Belize Barrier Reef · Belize · Channel & pass · Reef
Hol Chan Marine Reserve
A 9-metre reef cut, with nurse sharks and stingrays next door
Photo: Nikdahl · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hol Chan is the cut through the barrier reef off Ambergris Caye and the core of Belize's oldest marine reserve, established in July 1987. The channel is about 23 metres wide and 9 metres deep, with water either side as shallow as 1.5 metres, and over 160 species of fish have been recorded inside the reserve.
Also known as Shark Ray Alley.
Where it is and how deep
17.8690° N, 88.0030° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The main diving area is Zone A, the cut itself: a channel roughly 23 metres wide and 9 metres deep slicing through the barrier reef, with the flats either side as shallow as 1.5 metres. You drop into the cut, work along it with reef to each side, and finish up on the shallow reef at the end. Turtles, morays and hundreds of small reef fish live in the channel, with schooling snappers, groupers, permits and tarpon through it.
The reserve has been protected since July 1987 and is divided into four zones with varying fishing restrictions, and the fish life reflects it: over 160 species of fish recorded, alongside 40 coral types and five sponge species. Three species of sea turtle use the reserve, and dolphins and West Indian manatees are on its list too. Zone D — Shark Ray Alley — is the shallow companion stop most boats add on, where nurse sharks and southern stingrays congregate; they are used to being fed by the guides and start circling at the sound of the boat engines.
Background
Hol Chan is Belize's oldest marine reserve, established in July 1987 and listed as IUCN Category IV, a habitat and species management area. It is divided into four zones with varying fishing restrictions and is managed by the Hol Chan Marine Reserve Trust Fund Committee. Zone A is the cut through the barrier reef, Zone B holds the Boca Ciega blue hole, and Zone D is Shark Ray Alley, where nurse sharks and southern stingrays congregate.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
- Dugongs & manatees
- Dolphins
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Belize Barrier Reef: March to May is the dry season, when visibility at Turneffe can pass 30 m (100 ft); rain and northerly winds take the shine off the other months.
Know before you go
- Tidal currents through the cut can run strong on occasion, so ask the guide how the water is moving before you drop and work the channel with it rather than against it.
- Zone B holds the Boca Ciega blue hole, which the reserve flags as dangerous for inexperienced divers. It is a separate site with overhead risk, not part of the standard cut dive.
- The reserve is worked by licensed tour boats all day — stay with your guide and listen for engines before coming up anywhere off the reef.
Photos from Hol Chan Marine Reserve
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
avas · CC BY-SA 4.0
erichabisch · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
Hol Chan Marine Reserve | Top Coral Reef Scuba Diving | Belize, Caribbean · Patrick Explores on YouTube
Belize Scuba Diving Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley · KO ADVENTURES on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Hol Chan Marine Reserve?+
The main diving area is Hol Chan Cut, about 23 metres wide and 9 metres deep. The reef flats on either side of the channel can be as shallow as 1.5 metres, which is why the site works for divers and snorkellers on the same boat.
Can beginners dive Hol Chan?+
Yes — the site suits beginner to intermediate divers. The cut bottoms out at 9 metres and the reef around it is shallower still, so it works for newly certified divers on a guided dive. Boats run from San Pedro and Caye Caulker, and a fee is payable for diving or snorkelling in Zone A.
Sources
- Hol Chan Marine Reserve — Wikipedia
- Ambergris Caye dive sites — Dive The World
Photo credits
- Green sea turtle swimming head-on over a seagrass bed in Hol Chan Marine Reserve. by Nikdahl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Southern stingray resting on the sandy, seagrass-covered bottom at Shark Ray Alley. by Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Two nurse sharks swimming close to the surface in the clear water of Hol Chan. by avas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dog snapper hovering over the sandy bottom in Hol Chan Marine Reserve. by erichabisch, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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