Island Guides Tours, Snorkeling, Fishing, Scuba Diving, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Island Guide Tours will guide you to good memories of Belize and it's Barrier Reef.

Each of our guides own and operate their boats, they are ex fishermen with a lot of experience and are very knowledgeable of the area.

OUR MOTTO

"Island Guides are born by the sea, live by the sea, and your safety and satisfaction is ours to see"

Sailing
Snorkeling
Diving
Fishing
Golfing
Jungle River Trips
Bird watching
Sightseeing
Manatee Watching
Beach Bar-B-Q
Picnic Cruises
Mayan Ruins
Flights
Hotel rooms
Golfcart rentals

FOR THE ADVENTUROUS DIVERS

3 main atolls and Whale Shark diving expedition.

April 30 - May 6th, 2004.

Limited to 12 divers.

For all information on this trip please email us.

DIVING

SOUTHERN BEAUTY glassbottom boat
captain : Norman Eiley

-1/2 day snorkeling (2 stops) marine reserve "Hol Chan" /shark Ray Allay $25 US
- full day (3 snorkel stops norht of island) Tres Cocos, Mata Rocks and Mexico Rocks - $50 US
includes soft drinks, beach cook out and rum punch.

"for ease of access to the water there is none better , the only boat with a water level gate for getting in and out of the sea"

55 ft live aboard dive adventure boat the "Off-Shore Express"
Captain: clive forman (owner Allan Forman)

- Overnight dive trip to the world famous Blue Hole.
- 1 overnight dive trip including all meals, sleeping accomodation and 2 full days of diving (5 dives) $275 US diver and snorkeler $175 US
we spend the night on the island of Halfmoon caye where there is a bird sactuary for the RED FOOTED BOOBY BIRDS. The boat has bunks but we also camp on the island , we provide tents ,mattress, pillows and blankets.
-Dive sites will be TURNEFFE, LIGHTHOUSE REEF and the HALFMOON CAYE AREA including the famous BLUE HOLE.

Itinerary: Day 1 boat wold leave dock at 6;30a.m. ,get 3 dives at Turneffe Island
Day 2 first dive at the BLUE HOLE, second dive at Halmoon Caye or Long caye depending on weather condition.

We also offer 2 & 3 overnight dive trips or charter trips.
Boat specifications:
G.P.S., oxygen, generator, life jackets, first aid kit

SAILING

RUM PUNCH SAILING
Captain: George Eiley

"come sail with us the traditional way on one of our restored Belizean gaff rig sloops: 32 feet "Rum Punch" .

Day Sailing to Caye Caulker:
- 2 snorkel stops at "Hol Chan" marine reserve and Shark Ray Alley.
drinks on board ,lunch on your own on the caye - $50 US p.p.

1/2 day Sailing North Ambergris Caye.
drinks on board ,Snorkel Mexico Rocks, tres cocos and the Pontoon Wreck.- $30 US p.p.

Day sail & Beach Bar B- Que.
drinks on board, beach cook out ,snorkel Mexico rocks, tres cocos and Pontoon Wreck - $75 US p.p.

Sunset sail to south of island.
Enjoy the beauful Tropical Sunset off the southern tip of the caye.
drinks on board - $25 Us p.p.
children under 12 years old go free.

CHARTERS ,OVERNIGHT AND ISLAND HOPPING RATES AVAILABLE.

MAYA RUINS

INLAND TOURS
Captain: Elito Arceo

LAMANAI Jungle River Adventure:

Enjoy a delightful continental breakfast as you wind your way through the Northern River where you will see a rich variety of flora and fauna.Once at Bomba village you will board a private bus that will take you along the Old Panamerican Highway to Tower Hill in the Orange Walk district. At Tower Hill you will board another boat. As you make your way down the New River you will encounter wildlife including birds, monkeys and crocodiles. Once at Lamanai you will enjoy a lunch of local fare below the canopy of the jungle and get a guided tour of the ruins that majestically perched on the waters edge.

$135.00US p.p. Includes breakfast ,lunch ,beer,sodas,rum punch and maya ruin fees. Depart 7:00a.m.

Manatee watch and snorkel excursion:

Make your way along the many cayes that dot Belize 's coast .View the endangered West Indian manatees in its natural habitat. At Goff's Caye snorkel the magical reef right from the pristine white beaches while our guide prepare a delicious beach Bar-B-Q. Next it is on to sorkel with the sharks and rays and then stop in Caye Caulker to browse.
$90.00US p,.p. Includes beach Bar -b-q ,sodas , rum punch and snacks. Departs 8:45 a.m.

River Cave Tubing and the Belize Zoo:

Day begins as we make our way to the mainland and up the Old Belize River. Along this river you will encounter wildlife like crocodiles ,iguanas and manatees as you enjoy a continental breakfast. We will then board a private bus that will take us to the unique and enchanting Belize Zoo. Then it is on to Jaguar Paw resort for lunch.

Then the real adventure begins. First a 40 minute walk through the jungle and then it is time to put on your head lamp and splash into the cool water in you inner tube.As you float down the river you will make your way in and out of increadible caves full of crystal formations.
$150.00US p.p. includes breakfast, lunch,beer, sodas,rum punch and entrance fee to the zoo. Departs 7:00a.m.

Altun Ha Mayan Ruin Adventure:

Begin your day winding through the Northern River where you will encounter a rich variety of plants and indigenous animals . Once at Bomba Village you will board a private bus that will take you through several quaint villages as you make your way to the ruins of Altun Ha . At Altun Ha your guide will give information tour of the site. Once you have worked up a healthy appetite of the ruins we will head to Maruba Jungle Spa for an exotic lunch. After lunch you can take a refreshing dip in their pool.
$75.00US p.p. includes beer ,sodas, rum punch, and snacks. Departs 8;30a.m.

DIVING COURSES

PADI Instructor Sylvin Forman # O.W. SI 59841

- Padi full open water certification course $350 US p.p. includes:
- 4 open water trainning sessions
- 3 confine water trainning sessions
- academic instruction
- log book, diving equipment, fins, 7 dive tanks, and weights/belt.
take appro. 4 days to complete.

Referral course $ 200.00 US p.p. includes:
- Diving equipment, tanks & weights/belt
- 2 days open water diving.
P.C. card and envelope

Discover Scuba diving $ 125.00 US includes:
Diving equipment,tanks & weights/belt .
1 open water diving.

full day of local diving - $55 US includes:
- one morning tank dive and one afternoon tank dive.
- boat, tanks & weights/belt included.

Night dive - $40 US

FISHING

FLAT OR REEF FISHING:
Captain : Omar Arceo.

- full day of flat fishing or reef fishing - $ 250 US includes tackle and bait.
flat fishing is done on the west side of the island and reef fishing is done on the east side where the barrier reef is of the island .

- 1/2 day of flat or reef fishing is $175.0 US.
minimum 2 pax

- full day of some reef fishing, some snorkeling and a beach cook out - $250.00 US.
minimum 4 pax.

ISLAND GUIDES TOURS is staffed by professional PADI trained instructor,dive masters & snorkel guides they are also certified Tour Guides , under the laws of the Belize Tourist Board .

"Island Guides are born by the sea, live by the sea,
and your safety and satisfaction is ours to see"

Editorial Comment:

Norman changed my life. In one short afternoon, he showed me the incredible world of the Ambergris Caye barrier reef. In a mere six feet- eight feet of clear, warm water, wearing only goggles, I was able to sit on the bottom of the ocean, inside huge schools of wonderously colored fish. Friendly sharks would come cruising by, stingrays that you could feed if careful. I had never snorkeled or gone diving. I was a total rookie. Yet Norman took my hand, threw me overboard, and gave me a never-to-be-forgotten first view of wonderland. I swam around for hours, sometimes with a snorkle, but I most preferred it with mask only. The silence that allows you to close with the beasties is so peaceful and beautiful.

I heartily recommend you give Norman a email message right now!

I have gone back many times to that world, but I will always owe Norman my birth into it. Just as I cherish the midwives that bore my children. Marriage, kids, Ambergris Caye. That about sums up the big moments...

As a child said, "Its like Seaworld without the glass..."

Marty, Webmaster AmbergrisCaye.com
Here's another person who had a great time!

Swimming with the Sharks
Jim and Andrea wake up on day two of their scheduled week at La Isla Bonita. The fresh sea breeze is blowing gently, the coconut palms barely swaying and already there is the hum of engines a couple hundred feet from the shoreline. From their verandah at Holiday Hotel, the couple senses that it will be a perfect day and decide that this is the ideal day for the recommended trip to Shark and Stingray Alley dive spot and Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
After a light breakfast at Celi's Deli they go in search of Norman Eiley by Coral Beach Dive Shop, where they quickly arrange for the trip in the glass bottom boat. A delicous rum punch delights the pallet as Norman's friendliness and intriguing stories and comments set them in the mood to enjoy a day at sea. The reef seems so relaxed that you could walk on it, but Norman assures them windy days this same reef transforms-into a mad white monster, a friendly monster that destroys the wrath of the waves before they approach the shoreline. Besides, Norman tells them they would not want to walk on a national monument that took millions of years to grow a reef that could be one of the natural wonders of the world. Indeed, Jim and Andrea realize it is a natural wonder and begin snapping shot after shot of themselves and Norman against Belize's Barrier Reef.
Norman announces that they have arrived at Shark and Stingray Alley and Andrea is anxious to see the sharks and the rays. After slipping into their snorkeling gear, Andrea is the first one to jump into the sea and is breathless at the sight of several schools of fishes, the corals, and the immensity and visibility of the Caribbean Sea. Norman has chummed the area, with sardines and soon a score of stingray's approach and float around the Southern Beauty. With some encouragement from their guide, Andrea caresses a ray over its back and pretty soon is baby-sitting one in her arms. She comes SO close to the surface that Jim is able to take several shots of tills once in a lifetime moment. HURRAH, sharks!! One, two, three at least half a dozen of 5 foot sharks scraping the floor bottom like grazing cattle in a field. Again Norman Incites for a friendly caress, so Andrea Surfaces for a deep breath -and down she goes, ten feet to the ocean floor to pet her newfound friend the 5 foot nurse shark. Her eyes almost burst out with the excitement of actually touching a shark
This is a Kodak moment, so Jill goes down with his underwater camera and snaps one after ,in other, every angle, every depth and every expression You can ever imagine. Andrea knows that when she gets back to New York, her friends will not believe the experience.They will feel that she is outside of a giant aquarium taking photo's with the sharks in front of her.
After innumerable dives by the fascinated couple, the sun begins to lean towards the west and soon it would be fascinated couple the sun begins to lean towards the west and soon it would be time to return to San Pedro. The couple is way too tired to try Hol Chan and decide with will be the itinerary for the following day, a day that Norman would combine with a beach barbecue of succulent fresh sea food at the beach after the dive.
On board the Southern Beauty Glass Bottom Boat, Norman refreshes and energizes Jim and Andrea with A glass of rum punch as he continues feeding the shark with some remaining sardines. The scene of the sharks feeding combined with the rum punches and the dive in the salty waters of the Carribean Sea have all opened up Jim's and Andrea's appetites, so Norman releases the buoy, starts up the engine and heads for San Pedro, The scene of the sharks feeding combined with rum punches and the dive in the salty waters of the Carribean Sea have all opened up Jim's and Andrea's appetites so Norman releases the buoy, starts up the engine and heads for San Pedro. The couple cannot stop admiring the panoramic view of the coastline, the sparkling sea, the reef and blue skies. Deep in thought they are filled with emotions of the awesome experience of actually swimming among and caressing stingrays and sharks in open waters of the Caribbean.Will their friends back home believe that they actually did that?
To tell the truth, it seems unbelievable to Jim and Andrea themselves. Only the call of Norman, "We are here," makes them realize that is all a real experience at Ambergris Caye.
Click here for pictures of Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley...