Snorkeling in Belize – What Spots Are The Best?

Featuring the second largest barrier reef in the world, Belize offers some of the best underwater viewing experiences in the Caribbean. The country has hundreds of cays and several marine parks with fantastic, healthy coral reefs and abundant sea life. You can swim alongside nurse sharks, manatees, rays, whales, and turtles at this premiere destination. If you are curious about the best Belize snorkeling spots we recommend visiting, this guide will get you covered! We also added some extra info regarding the conditions and tips on choosing your accommodation to help you make the most of your trip.

Quick overview:

Best spots: Ambergris Caye, The Split in Caye Caulker, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley, Golvers Reef Atoll, Harvest Caye, Blue Hole, Laughing Bird Caye, Turtle Alley – Silk Cays, Half Moon Caye, Gladden Split – Placencia, Long Caye, Tobacco Caye, Turneffe Atoll, Coco Plum Caye

Best time to visit: between April and June

Recommended places to stay: Tranquility Bay Resort, Glover’s Atoll Resort, Turneffe Island Resort, Iguana Reef Inn

15 Recommended Belize snorkeling spots

Belize offers much for beginner and advanced snorkelers, but you need to know that beach snorkeling is limited due to the shoreline’s characteristics. Most reefs are about 20-60 miles offshore and are reachable by boat only, so plan your vacation accordingly. Be prepared to sign up for boat tours to access the best spots.

Ambergris Caye

Ambergris Caye is one of the few offshore snorkeling spots in Belize, so this is an excellent place if you don’t want to take boats to the outer reef. The area is home to several types of reef fish like snappers, angelfish, and damselfish, and you may encounter nurse sharks and stingrays here too.

If you want to go on a boat trip, you can quickly get to the nearby Mexico Rocks and Tres Cocos from here. These two spots are available from a short ride from San Pedro and feature shallow reefs that are excellent for beginners.

The Split – Caye Caulker

Although there are no natural reefs around Caye Caulker, you’ll also find plenty of sea life here, which makes it a nice spot for beginners. You can see smaller creatures such as crabs, sea horses, lobsters, colorful parrot fish, and stingrays.

There is also an exciting shore snorkel spot here called The Split. It is technically a channel on the island’s northern tip that splits Caye Caulker. The channel is about 20-25 ft/6-7.6 m deep and provides a home to various aquatic life like sponges, anemones, certain corals, and fish species. It has a sandy bottom, where you can spot sea stars too.

Caye Caulker lies close to the area where sea cows can be seen (Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary), so if you want to see these beautiful, friendly creatures, you can quickly sign up for a manatee-watching tour here. Although swimming with them is prohibited in the sanctuary, you might be lucky to encounter one while snorkeling on the reefs.

The easiest way to get to Caye Caulker is by water taxi from Belize City. Several companies offer roundtrips and island hopping.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve

The Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a must-visit spot in Belize. This 3-square-mile marine reserve is famous for its vibrant sea life and reef system display. You can see here colorful fish, nurse sharks, giant stingrays and turtles.

The park is technically a 20-yard-wide, 25-foot-deep channel in the barrier reef that was dedicated to a national park in 1987 to keep the area safe from overfishing and allow the reef and marine life to recover. It is easy to access by boat from Ambergris Caye. Because of its popularity, it is always busy, so I recommend booking a morning trip to avoid crowds.

Shark Ray Alley

The Shark Ray Alley snorkel spot is part of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. It got its name for a reason: harmless nurse sharks and stingrays gather here. The reason so many sharks come to this place is simple: local fishermen used to clean their daily catch here by throwing the morsels in the water, so technically, they were feeding the sharks.

Now, no feeding is needed; the sharks (and giant stingrays, too) are already coming when they hear the motorboats, creating a local attraction for snorkelers and divers.

This is a unique snorkeling experience in Belize. Although these sharks are harmless, it might take a few minutes to get used to the feeling that they swim close to you and their skin touches yours. And the best is that there is a nice shallow reef nearby, a little south of Shark Point, so if you have time, ask your boatman to stop there, too!

Tip: Belize is often compared to other famous Caribbean Islands in terms of snorkeling conditions. To get a clear picture of what destination you should visit, see more guides here:
Roatan snorkel spots
Snorkeling in Cozumel

Glover’s Reef Atoll

Glover’s Reef offers the most fantastic snorkeling in Belize, thanks to its incredibly diverse marine life. It was even added to the UNSECO World Heritage Site.

You can see various marine species even in the shallows, from sea urchins to starfish, sea cucumber, damselfish, angelfish, nurse sharks, and stingrays. If you are an advanced snorkeler, visit the so-called “Wall” too. This underwater wall is where the Caribbean Sea’s open-water area begins. While you may be unable to snorkel to the bottom, you can see where the cliff suddenly drops off into the deep ocean. It’s eerie and fascinating.

Harvest Caye

Harvest Caye is one of those snorkel spots in Belize that cruise ship passengers use to visit. It’s a recently built artificial island where ships dock. Although you can snorkel from the shore, I don’t recommend that because the water is too shallow and often murky. It is better to join a snorkel trip from the marina. With a boat, you can get to the reef, where there is more sea life to see, including hard and soft corals and various sea creatures like rays, sea stars, and critters.

Blue Hole

One of the world’s most fascinating snorkeling places is the Blue Hole in Belize. It is the largest ocean sinkhole in the world (1,000 feet wide and 400 feet deep) and can even be seen from space.

The hole was created 15,000 years ago when the existing limestone cave collapsed as sea levels rose. As you can see in the picture above, a reef system surrounds the hole, giving home to diverse marine life. If you’re looking for the most interesting snorkeling in Belize, you will find it at the Blue Hole! Diving is also possible, but you must be experienced.

Laughing Bird Caye

Laughing Bird Caye has the most extraordinary variety of marine life in Belize. This national park and World Heritage Site lies in the central lagoon of the Belize Barrier Reef, 11 miles offshore of Placencia. Snorkelers who have visited this area have reported seeing incredible snapper schools, barracuda, nurse sharks, turtles, and lobsters.

Plenty of tours are available to this caye, ready to show you the best snorkeling spots. Such trips usually include visiting additional snorkel sites too, such as Lark Cayes, where you can snorkel over substantial coral heads.

Silk Cays – Turtle Alley

Turtle Alley at Silk Cays is a protected area that lies 36 kilometers East of Placencia. It is one of the most famous spots in the area, due to the presence of sea turtles, including a resident Loggerhead measuring more than 4 feet in length! Besides swimming with turtles, you can encounter here nurse and lemon sharks and stingrays, too.

Half Moon Caye

Half Moon Caye on the Lighthouse Reef has a fantastic ecosystem to explore. The conservation area measuring 45 acres is not so far from the famous Blue Hole. It is home to the nesting Red Footed Booby Bird, and there are tons of snorkeling fun just waiting to be had.

The area features a great variety of marine life, including hermit crabs, reef sharks, large groupers, and different turtle species, such as loggerhead, green, and hawksbill.

Gladden Spit – Placencia

Many people come to Belize to swim alongside the world’s largest fish, the whale shark. These gentle filter feeders—which grow up to 60 feet long—are a seasonal attraction here.

Whale sharks can be seen in the Gladden Spit Marine Reserve near Placencia every year between March and June as they migrate. Tour operators monitor the whale sharks’ migration to ensure a high chance of an encounter. (Hint: The best thing to do is schedule your trip for the full moon period when this species is the most active!)

Belizean sustainable tourism practices regulate whale shark snorkeling and diving, so time slots are allocated for each tour operator to avoid crowding. You should also follow particular guidelines for your own and the creatures’ safety. Please take these very seriously; you should not chase or threaten the animals.

Long Caye

Long Caye, also known as The Aquarium, is a site I recommend for advanced snorkelers. The current can be intense here, but that is why the marine life is so rich. You’ll see sponges, sea fans, and other reef-building corals. The clear water makes observing sea life easy. If you decide to spend a few days in this dreamy environment, there is even a hotel here, the Itza Resort.

Tobacco Caye

To explore the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, you should consider snorkeling in Tobacco Caye. The island is only 5 acres long, and only 30 inhabitants occupy it. It would be best to consider staying at the Tobacco Caye Paradise Resort to get the most out of your snorkeling.

Staying at the resort, you will be right on the water and can enjoy direct access to the snorkel sites. It also offers rentals for snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding.

Turneffe Atoll

Twenty miles off the coast of Belize City lies Turneffe, the largest atoll of the Mesoamerican Reef System, surrounded by deep waters on all sides. Consisting of more than 150 smaller and larger islands, it is one of the region’s ecologically most essential areas, so it was declared a marine reserve. With its clean, warm waters and extreme biodiversity, Turneffe offers the best snorkeling in Belize and the Caribbean.

Thanks to the surrounding nutrient-rich waters and their protection status, the reefs here are vibrant and healthy. Larger fish like tarpons, groupers, and sharks frequent the stony and soft coral systems. The mangrove shallows and seagrass beds are nursing grounds for juvenile fish and invertebrates, including threatened species.

Coco Plum Caye

If you want a Belize snorkeling spot where tourists don’t clog up the beach, come to Coco Plum Cay. You should book your stay in the Coco Plum Island Resort, a private island with adorable cabanas. Since it’s an adult-only resort, it is a perfect honeymoon destination.

You can snorkel around the island alone or join an organized guided snorkeling excursion to the nearby reefs, where you can encounter sea turtles, stingrays, groupers, and reef sharks.

Useful things to know to plan your Belize snorkeling trip

When is the best time to go?

Belize’s weather is generally good year-round, making snorkeling possible in all seasons. The climate is subtropical. Due to high humidity, it can rain anytime, so make sure that your packing list includes a rain jacket.

The dry season runs from December to May, during which you can expect little to no rain. This makes these the best months for snorkeling. March and April are especially recommended because the water is the calmest.

There is a wet season from June to October, which means rainfall will impact a few hours of the day. Otherwise, these months are slightly warmer, with average temperatures around 80- 84°F (27-29°C). This isn’t a bad time to come either, as accommodation prices are lower than in the main season. However, you must prepare for interruptions due to weather conditions and/or trip cancellations.

To cut it short, if you are looking for the best visibility and warmest waters, arrive between April and early June before the rainy season starts and when the sea conditions are the most optimal for snorkeling. Moreover, this is the whale shark season too!

How is the water temperature?

There isn’t much to worry about the sea temperatures since the Caribbean Sea is warm enough year-round. In winter, the typical sea temperature is between 79-80F/25.6-26.6C. In the summer, the water warms up to 84-85F/28.8-29.4C.

Such temperatures are comfortable for swimming without a wetsuit, but if you tend to feel cold or plan to do long snorkeling sessions, a 3mm shorty can come in handy. Wearing UV protection clothing (rash guard) is necessary for all seasons to avoid sunburn, so pack it with your regular gear.

Where to stay?

Belize offers a variety of accommodations for its visitors. When deciding which resort to choose, consider whether you want to stay in a remote location where you can focus on relaxation or prefer a more central location to better experience local life.

In the first case, choose a resort at one of the outer atolls, like Ambergris Caye, Glover’s Reef, or Turneffe. If you prefer to spend your vacation in a more touristy location, we recommend staying in Caye Caulker or Placencia.

See our recommendation on some Belize snorkeling resorts below:

Tranquility Bay Resort – Ambergris Caye

If you prefer shore snorkeling instead of signing up for boat excursions, staying at Tranquility Bay Resort is best. This unique beachfront accommodation lets you access fantastic marine life directly from the beach.

This resort is found at the northern end of Ambergris Caye. It is away from the tourist zone, and getting here takes a bit of effort, but if you want to spend your vacation fully relaxed while enjoying first-class snorkeling, this is a place to consider booking!

Glover’s Atoll Resort – Glover’s Reef

Those who want to unplug and be in the water all day will find Glover’s Atoll Hotel the best local snorkeling resort in Belize. It’s situated right next to the reef and lets you quickly start your snorkeling adventures from the beach.

They even have over-the-water rooms where you can access fantastic sea life directly from your room, but you can take boat trips to the nearby coral shelf, too!

Turneffe Island Resort – Turneffe Atoll

The Turneffe Island Resort is a family-friendly, secluded private island resort with fantastic white-sand beaches and services/amenities to please everyone. The staff is very hospitable and highly qualified to provide guests with a safe and fun dive and snorkel experience.

Many excellent reef sites are just about 5-10 minutes boat ride from the resort, and Belize’s most popular snorkeling sites, such as the Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, or Half Moon Caye, are also not too far from Turneffe.

Iguana Reef Inn – Caye Caulker

Iguana Reef Inn is on the water’s edge, nestled in an authentic Caribbean town in Caye Caulker. You can snorkel right from the beach or join excursions organized by the resort. It is also easy to get to the Split snorkel spot from here.

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