Some distance outside the barrier reef, the coral reefs of Belize include three of only four atolls in the Western hemisphere. The most spectacular is Lighthouse Reef atoll, home to the Half Moon Cay national monument, a resting ground for migratory birds on their way from North America to South America and a breeding ground for several species of seabird. It became the first national park in Belize in 1981.
Nearby is the Blue Hole, an almost circular 1,000-foot-wide and 412-foot-deep hole in the seafloor formed by a collapsed cave. It is easily accessible to divers. The island is managed by the Belize Audubon Society.
Belize Audubon Society
12 Fort Street
P.O. Box 1001
Belize City, Belize, Central America
Phone: 501-223-5004/4987/4988
belizeaudubon.org/
Ambergris Cay is bordered by two natural reserves, the Bacalar Chico reserve to the north and the Hol Chan reserve to the south. Balacar Chico stretches into the northern edge of the Belize mainland across 15,000 acres of sea and 12,000 acres of land. It comprises coral reefs as well as mangrove swamps. Rocky and Robles Points in the reserve are the only spots where the Belize barrier reef actually touches the mainland.
The reserve also has Mayan archeological remains. The Mayans are believed to have dug the channel separating the island of Ambergris Cay from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
Hol Chan is to the south of the island, where a deep channel cuts through the reef. The channel itself is only 25 yards wide and 30 feet deep, but the reserve comprises an area several miles to the side.
San Pedro Town Council
San Pedro, Ambergris Cay, Belize
Phone: +501-226-2198/2788
ambergriscaye.com/towncouncil/
The Belize coral reefs stretch into the ocean south of Belize. A 62-square-mile marine reserve has been established around the South Water Cays. Parts of the reserve are a no-take zone, which means the marine life has been completely undisturbed. Four deep channels and an underwater cave are exciting for divers.
On the southern tip of the Belize barrier reef, 48 square miles have been set off as the Sapodilla Cays Marine Reserve; the reserve takes in 14 islands. The surrounding water is rarely more than 15 feet deep.
Southern Environmental Association
National Office:
Placencia Village
Stann Creek District
Belize, Central America
Phone: 501-523-3377
seabelize.org/AboutUs.htm
