Diving In Belize

The whole purpose of our trip to Belize was to DIVE!!!! And Yes, I did get to dive 4 days, and as expected, the diving was GREAT! However, due to high winds that closed the channel, I couldn’t dive as much as I wanted to. 😦 On the days I did dive, I saw everything I was expecting to see.

We saw lots of nurse sharks, especially at Hol Chan, an area where they swarm because the fisherman have been feeding them there for years. Hol Chan is now a protected marine park. All the marine life is protected by law and no one is allowed to fish those waters. Divers call nurse sharks “the puppies of the sea”. They are curious, friendly sharks. They even like to have their bellies rubbed like dogs do.

We saw black tip reef sharks. Black tips are also curious, non-aggressive sharks. They look way more intimidating than they really are.

We saw hawksbill turtles. The average lifespan of the hawksbill is between 50-80 years, but some live to over 100 years old.

We saw large green moray eels. Again, green morays look scary, and they can bite if they feel threatened, but they are not usually aggressive. Just like with anything, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.

We saw a few spotted eagle rays and a lot of southern stingrays.

And of course, we saw a lot of other tropical reef fish found in all the Caribbean waters. The only thing that I noticed different were the toadfish. We see splendid toadfish in Cozumel all the time, but they are a different color than the ones in Belize.

This one is what we see in Cozumel.

These are what we saw in Belize.

So even though we see a lot of the same marine life, there are differences too.

No. None of these pictures are mine. We have ruined so many underwater cameras. We think because we live at a high and dry altitude, and when we store the cameras, the O-rings dry out, but we forget about it until it is too late. So when we take the cameras underwater, they flood. Even after as many dives as we have, from all over the world, we still have a lot to learn. 🙂

This is what we saw underwater in Belize. This is why we continue to keep going back there.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

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Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people.

22 thoughts on “Diving In Belize”

  1. You saw a lot of interesting things. I’ve seen nurse sharks while diving in the Dominican Republic and I saw a reef shark (but not a black tip), about six feet long, while scuba diving in the great barrier reef. I thought it was obviously harmless but most other people panicked. I’ve never seen a moray eel while diving and that might freak me out. I have not had much luck with underwater cameras either.

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  2. Beautiful even if not your own photos, I know it was so beautiful under there. I just went snorkeling in Belize, didn’t dive, but even that was amazing. The life under the water is amazing, All kinds of colors. My husband and I were on Spanish Lookout Caye. I think the name has changed now, or it was sold. It has been so many years, decades since that trip so long ago.

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