BELIZE AGGRESSOR III: Dive Sites
Black Beauty:
Known for sightings of turtles & eagle rays, this area features long mounds of coral with sandy bottom channels. The wall begins around 50 ft. Elbow: This advanced dive boasts one of the best opportunities to see large pelagics such as eagle rays & reef and hammerhead sharks. Strong currents are often present.
Grand Bogue:
This site is home to the elusive white spotted, white lined & large-eyed toadfish.
Wreck of the Sayonara:
Remains of a 50 ft. boat with coral growth around the wreck & numerous barrel sponges, along with many other sponge varieties.
West Point 1 & 2:
The visibility at these sites is highly dependent upon winds & tides, but the labyrinth of reef buttresses makes this site great even when visibility is down. The walls are very vertical & start in only 20 - 25 ft. of water. Loads of black coral & deep water gorgonians abound, as do giant barrel sponges & red finger sponges. You are likely to see mangrove tunicates here. The shallow sandy area is alive with garden eels, peacock flounders, & southern stingrays. In the sandy areas, blue throated pike blennies can be found.
Triple Anchor:
Three anchors are very well hidden on a beautiful reef in 45 ft. of water. Look for big barrel sponges, eagle rays & a cleaning station.
Eagle Ray Wall:
More arrow blennies that you will probably see anywhere else, plus loads of decorator crabs.
Painted Wall:
There are many clusters of small painted tunicates, within the depths of 40 - 70 ft. These walls have shallows inhabited by species of parrot fish, black durgeon, queen trigger fish, & many more. The sheer walls begin around 25 ft. & are overhung in many places with black coral trees & rope sponges covered with light bulb tunicates.
Aquarium:
A sheer drop-off begins around 30 ft., with an abundance of fish life at the top. About 40-60 ft. deep along the wall are large baffel sponges, giant deep water sea fans, & the richest collection of deep water gorgonians almost anywhere in the world. Giant elephant ear sponges, yellow tube sponges & azure vase sponges make this a very colorful area. Comical groupings of spotted truck fish are often seen on top of the wall, & the very corner of this reef is a very good place to see reef sharks, big black groupers, swirling schools of horse eyed jacks & hawksbill or green sea turtles.
Silver Caves:
The large swim through is frequently inhabited by thousands of silver sides, & the vertical wall starts in only 35 ft. of water. Lots of big black groupers collect under the boat, as do the ubiquitous school of horse-eyed jacks, yellow tailed snappers, & creole wrasses.
Cathedral:
Colorful formations resembling cathedral steeples with sandy cuts in between signify this site. This site is home to many black groupers and jacks, as well as three species of angel fish, scorpion fish, several varieties of eels & silver sides. Spanish dancers are sometimes sighted on the night dives.
Long Caye Wall:
Named for a protruding ridge of reef & numerous swim throughs with grooves which cut the wall running directly to the open sea. Interesting soft corals & sponges are abundant here, & many eels are found here, as well.
Quebrada:
Named for a cut in the reef (the wall & shallows), this is an extremely sheer & active stretch of wall. Because it projects out into the current, the extra flow of plankton around it supports an incredibly rich diversity of marine animals. Green moray eels, spotted drum, lobster, crabs, & tarpon on the night dives.
Half Moon Caye Wall:
Marked by tunnels & grooves which slope down toward the open water, several different species of grouper & snapper can be seen in the tunnels. Just off the wall, one can spot eagle rays, sharks & turtles.
Angel Fish Wall:
Many friendly grey angel fish give this site its name. The top of the wall teems with small fish. Eagle rays & an occasional shark cruise the wall.
Elk Horn Forest:
Located on the east side of Long Caye, the shallows grow large mounds of lettuce leaf coral that projects towards the depths. In the shallows are elk horn corals inhabited by numerous species of juvenile fish.
Blue Hole:
The world's largest oceanic blue hole, it was discovered by Jacques Cousteau in the 1970's. The first shelf of this collapsed underground cavern begins at 110 ft. Here stalactites descend from the ceiling. A healthy reef exists around the edge of the blue hole & is home to an abundance of juvenile sea life, as well as schools of parrot fish, squid, flaming scallops & several varieties of angel fish. This is a Belize diving mega-classic!
Tarpon Caves:
A tall reef buttress rises straight up from the whitest powder sand to within 30-35 ft. of the surface & is honeycombed with caves & cuts. This vertical wall is covered with huge yellow tube sponges, black coral trees & monster barrel sponges projecting from the many small ledges. The sand areas are rich in garden eels, midnight
parrot fish, razor fish & southern stingrays. Tarpon patrol the inside edge of the reef. This renowned Belize scuba diving site features several tunnels & chimneys in which tarpon & grouper like to hide.
Half Moon Caye:
Weather permitting, the Belize Aggressor III anchors just off Half Moon Caye, another stellar Belize diving classic. Guests are shuttled to the island & enjoy a relaxing walk along the beach to the bird sanctuary. Here you can observe red footed booby birds & frigate birds from observation deck built at the canopy level. Located on the east end of the island is an historic light house built in 1848, which by the way is the lighthouse for which the atoll is named. The guests may have the opportunity to snorkel with several nurse sharks around the docks of this tropical island.
PLEASE NOTE: All Belize scuba diving sites are selected by the Captain & may vary due to weather conditions & logistics.
All Belize Aggressor photos © Copyright Aggressor Fleet & WayneWorks Marine, LLC.