Long Caye, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize

Cathedral Reef

Cathedral Reef sits on the eastern wall of Lighthouse Reef Atoll between Long Caye and Half Moon Caye and gets its name from the towering coral pillars that form natural arches and chambers along the wall. The reef top sits in 12 metres and the wall descends past 30 metres. The cathedral pillars and arches are draped with deep-water sea fans, large barrel sponges, rope sponges and dense colonies of black coral below 25 metres. Schools of yellowtail snapper, creole wrasse, big horse-eye jacks and midnight parrotfish swim through the structure. Caribbean reef sharks pass along the wall, eagle rays cruise the rim and hawksbill turtles graze the sponges. Macro photographers find banded coral shrimp, arrow crabs, secretary blennies and Caribbean reef octopus on night dives. Currents are moderate and the dive is typically run as a drift along the wall. Visibility 25 to 35 metres. A common stop on Lighthouse Reef liveaboards.