Discover Scuba Diving in Belize

With over 400 islands and atolls strung along the beautiful Caribbean Sea like sandy gems, it’s no surprise that scuba diving is one of the most popular activities to enjoy in Belize.

Dive spots of all ability levels ranging from first-time beginners to experienced pros mean that everyone can enjoy scuba diving. Belize enjoys year-round warm weather and is home to the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere, a vast, highly diverse marine environment home to sharks, rays, turtles, manatees, dolphins, and fish.

Some of the most famous dive sites in Belize include:

Shark Ray Alley 

Located in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve just a few miles from Ambergris Caye (and a short boat ride from Belize City), Shark Ray Alley is a small section of the reef where fishermen used to clean their catches before heading back into port. Over time, nurse sharks and stingrays (neither of which poses much danger to human divers) learn to congregate in the area.

Today, dive guides use chum to attract the sharks and rays. There are few experiences comparable to being surrounded by a whizzing, darting cloud of hungry rays and sharks as they feed.

The Blue Hole 

Sometimes known as the Great Blue Hole or the Belize Blue Hole, this unique natural phenomenon is a perfectly circular body of water nestled inside Lighthouse Reef Atoll. But it’s not the dark sapphire color of the water that draws in divers but what lies underneath the surface – a vast cave system. Over 100,000 years ago, this large cave became flooded. Jacques Cousteau rated the Blue Hole one of his top 10 favorite dive sites in the world.

Note: Due to the challenges of diving the Blue Hole, only experienced divers are allowed to explore its gothic depths.

Gladden Spit 

Located on the outer edge of the reef, Gladden Spit is a long promontory of land with a vast lagoon containing over 700 patch reefs. The clean water and density of marine life make this one of the best places to dive. Many fish species use Gladden Spit as a spawning area, but it is the yearly arrival of the whale sharks that has made Gladden Spit famous as a dive site.

Between March and June, vast schools of whale sharks arrive near Gladden Spit to feed on plankton and fish spawn. The largest non-mammalian creatures in the oceans, whale sharks are filter feeders that strain their microscopic prey from thousands of gallons of seawater.

To book a snorkeling or scuba diving trip in Belize, please email us at info@blackorchidresort.com.