Diving in Ambergris Caye With Scuba Steve

As you walk around Town you will see the occasional sign that says " San Pedro is a quaint little drinking village, with a diving problem". There are variations on this, "fishing problem" etc, but they are all quite true. Much drinking, much diving, much fishing goes on in this place. All along the east beach you will find shop after shop offering diving courses, tours, and rentals. If you are an old diving pro you can charter your own boat and do your own dives. But for the new open water diver, like myself, this is the place to be as the entire coast is full of one exciting dive site after another, anything from 30 up to 100 feet giving you lots of time to get your dive count up, and gain the necessary experience, before moving onto other areas with more challenging dives.

The reason for such excellent diving is the Barrier Reef. It is approximately 300 km long paralleling the coast anywhere from just offshore to 16 miles. Through Ambergris Caye, it is less than a km making for easy access by boat for both snorkelers and divers. If you take a look at the map below you will see the wide variety of sites, and types of dives you can take. At all of these you can see an incredible array of wildlife, including from first hand experience; nurse sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, eagle rays, moray eels, groupers, lion fish, piccolo fish, barracuda, jellyfish and a multitude of other fish , some brightly colored and some camouflaged. The reef itself is impressive with beautiful corals and plant life, wrecks, canyons and mounds and it's own life force that makes one marvel every time you get near it.

As mentioned, there are many places to chose in San Pedro to learn to dive or partake in a day of diving. It is interesting talking to people on how they selected their particular dive shop; trip advisor, travel magazines, Internet search, recommendation from friend..but most simply show up here and see what others are doing. My selection for a dive shop was Scuba Steve, and while in San Pedro have used him exclusively. Back in November I had selected Steve to get certified precisely for the same reasons I continue to dive with him; best prices, knowledgeable and careful when it comes to diving, and the laid back approach.

Steve's shop is located right beside Big Daddy's nightclub at the Times Square on Front Street, or purple park as many call it. The office is smaller than a hotel room, and Steve and his staff sit out front greeting people as they walk by. There are generally a number of people around that have gone diving with Steve, often just hanging out for a while, whether they are diving or not. For some divers, this is likely not the place for them. If you are regimented, and get upset if a 10:00 am dive doesn't start right at 10:00 am, you will have your troubles. And you might further get aggravated when it looks like nothing is happening to move things along. You are probably best to try one of the others. But for many, this is a perfect fit.

While these guys may look like they are chilling, once they spring into action, they are quick, efficient, knowledgeable and careful to ensure you are diving within your capabilities. The less experienced are told to stay close to the dive master, and while underwater they take regular checks to make sure all are OK. They don't just take you on a dive, they search out interesting things to see and lead the group here. The equipment is good, and the price of $60 for a two tank dive is as much as 50% of the cost of other dive shops.

Steve's right hand man is Donny. He does everything from setting up the equipment, first mate duties, leading snorkeling and acts as dive master when Steve is not there. Donny has long dreadlocks, talks with a heavy Creole accent, and is super laid back. But you would be wrong to take him for granted. Like Steve he is very sharp, takes everything in, gets very quick reads on people and is über capable in all aspects of the business. On top of that he is a fun guy to be around. Steve also had his boys around showing them the ropes.

Today's dives were to Victoria Tunnels and Mermaid Caverns. Each of the dives was the same, yet completely different. It was also special in a couple of ways. First, there were two young kids there, 13 and 15,  from Whitehorse, who were doing their final checkout dive. This was the second dive I had done with them, and the difference in their confidence and wandering spirit was very noticeable in the span of a few days. Second, this was the deepest I have been yet, standing on the bottom of Mermaid Canyons exactly 100 feet below sea level. A Kodak moment, but with no camera, and I will tell you now that one will come in tow with me on my next trip in the new year.

In summary, go to Ambergris Caye, learn to dive and dive with Scuba Steve.