Gladden Spit Whale Shark Dive

Gladden Spit sits at the edge of the Belize Barrier Reef offshore from Placencia, where the reef shelf drops off sharply into deep water. This spawning aggregation site is best known for whale sharks that gather around the full and new moons in the spring months, drawn by the mass spawning of snapper and other reef fish along the drop-off. Dives here often involve blue water with little reef structure directly below, since the draw is the pelagic action rather than a reef feature itself. Depths run from the surface down along a wall that falls away into several hundred metres, though divers typically stay in the upper tens of metres near the spawning aggregations. Because sightings depend on lunar timing and current can be brisk along the drop-off, it is usually dived as a seasonal, current-aware outing rather than a routine reef dive.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
• Brazilian Ocean SurgeonfishAcanthurus bahianusReported here · unconfirmed
• Striped ParrotfishScarus iseriReported here · unconfirmed
• Elkhorn CoralAcropora palmataReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellowtail SnapperOcyurus chrysurusReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellowtail DamselfishMicrospathodon chrysurusReported here · unconfirmed
• Mustard Hill CoralPorites astreoidesReported here · unconfirmed
• Redband ParrotfishSparisoma aurofrenatumReported here · unconfirmed
• Stoplight ParrotfishSparisoma virideReported here · unconfirmed
• Blade Fire CoralMillepora complanataReported here · unconfirmed