Diving in Placencia, Belize
Lying on the world's second largest great barrier reef, Belize offers abundant opportunities for beginning, advanced, and expert divers. From coasting on the coral reef to the dark depths of the Blue Hole to swimming alongside whale sharks, who doesn't want to dive in Belize??
Why you should dive in Placencia!
Located in the south, Placencia is near pristine coral reefs. From Silk Caye to Glover's Reef, all options are about a one to two hour boat ride away. Silk Caye offers the great opportunity to dive with turtles and amazing coral reef while Laughing Caye is perfect for an easy snorkel for those who can't dive.
Finally, the grand dive site in Belize is Glover's Reef, home of the whale shark migration in March. While the trip out on the boat will take 1.5 hours, you will be well rewarded with whale sharks!
Possible Dive Sites (in the order of our importance)
Silk Cayes, 9-330pm: $185
Glover's Reef, 6a-3p: $180
Laughing Caye (snorkel), 9-3pm: $75
Dive Companies
In my research, there is only one 5 star PADI resort in Placencia. In addition, their equipment and boats appear to be the best. If we dive in Placencia during whale shark season, we will certainly choose them!
Snorkeling at Silk Caye
For our trip, we chose Silk Caye for snorkeling since Andrew was the only eligible diver and ended up with Seahorse. For our first snorkel, we went to our own private island and swam around a giant coral reef. We saw spectacular colors on the reefs with plenty of fish.
After a wonderful lunch on our private island, we went to the best snorkel spot! Within seconds of entering the water, we were surrounded by nurse sharks and two giant turtles! We were pleasantly surprised that the turtles were that big! For 30 minutes, we were with these majestic water animals.
The UnChartered Summary
As I saw others depart for a diving trip, I wondered what could have been for me. While we enjoyed snorkeling on a very small, deserted island, it lacked the “wow” factor that we were expecting. However, we swam uninterrupted with turtles and nurse sharks so I cannot complain too much!
Be aware of the long travel times to the dive sites and note the weather conditions. This could make for a very bumpy boat ride! Or, a very wet one if you get caught in a storm!
In hindsight, we should have skipped this time in Placencia and come diving in March for whale sharks
If you want a pure diving trip, stay on a Caye such as Ray Caye or others in the area. It will minimize the travel time.
