Advertisement for Mariah Reef Resort on Ambergris Caye, 1982
Francis Paul Ripp: This was the first full color, full page ad in Skin Diver Magazine for Belize diving. This one ad produced around A 1000 divers in three years, 1982. The cost was around 7000 dollars. Mariah Reef stayed booked every summer, no off season. Mariah Reef Resort was the first multiple international certified Dive Shop, School, Retail sales and guide business listed in Belize, in Skindiver magazine. We certified many local divers as Instructor/Guides. Mariah Reef was a divers resort and hundreds came from Birmingham where our dive shop and school was located. Freddie Waight was one of the first locals to be certified and worked at the resort for years. I bought the land that became Mariah Reef Resort from Paul Knight, Paul helped me a lot to succeed.
Ripp tide started going to San Pedro in 74 and ran regular trips until 79 when we bought the property Mariah Reef Resort. The first trips to Belize from Alabama were in Birmingham, Bill Tant, Southern Skin Divers Supply in the late 60's, he dove Glovers with Lamont. Bill Tant opened the doors to British Honduras and that has resulted in tens of thousands of tourist and divers over the last 55 years. Many bought property and invested and several married Belize men and women. It has really been embedded into the diving history of Alabama and Belize.
The resort was located between Pescador and The Belizean, where Captain Morgan’s is now. Ramon's thatch roof cabanas were the inspiration for Mariah Reef Resort.
Kimberly Gonzalez:
When I first came on vacation, we went diving with Mariah's Reef. Freddy Waight was our guide. I wish I still had the photo of him on that trip. It was a doozy. Can't explain it.
Ana Dawson:
Childhood memories. I met my first friend here, Mariah. That building in the back was their home. The stories, we could share from here. Yo...that parrot that lived there!!!!
Photograph by Francis Paul Ripp
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