It’s no wonder Belize is called the Adventure Coast, especially among divers.  Tucked away on the Caribbean cost of Central America, it boasts the second largest barrier reef in the world, three magnificent atolls, 70 types of hard corals, nearly 400 species of  fish, an endless array of dive sites and one awesome blue hole.

Home to some of earth’s most unique geological formations, the sea around Belize displays a profusion of colors and exotic marine life.  When it comes to world-class dive destinations, Belize is at the top of everyone’s list.  The waters surrounding these unique geological features host an abundance of exotic marine life.

Laughing Bird Caye lies 9 miles from Placencia and is one of only a handful of “faro atoll” structures world-wide and it is the only one in the Caribbean. Faro's exhibit similar features to the familiar open ocean atolls, but are established on a continental shelf, or in this case, a lagoon environment. The island of Laughing Bird Caye is considered so special that it is both a World Heritage site and one of Belize's National Marine Reserves.

The diving at Laughing Bird Caye will provide astark contrast to what is offered to you further east towards the barrier reef. Unlike the northern sector of the reef, this narrow barrier is submerged for long stretches, and is marked by collections of idyllic desert islands located a half mile or so from the abyssal wall. These specks have romantic names like Pompion Caye, Silk Cayes, Ranguana Caye and Sapodilla Cayes and are ideal for lunch time surface intervals, snorkeling, and a shallow dive.

The northern end of this section of barrier reef is marked by Gladden Spit, which is a submerged headland that reaches out into water several thousand feet deep. This particular area has become renowned in recent years for reliable encounters with whale sharks and manta rays in the spring and early summer. The stronger currents around this submarine bluff attract dense shoals of cubera snapper during the breeding season and it is their spawn rising in the water column that attracts the bigger beasts to feed.  Exotic Belize Tours has discovered that the mass of exhaust bubbles, created by groups of divers, mimic the behavior of the spawn, and this is like a dinner bell to the whale sharks and mantas.