Hol Chan Marine Reserve

Hol Chan — Maya for 'little channel' — protects a natural cut through the Belize Barrier Reef a few kilometers south of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. Established in 1987 as Belize's first marine reserve, it began as a small quadrant of reef, seagrass, and mangrove and has since been expanded to take in surrounding waters, including Shark Ray Alley, where fishermen once cleaned their catch and nurse sharks and southern stingrays still gather. The channel itself funnels tarpon, snappers, grouper, turtles, and morays through coral walls in shallow, current-brushed water, making it the busiest snorkel and dive attraction on the northern reef.

The rules that bind divers

The original reserve is zoned — reef channel, seagrass, mangrove, and the Shark Ray Alley zone — with fishing banned in the core zones and regulated elsewhere. Visitors pay an entrance fee, collected by licensed guides, and must visit with a licensed operator; boats tie to moorings rather than anchor. Touching or feeding wildlife is prohibited for visitors (the historic shark and ray aggregation persists from fishing tradition, and guides operate under specific rules), and no spearfishing or collecting is allowed. Rangers patrol from San Pedro and can close zones as needed.

Fees & permits: Per-person entrance fee collected through guides/operators; rates set by the reserve and revised periodically.