Camera permits in Belize?

Hi guys,

Was researching diving in Belize and came across mention that if a person has a SLR or larger camera they have to apply for a film permit to photograph / film the whale sharks? Has anyone had any experience with this?

Seems a bit OTT?

Just bumping this question here in the hopes someone has some experience to share.

Has anyone done the Whale Shark (or other diving) with a DSLR or more advanced camera in Belize? If so, did you have to get a film permit? Any recommendations here?

I went to Belize a few years ago - we were staying at the Hamanasi Adventure Resort and diving with them. They offered a blue-water dive supposedly to try to see the whale sharks around the typical snapper spawn timeframe, and made no comment at all about needing a permit. I had a DSLR rig for general u/w photography that got zero attention on arrival - had dual strobes, wide angle dome port and lens, etc. But this was back in 2010, so things might have changed. Dives did have as part of their 'fee' the marine preserve area access permit (something nominal, built into the typical dive costs).

(BTW, the odds of actually seeing whale sharks on those blue-water dives was pretty slim, especially for our week due to general conditions after a tropical storm cut the vis quite a bit, so we stuck with the atoll and reef dives.)

If you're looking at something more specifically aimed at chasing the whale sharks at a more well known aggregate location, my info might be totally inadequate. I could see a specific locale having specific rules...