San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Sandbar

Sandbar is a sandy plateau and patch reef site on the inner side of the barrier reef in front of San Pedro, popular as a check-out and training dive. The site sits on a flat sandy bottom in 8 to 18 metres, with scattered coral patches and small pinnacles rising from the sand. The patches host queen and French angelfish, midnight parrotfish, stoplight parrotfish, butterflyfishes, blue chromis, sergeant majors and schoolmasters. In the cracks divers find spotted moray eels, banded coral shrimp, arrow crabs, secretary blennies and Caribbean reef octopus on night dives. Southern stingrays and yellow stingrays rest in the sand patches between the heads, and nurse sharks occasionally come in to rest. Garden eels populate the deeper sand. Hawksbill turtles graze the sponges. Currents are very mild and visibility 15 to 25 metres. A favourite for new divers, training and night dives, with very long bottom times possible at the average depth.