-=> Quoting Jim Montgomery to All <=-
 JM> trip down  south for '97.  Have thoughts about either Belize or Bay
 JM> Islands, Honduras and  wondered if anyone had any good/bad reports they
A friend of mine did a dive trip to Honduras last month,
this is what he had to say about it:
1. The resort was located on an island a few miles offshore. The
resort facilities were pretty nice, comparable to the Galapago Inn
in Cozumel. 
2. The diving differed from Cozumel in that there was little or
no current, so no drift diving. Visibility was poor, 50' or so,
but that was due to several weeks of abmormally bad weather (heavy rain).
3. Cost for the resort and the diving similar to Cozumel, but
airfare much higher. This Honduras trip cost my friend $1600, compared
to $1100 for the last 2 trips we did to the Galapago Inn.
4. Bottom line, my friend had a good time, but the diving in Cozumel
is pretty much the same as Honduras and costs a lot less.
 JM> my certification dive was in the  Palancar Reef centered around the
 JM> Gardens.
You lucky bum...Palancar Reef (and it's subsidiary sites at Palancar Caves,
Palancar Gardens, and Santa Rosa Wall), are my favorite dive site on
the planet.  I got certified at Salt Point State Park on the California
North Coast on a day with 8 feet visibility and water temp at about
50 degrees F. (Brrrrrr!).  I hope to make it back to Cozumel in May
or June of 1997 myself.  I have heard from several divers that the
very best "window" for weather and dive conditions in Cozumel is
Mid-April through Mid-June.  Before that, the water is 8 degrees colder
than it is in summer, and in summer and autumn, the heat and humidity
is a lot worse. Plus hurricane season means more unsettled and stormy
weather from August through November.  Both of my previous trips to
Cozumel were in September, and the weather was lousy both times.
Last time, we missed Hurricane Opal by only a few days! It rolled right
over Cozumel/Cancun area the week after we were there.
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