Diving in Placencia, Belize

Although perhaps most famous for the Great Blue Hole, there is much more to scuba diving in Belize. Far to the south is Placencia, a small town on a stretch of coast backed by thick jungle. Like diving areas in northern Belize, Placencia is just off Belize's barrier reef. Unlike the north, however, divers in Belize sometimes have the chance to encounter some of the ocean's biggest fish.

  1. Identification

    • Placencia is peninsula located on the south-central coast of Belize. A village of the same name sits on the end of the peninsula, flanked on the west by a lagoon and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. The area is both a popular beach resort in Belize and a major diving area for southern, mainland Belize.

    Features

    • Opposite Placencia is a stretch of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second longest barrier reef in the world. The reef is just a few miles from Placencia at its closest, making the town a logical base for exploring the colorful corals, big sponges and plentiful sea life there. Depths on the inside (western side) of the reef usually bottom out at 80 feet, while the outside of the reef slopes down to a drop-off that might reach as far as 3,000 feet. The other major feature of diving in Placencia is the annual migration of whale sharks and other big pelagic filter feeders like manta rays into the area. An annual spawning ensures that there is plenty of plankton and fish eggs in the water farther out to sea between March and June, and while this lowers visibility it also draws in these giants of the sea.

    Conditions

    • The sea in Belize is always warm, with temperatures in the low to mid-80s Fahrenheit in summer and the upper 70s in winter. Visibility on the landward side of the barrier reef is between 50 and 100 feet, depending on the exact dive site and the weather. Visibility outside the reef or out to sea is higher, usually in the 80- to 120-foot range.

    Sea Life

    • In addition to the aforementioned whale sharks and manta rays, Placencia is a treasure trove of sea life. Manatees reside in the lagoon west of Placencia, offering divers a chance to have a shallow water encounter with these big, gentle marine mammals. Moray eels, barracuda, cleaner shrimp, crabs, lobsters, both eagle rays and southern stingrays, sea turtles and reef sharks are all common sights on the reef off Placencia.

    Considerations

    • Divers taking a vacation in Placencia have a range of options open to them. A number of the dive operators in the area either are part of a hotel and have their own accommodations or have an arrangement with a neighboring hotel, so dive vacation packages are common. These typically include accommodations, two boat dives per day, some night dives and transfers to and from the airport. Some packages are all-inclusive, with all meals and even a drinks allowance included, while others are general adventure packages with sea kayaking or trekking in the forest preserves just 10 miles west of the peninsula included. Also, some live-aboard diving cruises visit Placencia or even end the cruise by dropping off passengers there.