With the largest barrier reef in the Western hemisphere as well as an extensive system of cayes and atolls, Belize has some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world, and the best place to do it is off of the northern cayes such as Ambergris and Caulker. A snorkeling or diving trip, though, is something not to be missed.We decided to do our snorkeling from Caye Caulker. The nice thing about Caulker, as well as Ambergris, is that they are both close to the Barrier Reef so you do you get to spend less time in the boat and more in the water. We went through the tour group Tsunami Adventures and we were very happy with the tour they provided. They gave us the standard day snorkeling tour of Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark-Ray Alley, but the nice part was that our guide made sure to leave early enough to beat the rush to both places. Both Hol Chan and Shark-Ray Alley are the most popular places and since most tour groups run the same schedule, the sights get terribly crowded at certain points throughout the day, but our guide at Tsunami Adventures made sure we got to each place a little early so that we could beat the rush.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a large reserve around a small channel in the break and is a sight for spectacular snorkeling. The coral was varied and colorful and so was the sea life. No more than five minutes after entering the water, I saw a nurse shark swimming languidly along. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the area and very aware of where animals like to hide. With his help we found an octopus hiding in coral and a huge moray eel at least six feet in length tucked under a ledge. Along with that we saw a rare school of spotted rays. At least seven rays, some as long as nine feet came swimming through the channel right when we showed up. It was one of the more spectacular sights I have ever seen snorkeling. It’s too bad I didn’t have an underwater camera
Shark-Ray Alley is the tourist attraction of Belize snorkeling. We originally didn’t want to go because we heard about how touristy it was, but it is hard to find a tour that doesn’t stop by, so we gave in. Shark-Ray Alley basically became a popular place for nurse sharks and rays because fishermen used to dump their chum there after filleting fish, but that has long stopped, and now it is tourists who flock to see the sharks and rays. The sharks and rays keep coming though because a lot of guides still toss chum in the water. Thus, when you pull in, the sharks, hearing the motor, immediately come up. Admittedly it was neat to swim with them, but I was glad we got there early because soon it became a crowded mess of sharks, rays, and snorkeler legs.