Sunday, May 25, 2014

Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley - I never thought I would get to swim with sharks and stingrays....

Hello friends,

Today the girls and I went snorkling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley.  Hol Chan is located on the southern tip of Ambergris Caye and is the oldest marine reserve.  Hol Chan is Mayan for little channel. In the early 1980's, the fish stocks in the area of Hol Chan started to deplete around the same time that tourism began to rise.  International reserve status was called in order to preserve the abundant fishing resources( including lobster and conch), the unique channel formation and the feasibility of a unique system of coral reef, seagrove and mangrove habitats in the area.  The reserve was formed due to the high uncontrolled fishing and diving activities in the area.




















http://www.holchanbelize.org/dive.html






























Shark Ray Alley -  We had the opportunity to snorkel with actual nurse sharks and sting rays in their natural habitat.  It was pretty scary at first but once you see how the sharks were with actual people in the water, it made me more comfortable to go in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDyfzOlcf_g