Shark Ray Alley: Hol Chan Marine Reserve 2019
Snorkeling Hol Chan Reserve (Shark Ray Alley)
Belize has an incredible amount of activities to offer, however Hol Chan Marine Reserve should go on the top of your bucket list. This experience will truly be unlike anything you have ever experienced. If you decide that you want to do this snorkeling trip, you will have to book with a tour agency. We decided to go with Go Slow Tours, based on the island of Caye Caulker, Belize. They do not have a website, but you can check out their tours on the Facebook page. They offer two tours for Shark Ray Alley. They do one half day tour ($35.00) and one full day tour ($65.00).
We opted for the full day tour. This five hour tour included 6 stops, entrance fees, food/drink and the snorkeling equipment. We went around and did a “tour of tours” to make sure that the group we went with offered the best deals. Though they are all mostly the same, there are a few variations on the tours offered. Some of the differences included the following:
The entrance fee to the reserve
Lunch/water
Snorkeling a ship wreck
Number of stops
Secret beach
number of people on the tour
Our tour included the shipwreck, but not secret beach. At the time I opted not to go to Secret Beach, since I was planning on heading to San Pedro next anyways. (Which is where secret beach is headed.) This was hands down one of the best tours that I have ever been on. It was a small group, only 6 of us.
TARPONS: Our first stop was to see the Tarpons. If you have never seen them before, they are huge! These fish literally leap out of the water to get food. They are so much bigger than I expected. The stop is quick, about 15 minutes, but so much fun! Make sure you have your cameras out and ready, because it happens quick!
SHIPWRECK: Our next stop was the shipwreck. This was my favorite stop besides swimming with the sharks and rays. It was just gorgeous. This small ship sunk years ago and is now covered in corals. It now serves as a home base for many sea creatures. There were plentiful tropical fish of all colors. I also saw two squid there, which was so unexpected and cool. In my vlog, you can see the inside of the ship! (Also, just to let you know, no one died when this ship sunk!)
CORAL REEF: This stop was at the barrier reef. Did you know that Belize has the second biggest barrier reef in the world after Australia? Pretty cool. This stop allowed you to get out of the boat again and do some more snorkeling. There were plenty of corals, fish, and even a couple sharks there to check out. This spot had an awesome cave that you could swim through..if you were brave enough. (Hint hint: I wasn’t!)
SHARK RAY ALLEY: This was the moment that we had all been waiting for. We finally arrived at Shark Ray Alley! You are given a wrist band upon entering the reserve (to make sure everyone has paid their entrance fees), then they drop cancer on the boats. At this point, we were able to get out of the boat and into the water with the beautiful sharks. It was interesting, because I always assumed that I would be really scared to hop in the water with these animals, but I was surprisingly calm. All I wanted to do was capture the moment beautifully to share with you guys. The sharks and sting rays really didn’t even bother to pay attention to us. They were swimming around with each other and eating the fish they were being fed. If you want to see videos of me in the water with the Nurse Sharks, head over to my Youtube channel and watch the video attached here. I also talk much more in depth about my experience and emotions.
During the time we were swimming back to the boat, I saw a barracuda as well. Honestly, I think that scared me more than the sharks or rays! They have huge teeth! (Although, it was very cool!)
SHELL FLOOR/sea turtles: For many years, before this area was a reserve, there was a fisherman who always came to the same spot to clean his catches. He would pull the meat out of the Conch Shells and throw the rest back into the water. He did this every day for years. Because of this, there is now an entire section of the ocean covered in Conch Shells. Snorkeling over the top of the area is absolutely incredible. Little tropical fish come to feed on the morsels, so they are plentiful. This was just unbelievable to see. The guides informed us that on most days there are sea turtles in that area, but not the day we visited! This was also the spot that we ate our provided lunch. The tour company had packed a beans, rice and bbq chicken. There was fresh fruit, waters and fruit punch available as well. It was unreal. Sitting their soaking in the day.
You can check out more pictures and videos on this location on my Instagram @capturedbycosca .
Clearly, I loved my experience. It was amazing. It helped that our guides were awesome. They were local young guys that wanted to make sure that your experience was everything you wanted it to be. Plus, they had tons of knowledge of Caye Caulker, the country of Belize and the ocean. The guides were so respectful of the ocean, coral reefs and sea-life. This was a huge thing for me. I was greatly appreciative of the fact that we were not allowed to touch the sharks, sting rays. I had seen this in other vlogs and research, but they made sure that the ocean was respected. On that note as well, you must have reef safe sunscreen on before you get into the water.
During our day with Go Slow tours, we saw the following animals:
Tarpon
Sting rays
Nurse sharks
Fish
Squid
Sea turtle
barracuda
Eel
& more!
Packing List:
Reef safe sunscreen
Your bathing suit
A towel
A hat
A coverup
Your camera
Go pro (or another underwater camera)
Cash to tip your guides
A backpack to put all your stuff in
That is all you need :)
I am an ambassador for an amazing company called Sand Cloud. This California based company sells reef safe sunscreen, shirts made of recycled materials, reusable water bottles and so much more. Their products are adorable and such high quality. On top of that, they donate 10% of profits to protecting the oceans. They donate between six non profit organizations, which you can read more about on their website. I have a discount code that you can use to get 25% off of your purchase.
Discount Code: POSTCARDSTOCA500
