Dive Review of Amigos del Mar/Perla Escondida Condominum in
Belize/Ambergris Caye

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Amigos del Mar/Perla Escondida Condominum, Mar, 2005, by Greg Yarnik, IL, US ( Sr. Reviewer 8 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 1649.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My wife and I visited Ambergris Caye from March 17-27, 2005 and had a very good overall experience on this friendly, dusty, laid-back island. I would advise travelers to secure a reservation prior to your trip on either Mayan or Tropic Air(the two carriers that fly from Belize City airport to Ambergris), in order to bypass long, sweaty lines for their tickets in Belize City. We stayed at 2-year old Perla Escondida Condos just south of the San Pedro Town airstrip and it was a good choice(2 BR, 2 Bath, AC, full kitchen, ocean-side patio and groomed beach, washer/dryer), just far enough outside town for peace and quiet and only a 10-minute golf cart or bike ride into town(no paved roads and no rental cars, but there are plenty of taxis available around the clock). Restaurants "downtown" are mostly good to excellent with all varieties of cuisine offered to please any palate, although local fresh catches are your best bet. A multitude of fine dive operations serves the greater San Pedro area, but after consulting Undercurrent and other sources, we chose Amigos del Mar and were happy we did. Other than forgetting to pick us up at Woody's dock(2 doors north of our condo)on our first dive day(one has to expect a minor glitch here and there.....), our dive week with Amigos was exceptional and problem-free. Once the first-day communication glitch was solved, they picked us up daily at Woody's dock at 9:00 a.m. for a 2-tank local dive just east of the barrier reef located only .5 miles offshore. Accessing the dive sites, though, was dicey at times due to severe winds and chop/surge. Seasick-prone divers(I count myself in this group) should prepare for the worst, but the good part of the ride out is that it's only 15 minutes long and Amigos staff makes it easy for those with queasy stomachs to quickly gear up and backward roll into one of many outstanding and healthy spur and groove coral-dominated dive sites. Nearly every reef community in Belize is either a national park or World Heritage Site, so the quality and health of the reefs are, in this writer's opinion, among the best in the entire Caribbean region. Several sites require a nominal $5.00 fee to the government for conservation purposes, but once one observes the reef quality, it will be money well-spent. Particularly interesting are the more distant sites Turneffe Elbow, Lighthouse Reef, and those off Half Moon Caye(an uninhabited island sanctuary for protected Booby and Frigate birds that is well worth the visit during a surface interval). The famous Blue Hole is worth one visit as the cave-like geology is interesting, but you will not likely get to see much in the way of marine life on the dive. All the above sites, however, must be accessed on day-long trips aboard a fully-appointed 48' cruiser that handles the ocean crossings with ease and comfort. A tasty and filling buffet lunch, as well as drinks and snacks, are included on such daytrips. Amigos will stow and rinse your regs/BCs/fins each day of your dive week and has your unit set up, correctly weighted, and ready to don each morning. All dives are low-impact drift dives, and on choppy days, it can be hazardous exiting the water, but Amigos staff does a great job safely getting everyone(during our week, no more than 8-10 divers)aboard. All in all, Belize is a terrific choice for a quick dive getaway, or longer trip when more distant sites can be visited, and Amigos del Mar is highly recommended as a dive operator on Ambergris Caye.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Grand Cayman, Turks & Caicos, Bonaire, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Virgin Islands
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	75-79°F / 24-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	all dives were drift dives
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Separate rinse bucket on boats for cameras; no dry storage available on boats.

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Dive Review of Amigos del Mar/Perla Escondida Condominum in Belize/Ambergris Caye

Amigos del Mar/Perla Escondida Condominum, Mar, 2005,

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 Amigos del Mar/Perla Escondida Condominum in
Belize/Ambergris Caye