Laurence Charlot wrote in a message to Jim Montgomery:
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
LC> A friend of mine did a dive trip to Honduras last month,
LC> this is what he had to say about it:
LC> 1. The resort was located on an island a few miles offshore.
LC> The resort facilities were pretty nice, comparable to the
LC> Galapago Inn in Cozumel. 
LC> 2. The diving differed from Cozumel in that there was little
LC> or no current, so no drift diving. Visibility was poor, 50'
LC> or so, but that was due to several weeks of abmormally bad
LC> weather (heavy rain). 3. Cost for the resort and the diving
LC> similar to Cozumel, but airfare much higher. This Honduras
LC> trip cost my friend $1600, compared to $1100 for the last 2
LC> trips we did to the Galapago Inn.
LC> 4. Bottom line, my friend had a good time, but the diving in
LC> Cozumel is pretty much the same as Honduras and costs a lot
LC> less.
  Thanks, Laurence.  This is just the information I was looking for.  I had 
heard that the water clarity was much better in Honduras, but everything 
depends on the weather in the end.
 JM> my certification dive was in the  Palancar Reef centered around the
 JM> Gardens.
LC> You lucky bum...Palancar Reef (and it's subsidiary sites at
LC> Palancar Caves, Palancar Gardens, and Santa Rosa Wall), are
LC> my favorite dive site on the planet.  I got certified at
LC> Salt Point State Park on the California North Coast on a day
LC> with 8 feet visibility and water temp at about 50 degrees F.
LC> (Brrrrrr!).  I hope to make it back to Cozumel in May or
LC> June of 1997 myself.  I have heard from several divers that
LC> the very best "window" for weather and dive conditions in
LC> Cozumel is Mid-April through Mid-June.  Before that, the
LC> water is 8 degrees colder than it is in summer, and in
LC> summer and autumn, the heat and humidity is a lot worse.
LC> Plus hurricane season means more unsettled and stormy
LC> weather from August through November.  Both of my previous
LC> trips to Cozumel were in September, and the weather was
LC> lousy both times. Last time, we missed Hurricane Opal by
LC> only a few days! It rolled right over Cozumel/Cancun area
LC> the week after we were there.
  I always plan my visits to Mexico during April/May.  Have never had a bad 
trip due to weather.  I have been to Cozumel 3 times now, and almost feel 
like it is home when I get there.  It is getting extremely popular these days 
and seeing 3 or even 4 cruise ships in port upon waking really shoots the day 
to hell, since you know you won't find taxi's, prices will be sky high, and 
you might as well head for the far side of the island if you want any peace 
and quiet.    Oh well, thanks again for your info and maybe I will bump into 
you around the Santa Rosa Wall sometime in '97!
    Jim
--- timEd/2-B11
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