Page 268 - Central America

Eagle Ray Wall - Famous for eagle rays sightings at about 12m (40’)
depth just off the wall where they glide by ever so gracefully. Snor-
kelers enjoy the sightings here as well while looking over beautiful
shallow coral ridges separated by sand gullies. This area has an excel-
lent shallow reef and colorful wall, exciting and ideal for snorkelers.
The reef is no more than 3.5-40 ft beneath the surface right up to
the wall. The wall plunges dramatically into deep water all along this
part of the reef trend, where it is rich with corals and colorful red cup
sponges. On most dives here you can see eagle rays in graceful flight
just off the wall. Usually, these magnificent creatures are seen about
40 feet below the surface.
Gorgonian Forest - Maxing out at 50 feet/15 meters, this is a beauti-
ful coral garden full of fish in a pristine environment. Gorgonians
cover the area. The entire northwest corner of the atoll offers under-
water visibility at its best, and the terrain below the surface is truly
magnificent. The massive coral outcrops rising up from the ledge at
the very edge of the precipice are covered in a splendid gorgonian
forest.
Half Moon Wall - This dive starts at 30 feet/10 meters and has crys-
tal clear waters. The dive site includes the Half Moon Caye National
Monument, home of the red-footed booby sanctuary on Half Moon
Caye. There are both large and small marine organisms on the Half
Moon Wall. You will see garden eels in the sand, conchs, rays, floun-
der, star-eye hermit crabs, tilefish, manta rays, groupers, yellowtail
snappers, razorfish, toadfish, spotted eagle rays, turtles and black
groupers. Razorfish and toadfish are another common sight on the
reef, adjacent to the sloping sand flat. Large pelagics frequent the reef
wall. Most of the large marine life is found more frequently along
the eastern part of this dive site, as the large pelagics venture in from
the open sea to the east. There is a field of garden eels found on the