Long Caye, Glover's Reef Atoll, Belize

Emerald Forest Reef

Emerald Forest Reef takes its name from the dense, towering thickets of green elkhorn and staghorn coral that cover the reef top in the southern lagoon of Glover's Reef Atoll. The site is a shallow spur-and-groove system, with the reef crest in 5 to 8 metres of water and the deepest sand channels at around 25 metres before the outer wall starts. The robust Acropora colonies, increasingly rare across the Caribbean due to white band disease, are particularly notable here, supported by the strict no-take protection of the Glover's Reef Marine Reserve. Reef life is abundant: schools of blue tang, ocean surgeonfish, sergeant majors, French grunts and a wide variety of butterflyfish and parrotfish swarm the coral tops. Spotted moray eels, lobsters, banded coral shrimp and arrow crabs live in the cracks. Hawksbill turtles graze sponges, southern stingrays and yellow stingrays rest in the sand channels. Currents are mild and visibility is consistently 25 metres or more, making this an outstanding training and snorkeller dive.