Let's snorkel Hol Chan the Best Marine Reserve in Belize

The Tarpon Feeding stop is by far one of the highlights of the tour. We like to say, if you’re not fully awake yet, this is the stop that’s guaranteed to get your heart pumping! Tarpon are massive fish that can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh as much as 300 pounds. Feeding these leaping giants is an unforgettable experience you definitely don’t want to miss when visiting Caye Caulker.

The Belize Barrier Reef is approximately 287 miles long. On a full-day tour from Caye Caulker, you’ll be exploring just a small portion of its magnificence. Our next stop is only 8 minutes away from Caye Caulker, where we’ll search 2 to 3 main areas of the reef for manatees. Once found, we’ll snorkel with them—of course—while maintaining a respectful distance and avoiding any touching or harassment of these majestic creatures. If we’re not lucky at first, we’ll continue to other stops and try again on our way back to Caye Caulker.

Our next stop is the Coral Garden. This is where you'll snorkel and explore at your own pace—whether you prefer to go solo or with a travel buddy or partner, regardless of your experience level. Although the Coral Garden is located outside the protected area, we treat all snorkeling stops with the same level of care and respect. That means no standing on, touching the corals, or collecting anything from the reef. The Coral Garden is home to a wide variety of beautiful flora and fauna, including sea turtles, stingrays, nurse sharks, eagle rays, moray eels, and many different types of fish, as well as a stunning array of coral formations in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Our little version of the Titanic—the Sunken Barge—is approximately 40 feet long and 20 feet wide. It has been a unique attraction for many years, thanks to the wide variety of corals and fish that have made it their home. Although it covers a small area, it's incredibly interesting in its own way. As a large, hollow structure, you never know what might be hiding inside or beneath it—such as massive moray eels, nurse sharks, turtles, and lionfish. After more than 30 years underwater, the barge is now beautifully encrusted with a vibrant mix of hard and soft corals, adding to its charm and ecological importance.

Next, as we enter the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, we arrive at Shark and Ray Alley—one of the most fun and exciting snorkeling stops. Nurse sharks, which are among the most docile sharks in our reef, are the only species of shark commonly found in this area. They share the waters with Southern stingrays and a variety of fishes, all taking advantage of the limited chumming allowed in this designated part of the reserve.

As soon as any vessel enters, the sharks begin to trail behind, expecting food. And as soon as we tie our boat to one of the buoy lines, they gather near the stern on the starboard side, swirling around in anticipation of sardines. These sharks can be viewed easily from onboard, as they come very close to the boat—but of course, we invite you to hop in and make the experience truly unforgettable.

The Hol Chan Channel is the first zone of the Reserve to be protected, dating back to 1987. This channel is packed with marine life and offers an incredible snorkeling experience. Since we are now inside a protected area, strict rules apply to everyone entering and snorkeling here.

All guests must follow their guide at all times, as the channel can occasionally have strong currents and multiple groups of snorkelers in the area. During the snorkel, your guide will also provide educational insights about marine life. He or she will dive down and, upon resurfacing, identify and name various fish and coral species so that everyone has the opportunity to learn more about the underwater ecosystem.

This stop typically takes about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the conditions. Safety is always our top priority—but of course, we want everyone to have fun as well.