Belize vs. the Great Barrier Reef: Which is Better for Divers?

It’s one thing to know that lobsters can be blue. It’s quite another to see one up close with its sapphire shield, claws, legs and antennae stretching in all directions. I watched him run across the sandy bottom 60 feet below sea level and reminded myself to inhale and exhale gently, just as my dive master had taught me. This wasn’t the sad brown crustacean I’d seen trapped in dirty tanks at a chain restaurant; this was ocean life in its purest form. This was Belize.

Diving in: Beyond the Great Blue Hole

Most experienced divers head to Belize on a mission to explore the Great Blue Hole, a massive sinkhole in the Caribbean Sea that stretches 300 meters wide and 125 meters deep. You can see it from space, and inside it’s filled with caves and stalactites to thrill the bravest underwater adventurers. Meanwhile, I started my training in a pool in downtown Manhattan, where the scariest thing floating by was a used bandage.

So I may not be the target audience for the Great Blue Hole, but I still wanted to take a dip somewhere to use the open water certification I earned in 2019, right before a global pandemic crushed my diving travel dreams. Travel Belize took me to Silk Caye, an island and reserve off the coast of Placenciawhere snorkelers can also enjoy the shallower water while divers go diving.

I dove in with low expectations and was promptly greeted by a (harmless!) nurse shark. In just one dive I saw several more of these sharks, plus lionfish, groupers galore, angelfish, barracuda and, yes, the aforementioned lobster. The highlight, however, was the hawksbill turtles that swam next to us while snorkeling; one came so close that his fin touched my arm! I was impressed. I never thought I would have the privilege of becoming so intimate with marine life.

The Great Barrier Reef: not so great?

I went to Belize for a series of active land experiences – ziplining through treetops, horseback riding to the Xunantunich archaeological site and cycling through the village of Hopkins – but I wanted to go for a dip. As a newbie, I haven’t had the chance to dive many destinations yet, especially diving favorites like Thailand, the Galápagos, the Maldives, Indonesia, the list goes on. But a year before I reached Belize, I crossed the number one spot off my bucket list: the world-famous Great Barrier Reef. I started in Sydney and backpacked along the east coast of Australia, ending in Cairns for a week. I lived on a boat for several days and dived with guides up to four times a day for peace of mind.

Their expertise allowed me to get back to work quickly – BCD on, check oxygen levels, adjust buoyancy, calculate safety stop – after no more practice. Still, I struggled. I tried a night dive but my gear wasn’t properly secured and combined with the pitch black darkness I panicked and swam back to deck before descending. My medication did little to combat the seasickness, and the waves were so choppy that it was difficult to see anything during a snorkeling safari led by an onboard marine biologist.

Back on dry land, my takeaway from this experience was: pride in myself for stepping outside my comfort zone, but also disappointment in how little I had actually seen during my successful diving days. Maybe it was the locations we had docked at, my lack of diving experience, the water conditions and/or the hype surrounding this iconic reef, but I felt disappointed. After being awed by the breathtaking coral while snorkeling off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia – the trip that convinced me to get my diving certification – the monotony of the landscape on the iconic Barrier Reef really hit home. reminded me how human-induced climate change has affected these precious ecosystems and how important conservation is to protect them in the future.

Protection of coral reefs

The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, which includes the Great Blue Hole, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and is the second largest reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. The locals on site claim this is the largest living barrier reef in the world, which is difficult to confirm, but I certainly saw a lot more marine life there in one day than I would in a week off the coast of Queensland.

Climate change has wreaked havoc on coral, and I wish I had made time to see some of the conservation projects in Australia when I was there, because I got to see that work happening in real time in Belize and wow, is it cool .

In Placencia, the nonprofit Fragments of Hope is building coral nurseries near the peninsula to restore damaged areas. In the simplest terms, this involves taking living pieces of coral and cementing them to dying coral so that the living part can revive the dying part. I snorkeled around the nursery at Laughing Bird Caye and watched the saturation and vibration return to the ocean floor.

Meanwhile, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation is carrying out its own restoration initiatives – including something like coral IVF and freezing coral tissue in liquid nitrogen – and as my diving journey continues, I’m keen to learn more about how I can contribute to conservation efforts on an individual level .

In the meantime, I’ll continue to slather on my reef-safe sunscreen to protect myself and all the beauty I’m lucky enough to witness under the sea – in Belize, Australia and beyond.

Deepa traveled to Belize on a trip organized by Travel Belize. Snorkeling and diving in Placencia was provided by Splash Dive Center. Lonely Planet does not accept freebies in exchange for positive reporting.