Rodale’s Scuba Diving

It’s Easy for Divers: Belize is Pleasing

They call Belize ‘Mother Nature’s best kept secret,’ but the secret’s out with divers. This tiny Central American country has hit the big-time with divers and other travelers in search of the best that Mother Nature has to offer above and below the surface.

Quick international flights into Belize City along the coast make the country a convenient dive destination (just two hours from Houston). Once there, the many choices in Belize diving include Ambergris Caye, the Turneffe Islands, Glover’s Reef, Lighthouse Reef, the Stann Creek District, and Placencia. All generally offer superb visibility, mild currents, and a wide variety of protected marine life.

“With the world’s second largest barrier reef just off our shores, Belize is known for world-class diving and snorkeling,” says Minister of Tourism Mark Espat. “Visitors to our country comment most on the beauty and bounty of our treasured natural resources, as well as the warmth of our people.”

“Visitors are also surprised to learn that Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America and is also known as the Gateway to the Caribbean” for its location as a Caribbean nation as well,” continues Espat. “Let’s face it, we have the best of both worlds!”

There’s a good reason why enthusiastic divers were the first to put tiny Belize on the tourist map in the 1970s--the diving was absolutely superb. Today, it’s even better.

The improvements include reefs that are protected more than ever, better educated divers and outfitters to protect them, and faster boats to get them to the best spots. For example, dive boats from Ambergris Caye used to take about three hours to reach the famed Blue Hole and it’s now done in about 90 minutes.

Veteran divers and newcomers alike will find clear, cobalt-blue waters, with coral reefs, mangrove islands, flooded caverns, steep walls, and deep canyons that shelter marine life beyond counting--rays, sharks, turtles, seahorses, grouper, eels, lobster, conch, and others are among frequent spottings. At the end of diving, friendly outfitters return divers to a laid-back Caribbean island atmosphere of sandy streets, comfortable cabanas, thatched-roof restaurants, and friendly bars.

The Diving

Tucked away on the Caribbean coast of Central America, Belize is home to the western hemisphere’s largest barrier reef, a complicated system of individual reefs that parallels the nation’s coastline for 185 miles from the Yucatan to Central America. The reef features more than 70 types of hard corals, more than 400 species of fish, three magnificent atolls, seven aquatic World Heritage sites, nearly 200 offshore cayes, and an endless array of dive sites.

The reef’s sheer walls are lined with large and colorful sponges that play host to teeming schools of fish in a garden-like setting. Home to significant marine life that includes threatened species, the reef is one of Belize’s most prized assets and it shows.

The cayes (pronounced ‘keys’) are a chain of offshore islands that range from small uninhabited isles to large tropical islands complete with outstanding resort facilities. They span about 3,000 square miles of protected water, scattered inside and outside the reef itself.

Belize also has three of the Caribbean’s four atolls--ancient underwater volcanoes rimmed in colorful coral. Each atoll forms a circular coral island, with a central lagoon, and houses distinctive ecosystems both within the lagoon and surrounding the atoll. With dramatic underwater walls, channels, and canyons, the atolls offer some of Belize’s most spectacular and world-famous dives.

At 25 miles in length, Ambergris Caye is the largest island, with the small town of San Pedro serving as a Belizean dive Mecca. Ten minutes away, Ho Chan Marine Park was the first such protected area in Central America. The walls and pelagics are enough to keep visiting divers busy for a week or more, while additional sites and a wide range of resorts keep divers coming back year after year.

To the south, the Turneffe Islands are made up of more than 30 islands and cayes. More than 70 dive sites await exploration, including a 35-mile wall of coral on the west end and interesting dives like the Elbow, where ocean currents meet to form a soup of large marine life there for the free lunch. Blackbird Caye at Turneffe Atoll is now also home to the country’s first Oceanic Society Field Station, where the first long-term study of bottlenose dolphins began last year--and visitors are encouraged to visit and help (specific program packages available)!

West of the Turneffe Islands, the Lighthouse Reef area features the famed Blue Hole, a hole opening to a deep underwater mountain of caves and stalactites that has been a beacon for divers since Jacques Cousteau pioneered its exploration in the early-70s. Lighthouse Reef also offers up the Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, where the mainland is home to more than 100 species of birds and the water offers like numbers of protected fish species.

Further south, Glover’s Reef is quickly growing in popularity, thanks to pristine conditions and diving that can include mantas (generally December to May) and incredible drop-offs. Even further south, quickly developing dive destinations (and resort areas) include the Stann Creek District of central Belize and Placencia of southern Belize--if you’re looking for an even more remote Belize diving experience, these are two great choices!

Topside Time

When not diving, visitors will enjoy some of the most varied topside time of any dive destination in the world. Options on both the outlying islands and mainland Belize make for adventurous times for all.

With a lush rainforest interior, there are numerous activity options like hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, with destinations including national parks, resorts, private lands, and even underground archeological sites. Organized tours are available, but individuals can also set out on their own between dives. Some of the most popular options include heading to ancient ruins, through the rainforest, or to sparkling river pools and waterfalls by foot, wheel, or hoof.

Belize’s rivers offer further exploration for those who can’t get enough water, with canoeing, kayaking, and rafting trips featured by many outfitters. The options include the 175-mile Belize River and many smaller lush rivers throughout the country--there’s even whitewater on some of them from November to April.

Other topside adventures include rock climbing, caving by foot or inner tube, and more sedate options like visits to some of Belize’s wildlife preserves and other natural attractions. Favorites of visiting divers include: the 29-acre Belize Zoo (billed as ‘the best little zoo in the world’); the Belize Tropical Education Center (just across the highway from the zoo); the Bliss Institute in Belize City (center of Belizean culture, including Mayan artifacts); Belize Botanic Garden; four butterfly farms; an incredible number of ancient Mayan sites; Blue Hole National Park (an inland Blue Hole); and many other protected national, regional, and local parks featuring Belize at its natural finest.

Thus, it’s easy to see why Belize is so pleasing. With such a variety of experiences underwater and topside, both first-timers and veterans never tire of Belize!