Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) · Belize · Reef
Mermaid's Lair
A no-current reef that works for snorkellers and divers alike
Area photo: Subhashish Panigrahi · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mermaid's Lair sits just off Ambergris Caye, a boat-only reef that Scubago bills as a dive and snorkel site with no current and great visibility. The catalogued figures put the average depth at 20 m and the maximum at 28 m, so while snorkellers work the shallower reef top, divers get a fuller profile below.
Also known as Mermaid Layer.
Where it is and how deep
17.9178° N, 87.9492° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is a straightforward reef dive from the boat just off the caye — the site is accessible by boat only. There is no current to speak of, which is what makes it work as a combined dive and snorkel stop: the boat can hold snorkellers over the fairly shallow reef while the divers drop below them onto the main structure.
The catalogue figures give an average depth of 20 m and a maximum of 28 m, so a typical dive settles along the reef at around 20 m with the option of pushing deeper where the structure falls away. Visibility is listed as great, and with no current the navigation is simple: work out along the reef, turn on air or time, and come back shallow under the boat for the ascent.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Ambergris Caye (San Pedro): Dry season December–May with the least rain in February–March; wet-season storms, peaking September–October, can suspend diving for two or three days. Thimble jellyfish spawn in May.
Sources
- Mermaid's Lair — Scubago
- Mermaid Layer — wannadive.net
More dive sites in Ambergris Caye (San Pedro)
Wreck
A small unnamed wreck at 15–22 m, home to morays and coneys
Reef
Narrow sand-floored cuts dropping fast between coral spurs
Reef
Spur-and-groove formations in the 18–24 m band
About 100 shallow patch reefs of boulder coral in 2.5–5 m
Reef
Finger canyons off San Pedro working from 18 m down to 40 m
Nurse sharks and southern stingrays at arm's length in 3 m
Reef
Canyons, caverns and tunnels under ten minutes from the pier
Spur furrows plowing from a 15 m reef down to 35 m
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