Diving
Belize's barrier reef, which is second in size only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, runs for 185 miles along the full length of the country and beyond. Belize also has three of the five coral atolls in the Caribbean.
Along the barrier reef off Ambergris Caye, there are at least 35 dive sites that have been buoyed to protect the coral from anchor damage. The local reef is mostly made up of spur and groove coral formations, with deep canyons running down to around 100ft (30m) and lots of swim-throughs. Abundant soft coral and masses of reef fish greet the diver. Larger life such as groupers, barracuda, spotted eagle rays and turtles often make an appearance and nurse sharks can be seen resting in the canyons and overhangs.
Our daily schedule is flexible, but usually includes:
- morning - 2-tank local dive
- afternoon - 1-tank dive at Hol Chan and snorkel at Shark Ray Alley
Local Dive Sites
The following are just a few of the many sites that we have to choose from.
Mexico Rocks Canyons
Max Depth 90ft (27m)
Closest to our dive center and great for your first dive outside the reef.
The dive starts down one of the canyons, then runs alongside before turning back
up to finish over the coral gardens. Check the overhangs for lobster. We usually
see barracuda and often turtles as well.
Playa Blanca
Max Depth 90ft (27m)
Descend along the canyon pass the pinnacles towards a sandy ‘beach’. Grouper will probably accompany you at least this far. Look out for stoplight parrotfish, queen angel fish and the skittish rock beauty among the 60 varieties found here.
M&M Caves & Caverns
Max Depth 110ft (33m)
This is one of the best sites for swim-throughs. Follow them through the
coral spurs and emerge at different depths. Beautiful vase sponges adorn the
deeper areas, where there is a good chance of seeing pelagics.
Happy Hour
Max Depth 120ft (36m)
Just 10 minutes from our dive center, this site features huge barrel sponges in deep water, with green moray eels resident nearby.
Offshore Atolls
To experience some of the best diving in Belize and the world, a trip to one of the offshore atolls is a must. All full day excursions to the offshore atolls consist of three dives and include continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks.
Blue Hole
Visit the Blue Hole on Lighthouse Reef for a truly memorable day out. It was first explored by Jacques Cousteau in 1970 and is frequently rated as one of the top ten dive sites in the world.
Dive One
The
Blue Hole has a diameter of 1000 feet at the rim, and drops to a maximum depth
of 412 feet. At a depth between 90 - 100 feet the sheer wall recedes at about a
55° angle and this overhang environment is where the famous stalactites start.
At around 150 feet these grow to be about 3 feet in diameter and 20 feet in
length. During this necessarily short dive keep one eye on the blue as you will
almost certainly not be alone. Divers are regularly accompanied on this descent,
by more than 10 big gray reef sharks circling not too far away. There are also
some very inquisitive jacks who come a lot closer, and often there is a big lone
barracuda who is attracted to the dive boat itself, taking shelter from the
relentless sun.
Dive Two
Half Moon Wall is an exceptional dive site that is now included in the Half Moon Caye Natural Monument within Lighthouse Reef and as such is a protected area. As its name infers this is a wall dive approached across a gently sloping sandy bottom. A narrow rim of coral marks the start of the drop-off. This rim has a series of channels cutting through it, making the start of the descent all the more interesting with beautiful soft corals, huge barrel sponges and plenty of reef life. Manta rays, spotted eagle rays, turtles, groupers are all frequently seen here. You'll end the dive with a 3 minute safety stop above the sandy flats, where conch can be observed at play.
Lunch
Linger over lunch served in the shade of the palm trees on this island
paradise.
The Forest Walk
Amble through the un-spoilt forest on Half Moon Caye and see the indigenous wildlife. You can climb purpose built observation towers to be level with the forest canopy, and see the nesting colony of about 4000 endangered red-footed booby birds.
Dive Three
This will be a dive on one of the eight best dive sites to the east of Long Caye. The topography of the reef at this point is similar to that of the Half Moon Caye dive, with a wall environment interrupted by gullies and swim through canyons. Again these are covered in a breathtaking vista of soft corals and sponges, and life is abundant.
Turneffe Elbow
The currents surrounding the elbow at the southernmost tip of Turneffe atoll supply a concentration of food which draws huge numbers of fish and other marine life. Large gorgonians fans and other coral formations provide a spectacular backdrop to this drift dive.