Hol-Chan

Hol Chan Marine Reserve sits off the southern end of Ambergris Caye in Belize, where a natural cut in the barrier reef gives the site its name, Mayan for little channel. The reserve is one of Belize's oldest protected marine areas and concentrates fish moving through the channel, with divers commonly reporting barracuda, grouper, octopus, and sea turtles here. Nearby Shark Ray Alley, part of the same reserve, draws divers and snorkelers for close encounters with nurse sharks and southern stingrays. The dive is rated for beginners, with a maximum depth of around 8.5 metres, making it accessible to a wide range of divers and snorkelers alike. Strong tidal flow through the cut can pick up at times, so current is the main factor to watch rather than depth.

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

• GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
• Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
• Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
• Bluestriped GruntHaemulon sciurusReported here · unconfirmed
• Dog SnapperLutjanus jocuReported here · unconfirmed
• Caribbean Bluehead WrasseThalassoma bifasciatumReported here · unconfirmed
• Gray SnapperLutjanus griseusReported here · unconfirmed
• Schoolmaster SnapperLutjanus apodusReported here · unconfirmed
• Atlantic Sergeant MajorAbudefduf saxatilisReported here · unconfirmed
• Nurse SharkGinglymostoma cirratumReported here · unconfirmed
• Southern StingrayHypanus americanusReported here · unconfirmed
• Horse-eye JackCaranx latusReported here · unconfirmed
• OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
• BarracudaBarracudaReported here · unconfirmed