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Belize River Front Real Estate and Investment Properties
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Ambergriscaye Dive Sites
A fifteen minute fly away from the main land lies Ambergrise Caye. This tropical island is about twenty
five miles long, about the size of Barbados is the regarded as one of the best destinations in the word.
Here we list just a handfull of the recognised dive sites which draw divers from all over the world.
Happy Hours Reef
Because this site is a little out of the way of most dive
operators it gets dived very seldom, which means lots of fishlife
and no signs of damage caused by divers. We particularly like this
site as it has a lot of barrel sponges and is wonderful for macro
photography due to the abundant small critters found at this site.
Another observation we made at this site is at a certain time of the
year we have noticed the coral spawning. This site is currently
being studied by Professors from Texas AM University and is part of
ongoing studied for the year of the reef.
Love Tunnels
This site is located north of San Pedro and the site got its name
as a couple got married in the mouth of this huge tunnel. At a depth
of 60ft we swim through the tunnel that comes out on the edge of the
drop off at approx. 90ft, due to the unseen approach we have spotted
many large pelagic cruising the drop-off, as we exit the tunnel.
As we swim along the drop off you see many varieties of hard and
soft corals and the usual juveniles and groupers that are abundant
in these waters.
At all times you can see the surface as we swim through the
caverns and it is quite safe for all levels of experience, as we
near the end of our dive we enter another small cavern that takes us
to our exit point, a real exciting dive that 's a favorite with our
visitors.
M & M Caverns
Located north of San Pedro town lies M & M Caverns one of
Ambergris Caye's best cavern dives. The underwater topography is
deep spur and groove formations formed by the wave action over
thousands of years, it is literally riddled with swim through and
tunnels.
As you descend down to 90ft you see a small entrance going up
through the reef as you enter you see a small light at the end of
the tunnel about 40ft away, it is an awesome feeling as you swim
literally through the reef to come out at 60ft then enter another, a
totally different dive that's always a hit with our visiting divers.
Cypress Gardens
An excellent site for all types of coral species such as huge
Pillar Corals, Elkhorn, Staghorn and very abundant with small reef
fish and critters. Located in 50ft of water, this has long been one
of my favorite sites for the sheer quality of the coral formations
and the superb Macro photo opportunities. This site focuses on
smaller marine life associated with coral reef and is sure to be a
hit with visiting divers.
Hol-Chan Marine Reserve Pillar Corals
Hol-Chan Marine Reserve 5 square miles of protected habitat,
makes for some great diving. One of our favorites is Pillar Coral, a
60ft dive with some wonderful Pillar coral formations, great for
photography as during this dive there are resident grouper and
Snappers that will follow you throughout the dive. It's easy to
position them around the Pillar corals giving the opportunity for
some great pictures.
The site is protected and nothing dead or alive may be removed,
gloves are not allowed to be worn in the marine reserve and there is
a $2.50 entrance fee to the park which is used to maintain the buoys
and fund the ongoing research conducted at Hol-Chan marine reserve.
Hol-Chan Marine Reserve - The Cut
Another great site, this is a cut that allows passage through the
Belize barrier reef to the open sea. Starting at 8ft and sloping
down to a maximum of 25ft, this is an underwater wonderland with
literally thousands of fish, including huge groupers and the biggest
snappers you have ever seen. 
As you enter the cut there are a variety of small caves which
hide huge Moray Eels over 6ft in length. Because this park is in a
protected area the animal life is abundant. At the buoy, which marks
the maximum you may enter into the channel, there is a small swim
through cave which usually has a giant Dog Snapper lurking in the
back part of the swim, though he casually watches as you swim
through. A very scary looking fellow showing his big teeth, but the
slightest movement toward him and he's off.
This site is used as our primary night dive spot. At night it is
totally different: lobsters, giant spider crabs, Stingrays, and on
many occasions the odd lemon Shark has passed through. All in all
this is one of the best sites for marine life found anywhere in the
Caribbean.
Eagle Ray Canyons
This site although not new has recently become known for regular
sightings of spotted Eagle Rays. I recently dived this spot with
some friends from Rodales Magazine. Steve, one of the divemasters,
was guiding the dive and during his briefing guaranteed that we were
going to see Eagle Rays, and was quite adamant about it. I asked him
if he was sure because we now had some excited divers aboard who
were expecting to see Eagle Rays and they would be disappointed if
they didn't. Steve assured me and down we went, sure enough after 15
minutes we saw our first 3 Eagle Rays, 5 minutes later we saw an
additional 5 a lot closer this time. In addition to the Eagle Rays,
lots of coral formations, spur and groove formation and the usual
congregation of juveniles.
This is a Marine Reserve so nothing may be touched or taken, we
ask that you are careful with your fins and avoid accidentally
touching the reef. If you feel you would like to improve your
buoyancy, we will be happy to assist you.
The Amigo's Wreck
As you descend , you are literally surrounded by big groupers,
lots and lots of Snappers and GUARANTEED Nurse Sharks. Unlike Shark
Ray Alley, where it is only 8ft deep, at the wreck you will be able
to get a shark silhouette shot and some great close-ups guaranteed,
plus some amazing eye to eye encounters with some big groupers. Its
amazing that this wreck was only sunk 8 months ago and already has
abundant marine life and is showing signs of coral growth.
This will definitely become one of Ambergris Caye's best dives.
Although the Wreck is not located in the marine reserve we ask that
you conform to the marine reserve guidelines on all dives conducted
in the waters of Belize to preserve and protect our resources for
future visitors.
Shark Ray Alley
An unbelievable snorkel site similar to Caymans Stingray City
except we have in addition to the resident Stingrays, 15 to 20 Nurse
Sharks which means double the action. Located south of Hol-Chan
Marine reserve, in only 8ft of water, this spectacular site is the
only site in the world where you can interact with both Stingrays
and Nurse Sharks.
So unique is this site it attracted the attention of Jean Michel
Cousteau and Skindiver magazine, who have featured it on the cover
page of Skindiver in 2 issues. Jean Michel told me that they are all
female juveniles and it is most likely a nursing ground and kept in
the area from years of fishermen cleaning their catch and discarding
the scraps to the sharks.
All our divers get a complimentary stop at Shark Alley. Bring
plenty of film as the opportunity for photography is endless.
The Nurse Sharks and Stingrays steal the show but the coral
formations and other fishlife is worth a mention. I visited Shark
Ray Alley many times before I discovered the superb coral formations
and dense fish populations, remember to check them out when you
visit Shark Ray Alley.
The Great Blue Hole
The Great Blue Hole was chartered by Jaques Yves Cousteau in
1971. Since then the Blue Hole has become Belize's most famous dive,
measuring 1000ft across and at a depth of 460ft.  The hole was formed
thousands of years ago when the water level rose and put pressure on
the roof of the cave until it collapsed inward and so forming this
huge sinkhole.
The Blue Hole dive is conducted at 130ft, the maximum depth
allowed in recreational sport diving. Contrary to people's belief,
there are only 2 diveable sites in the Blue Hole, one is on the
north side and the other on the south. Other than those sites the
sides of the hole simply go straight down to the bottom.
On the north dive site of the Hole, as you descend and head down
at approximately 100ft, there is a overhang of which the huge
Stalactites hang from, some measuring over 40ft long. When you
consider it takes over 100 years for a Stalactite to grow one inch,
you can imagine how long it took to grow to 40ft.
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