And changing gears now...
Belize Dive Haven has been providing a unique diving experience to tourists for the past five years. It sits on the Turneffe Atoll, and the reef surrounding it is one of the most popular dive sites, allowing visitors to witness the wonder hidden right under Belizean waters.
But Belize Dive Haven has big plans of expanding, and they want the local residents to share a part in it. This past weekend, they invited the media to enjoy the amenities that the resort has to offer. Courtney Menzies was there and has this story.
STAND UP
Courtney Menzies:
32 nautical miles east of Belize City lies Belize Dive Haven - a paradise for divers, nestled within the white sand and glimmering waters of the Turneffe Atoll. It's here that tourists travel from around the world to explore Belize's reef, and get a one of a kind, week long diving experience.
Sean Waight, Reservations Manager, Belize Dive Haven
"What we do, we mostly cater toward divers and snorkelers because we are in the Turneffe area so Turneffe offers one of the most phenomenal diving in the entire country of Belize. So other than snorkeling and diving, we do have different packages such as romance packages, spa packages, relaxation packages, and even fishing as well."
"We have different dive sites, so we have about 22 different dive sites that we can take them, so we don't take them to the same dive spot for the entire week, so for the entire week, we offer them 15 dives and those 15 dives are at different dive locations for every tank dive."
And you don't have to know how to dive, or even be a strong swimmer to go scuba diving, since the dive masters provide instruction on site.
Rodney Waight, Dive Leader, Belize Dive Haven
"We have a lot of people coming in to learn how to scuba dive and actually the numbers after COVID for learning to scuba dive have increased because people are getting out, diving is a therapeutic activity, and it is something that people just want to zen out, it's peaceful, it's not noisy, and so people just love this type of ambiance that they get in diving."
"We have had a lot of people that fear the water and because Belize has such awesome dive masters, dive instructors, and we have a passion for what we do, we transform this fear into an excitement."
"Some of the exciting animals that we tend to encounter is dolphins, pods of dolphins, not all the time but they come around. We have dolphins, we have spotted eagle rays, these are the ones that look just like manta rays and they're actually family, you have sharks, here in Belize, we have reef sharks which is like the size of myself and maybe even bigger. We have nurse sharks which is like little puppy dogs and these grow up to like fifteen feet."
And even if diving isn't your thing, there's plenty more to do on the island:
Sean Waight, Reservations Manager, Belize Dive Haven
"We do have different amenities, we have two large pools, one being 260 feet which is the largest pool in the northern hemisphere. We also have another pool that's 200 feet as well, and we do have volleyball courts, we have ballrooms, we have type of stuff for conferences, and different dining areas that you're able to use for wedding venues or whatever you guys have."
"If in any event you're a non-diver, and you just want to come to relax, we also offer birding, we offer little different activities that you're able to do, you can snorkel at your own leisure, you're able to walk out to the reef, and snorkel at your own leisure, like I said."
And when you're done seeing the birds, you can check out one of the six local crocodiles usually lurking around under the piers since they are a protected specie in that reserve.
Couple that with three meals per day, inclusive in your package, and colorful drinks like Blue Haven, Pink Flamingo, and Tropical Paradise, Belize Dive Haven can feel like heaven.
But while they have usually catered to international tourists, they're trying to rebrand, and hopefully attract more local tourists.
Sean Waight, Reservations Manager, Belize Dive Haven
"We do understand that the typical Belizean doesn't have the amount of money that our tourists would normally have, however, we go ahead and we work with them, we want them to experience what Belize has to offer, so we do have heavily discounted rates for our locals, for our Belizeans, if they want to come and learn how to scuba dive, if they want to dive or snorkel, we go ahead and offer them discounted rates, and also all year round, we do offer great discounts for locals to come on over and stay for the night and so forth."
Rodney Waight, Dive Leader, Belize Dive Haven
"It is a shame because a lot of Belizeans should come out and experience this beauty that we have in our backyard, it's really awesome."
The resort has a capacity of 130 guests, and took 15 years to construct.
