The Inner Reef, or the Lagoon as its called, acts as a home for juvenile aquatic
animals. Here divers will find most of the Gorgonians, known in the Caribbean
as sea fans, seawips, sea plumes and sea rods as well as the Pederson cleaner
shrimp, yellowline Arrow Crab, Giant Hermit Crab and a wide variety of fish
such as Spotted Drum (adults and juveniles), Spotted Eagle Ray and Southern
Stingray.
The depth range on these inner reef dives
is between 60 ft. – 80 ft. Visibility is between 50 ft. – 100 ft. Among the
cayes we visit in the Inner Reef are Laughingbird, Moho and Tarpon.
The Outer Reef, or the Barrier Reef, is home to some of the most spectacular
walls that start from around 40 ft. and drop off to approx. 3000 ft. Here
the maximum depth for diving is 100 ft. and is multi level diving. Turtles,
Manta Rays, Moray, Eels and Lobsters are just a few of the creatures divers
will encounter in the outer reef. Outer reef visibility is around 80 ft. -
120 ft. Diving depth is 80 ft. to maximum 100 ft. Among the cayes visited
in the outer reef are the Silk Cayes, Pompion and Ranguana.
Daily 2-tank dive trips start at the Dive Center at 9 am with a comfortable 45 minute
to one hour ridefrom our Belize diving resort. The boat ride begins
with a spin through the beautiful Placencia Lagoon, where guests have the
chance to experience The Red Mangrove, the most well-known mangrove plant
in Belize. Also along the way there are opportunities for seeing and even
snorkeling with dolphins (Atlantic spotted stenella plagiodon and Bottlenose
tursiops truncates), if they are in the mood.
After the first exhilarating dive, we go
to one of our beautiful islands for a surface interval (approx. 1 ½ - 2 hours).
Here we have a picnic lunch. After lunch we set out for another diving spot
and our second dive. Then it's back to the comforts of Roberts Grove at around
3:30 - 4:00 pm, for a Jacuzzi or a cool drink at the poolside bar.
November through March water temperature
is 76o - 79o F. We recommend full 3mm wetsuit during
these months April through October, water temperature is 78o -
81o F.
During the months of April through June,
southern Belize offers divers and snorkelers the unique opportunity for spotting
the large pelagic feeder known as the Whale Shark. When in a playful mood,
these gentle and curious creatures will hang around for long periods of time.
If you are planning a dive trip with whale sharks in mind, the best time to
do so during these months would be three days before the full moon to three
days after the last quarter moon (It's during this period that Cubera Snappers
spawn, attracting the Whale Sharks). April - June is also spawning season
for many other species of fish and mating season for turtles.
