Hol Chan Marine Reserve
DIVE WITH SHARKS AND RAYS IN A PROTECTED AREA
Hol Chan Marine Reserve is located only four miles from the town of San Pedro and some 36 miles from Belize City, making it easily accessible as a popular snorkeling and diving site. The shallow waters offer even the novice swimmer a chance to encounter docile nurse sharks and rays.
Translated in Maya as “”Little Channel,”” the Hol Chan Marine Reserve refers to the deep cut or “quebrada” in the barrier reef off Ambergris Caye. This protected zone encompasses a total of 13,632 acres of marine waters, which includes four zones:
- Zone A: Coral Reef (640 acres)
- Zone B: Sea Grass Beds (5,376)
- Zone C: Mangroves (6,336)
- Zone D: Shark Ray Alley (1,280)
Located approximately four miles south of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, this top snorkeling zone is Belize’s first marine reserve legislated in July 1987.
Hol Chan Cut is open to the sea beyond the reef, so it allows marine creatures to travel from the outside of the reef to the inside and vice versa. Over 160 species of fish have been recorded in the reserve, along with forty types of coral, five species of sponge, two sea grasses, three species of sea turtle and three marine mammals: the short-beaked common dolphin, pantropical spotted dolphin and West Indian manatee. Spotted eagle rays and southern stingrays are common at the bottom of the channel. Lobsters, moray eels and sea anemones live among the rocky outcrops, and some of the many corals include brain coral, elkhorn coral, and finger coral. Jacks, groupers, snappers and barracuda are all common.
GEOPOSITION
Manuel Antonio National Park and its Beaches
Chicabal volcano and lake
Trujillo
RECOMMENDED TOURS
Authentic Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Visit volcanoes, discover the culture, and enjoy the beaches. A truly wonderful experience.
The best of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
Volcanoes, National Parks, immense beaches, thermal waters... a tour that you will never be able to forget.
Grayline Costa Rica and Panama
Culture and nature surround you in this tour across Costa Rica and Panamá.
Mesoamerican highlights
Discover the heritage of the colonial cities, the National Parks, and the pre-Columbian ruins of Copán in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala.
Nature in Costa Rica, and Colonial Cities in Nicaragua
Nature, culture, and history and mysticism are the keys of this tour through Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Will you join us?
