Belize's Underwater Attractions

By Jose Luis Cabada

Divers of all ages and abilities find their way to Belize from all over the world, eager to explore what many insist is the most enchanting reef environment anywhere, with underwater visibility easily extending to 200 feet. A pristine barrier reef ecosystem, largest in the Western Hemisphere and second-largest in the world, stretches 185 miles off Belize's eastern coast.

Beyond are three of the Caribbean's four atolls: Lighthouse Reef, site of the Blue Hole and other protected marine treasures; Glover's Reef, known for its spectacular walls and hundreds of patch reefs; and the Turneffe Islands, with over 2,000 mangrove islands and a particularly rich diversity of marine life.

"If you add up the length of our reefs and atolls, I believe we offer more dive sites than Cozumel, Bonaire, and the Cayman Islands put together," says Hugh Parkey. "Belize is a place you can visit again and again and never exhaust your diving opportunities."

Shark/Ray Alley
Aptly named Shark/Ray Alley, a part of Ambergris Caye's Hol Chan Marine Reserve, affords adventurous divers a chance to swim among nurse sharks and playful eagle rays in a popular feeding area. Bacalar Chico National Park is an even larger underwater preserve along the north end of Ambergris Caye.

Placencia
In Placencia in southern Belize, visitors will find 3 miles of more remote beautiful beachfront with a more relaxed ambiance, that presents another inviting spot for divers. The azure water is surprisingly deep here and dolphins occasionally frolic close to the shore. Here, the luxurious Rum Point Inn or Placencia Dive Shop can arrange diving or snorkeling trips. The unhurried pace of Placencia and its scenic charm give visitors the illusion of being on an island, rather than one of Belize's oldest southernmost settlements.

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