Snorkeling Hol Chan and Shark-Ray Alley off Ambergris Caye, Belize

My guide makes the internationally recognized sign for shark, placing his hand perpendicular to his forehead to make a fin. Then he grabs his non-existant breasts.

“Nurse shark!” he cries, with a gleeful smile. Fast as a flash, he reaches down into the water and comes up with a rubbery gray brown shark that lies passive in his arms like a cat. It feels sandpapery, and muscular. I could swear it smiles as I scratch its belly.

I’m doing a snorkel tour of Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, two sites located only a few minutes from each other about four miles south of San Pedro, on the southern end of Ambergris Caye. I’ve come to see sharks and rays, and I am not to be disappointed.

Shark-Ray Alley and Hol Chan

In Your Bucket Because… 

• Have you ever petted a shark before?
• The combination of these two very different snorkel sites is a one-two punch: Fantastic reef fish and swirling color at Hol Chan, then the up-close and personal experience with the big fish at Shark-Ray Alley.
• Good for: Kids, animal lovers, waterbabies, divers, and snorkelers.

Shark-Ray Alley — named after the harmless nurse sharks and gentle rays you are certain to see there — is one of Belize’s most popular tourist destinations. Located just off of Ambergris Caye, which attracts more tourists than anywhere else in Belize, Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Marine Reserve are often visited on cruise ship shore excursions as well as by vacationers on Ambergris Caye. The sharks will literally rub your legs like giant cats, and they seem every bit as interested in being petted and scratched as your favorite feline back home.

There’s also an abundance of other fish, especially at the nearby Hol Chan dive and snorkel site. “Hol Chan” —  Mayan for “little channel” — refers to the narrow, shallow pass, or “quebrada,” through the Belize Barrier Reef. Originally established to protect the area around the pass, the reserve now interlinks coral reef, seagrass, and mangrove habitats.

The main dive site is on the protected side of the reef, just inside the pass. Fish are pushed through the pass by currents, then thrive in nutrient-rich waters where they are protected from fishermen. The result is the kind of diving seen in nature documentaries, with teeming schools of more than 160 species of fish, as well as almost 40 species of coral. But unlike Belize’s other iconic underwater destination, the Blue Hole (made famous by Jacques Cousteau), you don’t have to be a crack scuba diver to see this magical undersea world. Every outfitter on the island can arrange a trip there, and this is one place snorkelers don’t have to be jealous of their scuba-diving kin: While diving is possible in Hol Chan, the truth is that it’s an extremely shallow site, and everything that there is to see — and there is plenty — is visible from the surface. For divers, the depths of only 20 – 30 feet mean almost endless bottom time and great light for photography. And of course, it’s perfect for families that comprise some divers and some snorkelers: Neither will feel left out, held back, or forced beyond their comfort level.

Practicalities

• The boat trip is short — only a few minutes from Ambergris Caye. Bring plenty of sunscreen and a t-shirt or snorkel vest (usually probvidced by outfitters).
• An underwater camera is a good investment here, especially when you get kids and sharks in the same picture. Imagine the bragging rights when they get home!
• From the Belize City cruise ship ports, Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley is a seven hour excursion, several hours of which is spent getting to and from the site by boat. While excursions from Belize City to Ambergris Caye can be booked independently of your cruise ship, the price differential may not be much — and cruise ships promise to wait for passengers on official shore excursions. If you book an independent trip and it gets back late, the ship might sail without you.
• From Belize City, Tropic Air flies to San Pedro. Remember to leave 24 hours between diving and flying. The Tropic Air website contains information about current travel protocols.