Belize Barrier Reef - America

The reef consists of carnivores called polyps, which prey on small sea creatures that float by catching them with twinging tentacles. These multi-colored corals are eye-catching. Other organisms found in the reef include 500 species of fish, 45 hydroids, 65 scleritian corals, and 350 molluscs along with a great diversity of sponges, marine worms and crustaceans.

The Belize Barrier Reef is a popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling, with a wide variety of sea life, including plants and animals like coral fish and invertebrates. Much of the sea life has yet to be explored or discovered. Visitors can explore the reef, the cays, the atolls, and the caves on their trip out to the Belize Barrier Reef.

As the reef is under threats due to the oceanic pollution and several other factors, measures are being taken by the concerned authorities to protect the reef. Within the Belize Barrier Reef are several protected zones, like the Great Blue Hole, a submarine sinkhole, and Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve.

You need to either hire a boat or choose to travel in a water taxi for Barrier Reef tours. Always remember to take an expert with you for safety purposes.

People visit Belize also because it is dotted with several archaeological sites of one of the world’s most mystic civilizations – the ancient Maya. You can climb up the stairs to visit the tall stone temples that offer 360-degree views of the forest or descend deep into natural caves to see the places where the Mayan kings preformed sacrifices.

The coastal area of Belize is an outstanding natural system consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries. The system's seven sites illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development and are a significant habitat for threatened species.

The reef extends from the border with Mexico to the north, to near the Guatemalan border to the south. The Belize submarine shelf and its barrier reef, represent the world second largest reef system and the largest reef complex in the Atlantic-Caribbean area. Outside the barrier, there are three large atolls: Turneffe Islands, Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef.

Between the mainland and the barrier reef is an extensive offshore lagoon which increases in width and depth from north to south. In the north, water depth averages 2-3 m over a flat, featureless bottom 20-25 km wide. South of Belize City, the shelf gradually deepens forming a channel between the mainland and the outer platform, reaching a depth of 65 m in the Gulf of Honduras.

The approximately 450 sand and mangrove cays confined within the barrier and atolls range in size from small, ephemeral sand spits to larger, permanent islands capable of sustaining human settlements.

A total of 178 terrestrial plants and 247 taxa of marine flora has been described from the area. There are over 500 species of fish, 65 scleritian corals, 45 hydroids and 350 molluscs in the area, plus a great diversity of sponges, marine worms and crustaceans. The area harbours a number of species of conservation concern, including West Indian manatee, green turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead turtle and American crocodile. 

The West Indian manatee population (300-700 individuals) is probably the largest in the world. Several bird species of conservation concern are found in the cayes and atolls. Major seabird and waterbird colonies include those of the red-footed booby (3,000-4,000 individuals) on Half-Moon Caye, brown booby on Man O'War Caye, and common noddy on Glover's Reef. Other noteworthy breeding birds are the brown pelican and the magnificent frigate bird. The Belize coral reef ecosystem is distinctive in the Western Hemisphere on account of its size, its array of reef types and the luxuriance of corals thriving in such pristine conditions. 

The are several unusual geophysical features including the nearby contiguous shelf edge barrier reef, the complex maze of patch reefs and faros in a relatively deep shelf lagoon, the unusual of reef types in a small area, the presence of atolls, and the large offshore mangrove cays.

Shell middens at Mayan sites along the coast and on the cayes provide evidence that the reefs were used for fishing some 2500 years ago. Between 300 BC and AD 900, the coastal waters were probably used extensively for fishing by the Mayans, and trading posts, ceremonial centres and burial grounds were established on the cayes. With the decline of the Maya civilization, the reef's resources probably went largely unused for a number of centuries, although early Spanish explorers used the cayes to repair their boats and collect fresh water. 

By the early 17th century, the coastal water of Belize had however become a heaven for pirates and buccaneers, largely from Britain, who looted Spanish and British trading ships and survived on the abundant marine resources available. Subsequently, many of the pirates, as well as Puritan traders from the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, settled in the cayes, becoming fishermen and plantation owners. Since then, there have been a number of waves of immigration into the coastal area, including the Garifuna people, immigrants from Mexico, and most recently North Americans and other foreigners who have been lured by the beauty of the reef and its surroundings and have taken up residence in the cayes.

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef is the third largest coral reef system in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the New Caledonia Barrier Reef.

The Belize Barrier Reserve System is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

This outstanding natural system has been found to possess 178 terrestrial plants and 247 taxa of marine flora.

           

The Belize Barrier Reef is located off the Belizean coast, and the nearest city to the reef is Belize City. The nearest international airport is Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) in Belize City, about 30 minutes from the city center.

Belize is a popular destination for visitors from North America and Europe during the dry season from November to April. The dry season is also high season, however, meaning that hotels and attractions will be busy and more expensive. Hurricane season in Belize is especially rainy from July to October and most tourists stay away, so if you don’t mind the rain you could get some great bargains if you visit Belize at this time.

Nearby attractions: Altun Ha, Caracol, Caye Caulker, Tobacco Caye and Old Belize.