Scuba Diving Belize

B elize have the longest           The barrier reef is about 174      barrier reef in the             miles or 280 km long extending     Northern Hemisphere and         all the way along the coast of     offers a combination of gentle        the Yucatan Peninsular in the      inshore scuba diving and some         north to Honduras in the south.    more adventurous oceanic dive         In this way, the reef actually     sites for the experienced divers.     creates a true barrier between     Belize offers scuba divers with a     the ocean and the coast thus       heady concoction of reef, wall,       providing calm waters to scuba     cavern and cay diving                 dive in.                           experiences.                                                                                                   There are also numerous islands    Belize had a history of               dotting the reef which are called  swashbuckling buccaneering in         cays or cayes in this part of the  days gone by. Back then, there        world. In the south eastern part   were regular pirate attacks on        of the reef, there is a large      Spanish treasure ships. Now, it       depression in the ocean floor of   is a peaceful little city on the      the Caribbean Sea and this         Caribbean coast of Central            created 3 atolls called Glovers,   America.                              Turneffe and Lighthouse. The                                             atolls sit on two parallel ridges  Belize is a popular diving            unlike the atolls of the Pacific,  destination because of its long       which grew out of volcanoes.       barrier reef which offers an                                             array of diving experiences for       These atolls rise close enough to  all levels of scuba diving            the surface to allow sunlight      proficiency, from the novice          penetration causing massive coral  beginners to the experienced          and sponge growths. It is          veteran divers.                       therefore not surprising the                                             Belize barrier reef is declared    as a world heritage and is the        ranging from bustling coral        subject of intense conservation       communities on gentle sandy        and protection.                       slopes to steep drop offs with                                           huge pelagic fishes and sharks.    Coral reefs in the Caribbean seas                                        have a character of their own in      Scuba divers will find smaller     that they do not have the very        coral communities in inshore       diverse system of the Indo            reefs. These inshore reefs are     Pacific reefs. However, they lay      home to about 500 species of fish  claim to beautiful individual         including the 5 separate species   corals and sponges. The sponges       of butterfly fish. It is here      are some of the most colorful to      that encounters with larger        be found anywhere in the world.       marine animals such as the         Some of the sponges are more than     manatees, whale shark, jewfish,    a century old and can measure up      manta rays are common              to an awesome 6 ft or 2 m across.     occurrences.                                                                                                Perhaps, the main attraction for      Do include Belize in your scuba    scuba diving in Belize is the         diving itinerary.                  contrast of its marine habitats        About the Author: Chris Chew has been scuba diving for decades. More articles at About Maldives and Beijing tourist attractions Published At: www.Isnare.com