AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Snorkeling Tour for gal with, uhmm... "issues" :)

Hi folks!

Will be down there in a couple of week for a 7-day vacation! I'll be traveling solo, and I love to snorkel. I hope to take as many boat trips as I can afford, so I can see as much as possible.

However, I have a few issues: namely, I'm quite large, and occasionally have sore knees and feet. Now, this ain't stopping me none, but are there certain tour operators that are more, shall we say, plus-sized friendly? And affordable? (meaning around $40-75USD per 1/2day trip)

Thanks so much!

This is a well-fed nation. In Belize extra weight on a woman is often considered extra beauty. I think that most tour operators are used to plus-sizes.

Depending on just how "plus" it could be an issue on the local planes though --- the weight needs to be up front for the plane to take off, but the isles are very narrow and a super large person will definitely have issues squeezing through to the front. Being wedged in a tight space might be unpleasant and could even be unsafe.
Having no idea how large you are I can only suggest that you may want to think about taking the water taxi over to AC instead of the plane. Plenty of room there .....

Whatever you do, welcome to Belize!! Enjoy the visit, snorkel and sun and live it up!

As Diane wrote, weight isn't a problem here but your level of fitness is. If your only problem is sore knees and feet then your only concern will be the style and size of the ladder you will need to get back into the boat. You'll want to be sure the ladder is sturdy, braced away from the hull of the boat, and deep enough to allow you to step on without exceptional bending of the knee. That last is the toughest. The bottom rung of the ladder could easily be at waist level and the resultant stress on your one knee, considerable.

Grumpy and happy have the biggest and best ladder on the island and they specialize in snorkeling tours.
http://www.grumpyandhappy.com/
good folk

George Eiley, on the Rum Punch II, will take exceptional care of you as well. 501.610.3240 (on the island).

Have FUN!!

What you need is a big strong island boy to help you in n out of the water.
I doubt that you will have any problems while you are out having the time of your life.
Just go out there and have fun.

I'm not sure how large "quite large" is, but my husband was near 270-275 on our last few trips and he did a lot of diving. Being a somewhat large girl myself, I would say you should have more worry about arm strength to get in and out of the boat (especially with a little wave action) than your size. We used several different dive/snorkeling businesses there. They were all very friendly and helpful. Just take the guide aside and let him know you may need a little help and they will make sure there is enough help there when you need it. You will be glad you did it--ITS AMAZING!

Yep, taking the water taxi, as I suspect small single-engine planes might be a problem for me!

Thanks for the responses everyone! I know I'll have a blast! I suspect zip-lining is not an option for me, but I might take the one of the tours anyway... still deciding. I will make up my mind once I get there.

But snorkeling is really my thing, and the more time in the water, the better!

They look awesome, but they're only private charter, correct? As I'll be traveling alone, it's a little bit over budget, at $265/trip.