Page 243 - Central America

Ambergris Cave. the largest and most popu-
lar of the Belize offshore cayes boasts 40 kil- Amigo’s Wreck - The wreck was purposely
ometers of the Belize Barrier Reef less than
1 kilometer offshore. The calm waters are
dense with coral gardens, colorful sponges, a
multitude of tropical Caribbean reef fish. and
water visibilily that exceeds 50 meters. Div-
ing lhe barrier reef off Ambergris Caye is full cargo ship that sits in about 70 feet of water. in the canyons, stingrays root through broad
of variety with classic spur-and-groove reefs
with deep canyons, swim-throughs, under-
cuts, coral gardens and sand flats. Permanent
mooring buoys and natural resource man-
agement initiatives such as Hol Chan Marine
Reserve protect the reefs from anchor dam-
age. Divers enjoy macro photography of vase
and tube sponges. and coral pinnacles with
countless little reef creatures. Observant di-
vers search ledges and gullies. or ceilings of
overhangs, to find invertebrates including
red-banded coral shrimp. brittle stars. nudi-
branchs. tube worms. and tunicates of every
imaginable color. Outside the reef, spur-
and-groove coral formations drop into the
depths. Many diving spots are shallow and
excellent for snorkelers as well.
Angel’s Flats Here - Canyons between the
reef are filled to the brim with sand, making
a great sandy flat that looks turquoise from
the boat. It is called Angel Flats for the an-
gelfish that are common here. Marine life
includes Stingrays, Nurse Sharks, Angelfish
and Butterfly fish.
sunk in this spot to attract bigger marine
life that has attracted big Nassau and black
groupers, big hog fish snappers, nurse sharks
and a couple of moray eels living in and
around the wreck. The wreck is a 40 foot
The dive starts out as a drift dive where you
submerge to the depth of the wreck gradually
and then you have half the dive to explore
the wreck.
Bacalar Chico - Untouched reefs and man-
grove rivers make up for a great day trip to
the northernmost part of Ambergris Caye.
Many birds and other rare species of land
and sea critters can be observed here. This
is a seldom-visited remote spur-and-groove
dive site. The site is located at the northern- where big guys like snappers and groupers
most part of the island. On one side of the
creek you can see Belize, on the other side
is Mexico. It is now home to plenty of fish
including Snappers, Nurse Sharks, Grouper
and more. A very enjoyable scuba dive.
Basil Jones Canyons - Basil Jones is a spur-
and-groove reef outside the last pass before
the barrier meets the north end of Amber-
gris Caye. Located about 45 minutes north
of San Pedro, this part of the barrier reef
lies beyond the normal range of dive sites. It
takes calm seas and special arrangements to
reach Basil Jones Canyons. It is the potential
of seeing large pelagics that make it worth
the effort to get there. Many coral formations
around the sand flats feature overhangs with
ceilings that are 3-8 ft high. Nurse sharks rest
sand flats and turtle, jewfish, eagle and man-
ta rays patrol the water above the reef.
Basil Jones Cut - This is a beautiful spur and
grove reef. Bottom consists of sand patches
and lens shaped coral heads in abundance.
Its covered in beautiful corals and marine
life.
Buena Vista Canyons - Diving between 18m
and 24m (60’ and 80’) deep, you will explore
narrow canyons. There are cleaning stations
wait in line to be cleaned by little guys like
gobies, who go into their mouths and gills
nipping off the parasites.