Located in the northern part of Central America, Belize is a rising destination for scuba diving. It features 13 marine protected areas, like the Hol Chan (meaning "Little channel") Marine Reserve, which was established as early as 1987.

Scuba diving locations in Belize:

• Turneffe Islands, the largest of the three atolls of Belize has excellent diving off the southern tip.
• Lighthouse Reef is the smallest of the three atolls and is surrounded by a well developed reef-rim with only three major gaps. The Blue Hole Protected area lies within the interior of the atoll.
• Glover's Reef is slightly larger than Lighthouse Reef but much smaller than Turneffe Island. This atoll is surrounded by broad, well-defined reefs of living coral breaking the surface. Glovers Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage site
• Hol Chan was Belize's first marine park and features Shark Ray Alley where you will encounter Sting Rays and Nurse Sharks.

When to scuba dive in Belize:

The water temperature stays above 25°C in general, but there are frequent hurricanes from June to November and coastal flooding in the south.

Local standards for gear:

The best scuba diving spots in Belize:

• The Blue Hole in Halfmoon Caye was once an above ground cave. This incredible deep blue circle is 1,000 feet in diameter and over 400 feet deep. The specialty of the dive is the stalactites.Once you reach the 100 ft mark you will enter the first under cut where you begin swimming between these formations.
• Hol Chan Cut is in the middle of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. It is also used often for training dives. You can find most of the Caribbean corals in this area as well as large schools of fish that tend to congregate in this area. Expect to see bluestripped grunts, schoolmasters and horse-eye jacks. In the channel look for southern stingrays, eagle rays and sand divers. The reef walls are home for a large number of green moray eels.
• At Mexico Rocks, some of the coral heads rising from the sea floor are quite large, mostly brain and boulder corals. Growing on these giant corals are purple sea fans and other gorgonians with small schools of blue striped grunts milling nearby. Keep your eyes open for a batfish.

The best snorkeling spots in Belize:

Taking a boat out from Ambergris Caye to Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark-Sting Ray Alley and Mexico Rocks provides a variety of sights in good snorkeling conditions.

Fun scuba Facts:

Country data:

Administrative details

• Currency: Belize dollar (BZD)
• Population: is approximately 11,000,000 (2011)
• Time Zone: central time (GMT-6)
• Main languages spoken: English, Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna, Maya, Plautdietsch ## Diveable overseas territories:

Belizean scuba diving federations:

Local diving laws and regulations (and PADI-equivalent certifications):