Caye Caulker, Caye Caulker, Belize

Coral Gardens

Coral Gardens is a shallow reef dive on the inner side of the barrier reef in front of Caye Caulker, within the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve. Average depth is around 12 metres, with the deepest sand patches at 18 metres, making the site accessible to open water divers and snorkellers alike. The reef is a patchwork of large brain corals, mountainous star coral colonies, sheet coral, fire coral and gorgonian fans, separated by sand channels. Reef life includes schools of yellowtail snapper, blue chromis, queen angelfish, French angelfish, midnight and stoplight parrotfish, sergeant majors, and a wide variety of wrasses. Spotted moray eels, lobsters, banded coral shrimp and arrow crabs hide in the cracks; southern stingrays rest in the sand and hawksbill turtles graze the sponges. Currents are very mild and visibility is usually 15 to 25 metres. The site is run as a single-tank dive on most local trips and a regular night dive for divers staying on Caye Caulker.