!
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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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