{
  "destination": "belize",
  "name": "Belize",
  "question": "Can you snorkel and dive from a charter boat in Belize, and how warm is the sea?",
  "answer": "Yes: Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley off Ambergris Caye are the classic stop, but boats must use the reserve's mooring buoys (one hour at most), groups are limited to 8 per guide, and scuba is banned in Shark Ray Alley's recreational area. The sea averages between 26.6 °C (January) and 29.8 °C (September) by NOAA's 1991–2020 means at our reference point, so it stays at 24 °C or more all year and by our rule of thumb a rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty is enough even in the coolest month.",
  "canonical_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/snorkel-dive/belize/",
  "markdown_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/snorkel-dive/belize.md",
  "destination_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/belize/",
  "best_time_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/best-time/belize/",
  "fishing_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/fishing/belize/",
  "api_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/api/snorkel-dive/belize.json",
  "book_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/go/samboat?dest=belize&pos=api",
  "checked": "2026-10-28",
  "sea_temperature": {
    "unit": "celsius",
    "source": "NOAA OISST v2.1 long-term monthly mean",
    "period": "1991–2020",
    "reference_point": {
      "place": "Off Placencia",
      "lat": 16.375,
      "lon": -88.125
    },
    "note": "NOAA OISST v2.1 long-term mean, 1991–2020, one 1/4° sea cell per destination. It is the sea surface; shallow bays can be warmer and water at depth cooler.",
    "warm_water_threshold_c": 24,
    "months": [
      {
        "month": 1,
        "name": "January",
        "sea_c": 26.6,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 2,
        "name": "February",
        "sea_c": 26.6,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 3,
        "name": "March",
        "sea_c": 27.1,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 4,
        "name": "April",
        "sea_c": 28,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 5,
        "name": "May",
        "sea_c": 28.8,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 6,
        "name": "June",
        "sea_c": 29.3,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 7,
        "name": "July",
        "sea_c": 29.1,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 8,
        "name": "August",
        "sea_c": 29.5,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 9,
        "name": "September",
        "sea_c": 29.8,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 10,
        "name": "October",
        "sea_c": 29.2,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 11,
        "name": "November",
        "sea_c": 28.1,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 12,
        "name": "December",
        "sea_c": 27.2,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      }
    ],
    "derived": "warm_water and wetsuit_rule_of_thumb are our rules applied to the NOAA mean; sea_c is NOAA's, rounded to 0.1."
  },
  "wetsuit_rule": "Our rule of thumb for snorkelling, applied to the monthly mean: 28 °C or more: swimsuit or rash vest; 26–28 °C: rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty; 24–26 °C: 3 mm shorty; 21–24 °C: 3 mm full wetsuit; 18–21 °C: 5 mm full wetsuit; below 18 °C: 7 mm wetsuit, or a drysuit for diving. Divers lose heat faster and meet cooler water at depth: go one band thicker. People feel cold differently; this is a guide, not a source's advice.",
  "sites": [
    {
      "name": "Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley",
      "kind": "marine reserve",
      "where": "Off Ambergris Caye",
      "facts": [
        {
          "text": "Scuba diving is prohibited in the exclusive recreational area of Shark Ray Alley (Zone D); tour guides may feed sharks there from inside the boat.",
          "status": "official",
          "sources": [
            {
              "id": "fish_belize_5",
              "name": "Belize Fisheries Department",
              "title": "Fisheries Dept – Hol Chan",
              "url": "https://fisheries.gov.bz/hcmr/",
              "checked": "2026-10-28",
              "note": "Official source.",
              "tier": "official"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "text": "A scuba or snorkel tour has at most 8 divers or snorkellers per dive master or tour guide; scuba is only for certified divers or students with a certified instructor.",
          "status": "official",
          "sources": [
            {
              "id": "fish_belize_5",
              "name": "Belize Fisheries Department",
              "title": "Fisheries Dept – Hol Chan",
              "url": "https://fisheries.gov.bz/hcmr/",
              "checked": "2026-10-28",
              "note": "Official source.",
              "tier": "official"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "fees": [
    {
      "item": "Hol Chan entrance fee",
      "amount": "US$15 per person",
      "status": "secondary",
      "note": "From 1 August 2024, per The San Pedro Sun; the same article mentions US$20 once. Belizeans pay a local rate.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "dive_bz_sanpedrosun",
          "name": "The San Pedro Sun (newspaper)",
          "title": "New park fee goes into effect at Hol Chan Marine Reserve",
          "url": "https://www.sanpedrosun.com/environment/2024/08/01/new-park-fee-go-into-effect-at-hol-chan-marine-reserve/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "News report dated 1 August 2024 on a reserve press release of 27 July 2024. It gives US$15 in its lead and US$20 in a later paragraph.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "mooring_and_anchoring": [
    {
      "text": "Hol Chan: vessels must use the mooring buoys provided and may use the exclusive recreational area only when a buoy is free, for at most one hour; anchors may not be cast or dragged in any way that damages coral or other sensitive habitat.",
      "status": "official",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "fish_belize_5",
          "name": "Belize Fisheries Department",
          "title": "Fisheries Dept – Hol Chan",
          "url": "https://fisheries.gov.bz/hcmr/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official source.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "diving": [
    {
      "text": "Hol Chan: groups of at most 8 per dive master or guide; scuba only for certified divers or students with a certified instructor; no scuba in Shark Ray Alley's recreational area.",
      "status": "official",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "fish_belize_5",
          "name": "Belize Fisheries Department",
          "title": "Fisheries Dept – Hol Chan",
          "url": "https://fisheries.gov.bz/hcmr/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official source.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "text": "Whether a charter yacht's guests may snorkel Hol Chan without a licensed tour guide: not verified.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "visibility": {
    "text": "We found no official or survey source for underwater visibility, so we give no figure. Ask the local dive centre on the day.",
    "status": "not_verified",
    "sources": []
  },
  "not_verified": [
    "The current Hol Chan fee on the reserve's own site, and whether it differs for divers.",
    "Rules at Glover's Reef, Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole, and near Placencia where our sea-temperature point is.",
    "Underwater visibility."
  ],
  "source_counts": {
    "official": 2,
    "secondary": 1
  },
  "status_legend": {
    "official": "Read in an official text: government, park authority, ministry or official tourism board.",
    "secondary": "From a newspaper, NGO, guide or tour operator; not official.",
    "not_verified": "We could not confirm it. We leave it open rather than guess."
  },
  "caveat": "Park rules change and some are seasonal. Check with the park, the charter base or a local dive centre. The answer, wetsuit column and warm-water flag are our wording and rules applied to labelled facts and NOAA means.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "fish_belize_5",
      "name": "Belize Fisheries Department",
      "title": "Fisheries Dept – Hol Chan",
      "url": "https://fisheries.gov.bz/hcmr/",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "Official source.",
      "tier": "official"
    },
    {
      "id": "dive_bz_sanpedrosun",
      "name": "The San Pedro Sun (newspaper)",
      "title": "New park fee goes into effect at Hol Chan Marine Reserve",
      "url": "https://www.sanpedrosun.com/environment/2024/08/01/new-park-fee-go-into-effect-at-hol-chan-marine-reserve/",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "News report dated 1 August 2024 on a reserve press release of 27 July 2024. It gives US$15 in its lead and US$20 in a later paragraph.",
      "tier": "secondary"
    },
    {
      "id": "noaa_oisst_ltm",
      "name": "NOAA PSL (NOAA/NCEI OISST v2.1)",
      "title": "NOAA High-resolution Blended Analysis: OISST v2.1 long-term mean monthly sea surface temperature, 1991–2020 (sst.mon.ltm.1991-2020.nc)",
      "url": "https://psl.noaa.gov/thredds/catalog/Datasets/noaa.oisst.v2.highres/catalog.html",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "NOAA's published 1/4° monthly climatology (climo_period 1991/01/01–2020/12/31; every month of every cell we use rests on 30 years). Read on 28 Oct 2026 through PSL's THREDDS point service by scripts/fetch-sst.mjs; we chose one sea cell per destination and rounded to 0.1 °C. Satellite-and-in-situ analysis of the sea surface, not a beach or depth reading.",
      "tier": "official"
    }
  ],
  "attribution": "Cite \"Catamaran Index\" with a link to the canonical_url of the page the figure comes from, and name the original source listed with it.",
  "affiliate_note": "book_url links go through /go/samboat, an affiliate link: Catamaran Index may earn a commission on bookings, at no extra cost to the traveller. It never changes the data."
}