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Hi, I'm new to the forum. We are planning our wedding in Ambergris for November. I was wondering if someone could tell me about the beaches on Ambergris. My fiance ran into an aquaintance last week who told him that it is very difficult to go swimming off the beaches. Do the sea floors have a lot of coral and beach grass that would prevent swimming off the beaches? Can you recommend areas (near accomodations) with the best beaches. He is nervous about this now- although the two of us are divers, we have a large party with varying interests to accommodate- most just want to sit on the beach and go swimming. He has been looking at pictures on the internet and noticing that no one is swimming near the shore. Any comments about the beaches?

Welcome to the board-- I was there last week and swam every day,there are grasses just offshore that are needed for marine life reproduction,and also areas that have a nice sandy bottom,people swim all the time--relax and have a nice wedding.

BeachBride -- I agree with Scuba. However, you may wish for a more thorough explanation. The reef just offshore that makes AC such a wonderful place for SCUBA and other activities has the effect of impeding wave circulation near shore. The result is that you do not have the type of beach many would associate with the Caribbean. That doesn't make it bad by any means -- I love it. However, if your party expects Jamaica-type wading beaches with crystal clear hip-deep water many yards off-shore -- they may be disappointed.

Don't fret over it, just set the right expectation with everyone. For those that may have some reservations, I'd just tell them up front and sell the many attributes of Belize you can't get anywhere else.

Enjoy and congratulations!

Beachbride Congrats on your wedding.

The beach at Ramone's is a good swimming beach so is banyan bay ( I am sure people on the board could add a few more) There is sea grass but swimming is still an option. Your guests can also wear goggles for swimming and see some fish. We saw many cool fish swimming near Ramone's dock and got a tip they like frozen peas so that was a lot of fun to see them get excited over peas.

Walking along the beach is also nice and there is lots to see along the way.

Xanadu and Caribbean Villas both have good beaches not far from town, and in fact both run very attractive beach weddings. But once you're in the water yes, you'll find sea grass.

Don't forget that you can walk to the end of many piers and get in to the water past the sea grass. You might be in water anywhere from 18 in to 3-4 feet. In lots of places it is really shallow even a couple of hundred of feet from the shore.

There are plenty of nice beach areas on the island to swim. Just tell your friends to walk around and explore and they'll see where everyone is swimming. Enjoy.

Better beaches in Belize are further south in Hopkins and Placencia

I do agree with Katie on the beaches further south.

Congrats on the upcoming wedding! You have chosen a picturesque location!

I can't comment on the Placencia/Hopkins area, but the rest of the above comments are all true - some sandy beaches, some with seagrass, some better to swim off pier. Whichever way, all are great!

Our family always wears the inexpensive water shoes while wading. If your wedding is in November, they should be on sale after the summer! Our kids don't particularly mind the grass, but it is just easier to put the water shoes on first (before any complaints arise).