To give you an indepent idea I have included below what a very experienced captain on cruising Belize responded when asked by another captain coming to Belize asked what cruising in Belize was like.
- Here I will deal with only with the water side of things and water sports activities – swimming, snorkeling, diving, etc.
- Jet skies not permitted inside national parks.
- Belize is very primitive.
- Belize has too many islands and cayes to count, most of which are uninhabited.
- Belize City is a shit hole, so you just pickup and drop off in Belize City and get shopping done.
- Everything basically begins and ends in Belize City, the main port of entry and home to Belize’s only international airport.
- Belize City is also the main adventure hub for many land excursions.
- It can be a long tender run into the dock at the Radisson Fort George Marina and if it is windy (as it often is) it can be quite bumpy for the guest transfer.
- Regarding the offshore islands, with the exception of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker there is absolutely nothing on the islands, no shops, no hotels or restaurants.
- No petrol to purchase on the islands either with the exception of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. Petrol can be purchased on the mainland of course in Belize City, Dangriga, Placencia, Punta Gorda and that is about it.
- Guests do not really need too much evening wear – mostly swimwear and t-shirts.
- Belize DOES NOT have those lily white beaches to offer.
- North of Belize City is shallow. Maximum recommended draft for cruising this area is 6.5 feet.
- Within the barrier reef there are loads of excellent cayes. In the southern part of the country the cayes are normally small, sandy and surrounded by coral reefs.
- The cayes in the northern part of the country are mangrove, not so nice, except for San Pedro and Caye Chapel (private island).
- The first interesting caye heading east south east from Belize City is Goffs Caye on the entrance to the channel. Goffs Caye has a full BBQ set up on it that you can use. However, if there are cruise ships in or a Sunday when the locals are there – they all use it too until sundown when everyone disappears.
- South of Goffs Caye is Rendezvous Caye – again fantastic for a beach BBQ, snorkeling and diving, however there is a draft restriction. You may not be able to get close and you may have to anchor off either behind Middle Long Caye or Bluefield Range. Next is Tobacco Range – the mangroves have stopped. You can anchor close to Coco Plum Caye – very nice.
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