Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley snorkel trip

Two stops make up this classic boat trip south of San Pedro. Hol Chan is Maya for "little channel", and the first stop is that cut through the barrier reef, about 23 metres wide and 9 deep, where open sea meets the lagoon. The reserve has been protected since 1987, longer than the reef around it, and the fish show it. Eagle rays and southern stingrays rest on the bottom, morays and lobsters tuck into the rocks, and groupers, snappers and barracuda move between brain and elkhorn coral. Turtles graze the seagrass now and then.

Shark Ray Alley is a shallow sandy patch nearby where fishermen used to clean their nets. Nurse sharks and rays still gather there, guides feed them, and you float just above them. Some boats choose not to feed. From Caye Caulker the full-day trip adds the Coral Gardens, while half-day trips skip the Hol Chan cut. Lunch is not always included, so ask, and look over the snorkel gear before leaving the dock. The reserve's fees are paid through the tour boats' licences.