Laughing Bird Caye National Park Inner Reef

Most of our inner reef dive sites are at or around Laughing Bird Caye which is a National Park and World Heritage Site. This beautiful and unique caye is located eleven nautical miles east of Placencia. The boat ride takes about 30 minutes to some of the most beautiful dive sites in Southern Belize. The formation of most of the dive sites is fringing reef systems, with spur and groove formations, and occasional drop-offs and areas of patch reef. These sites are ideal for entry-level and novice divers as there are very weak currents, and many of the sites are protected, and these sites are also suited to experienced and expert divers who have good buoyancy control, and a fine eye for details, as there are many reef critters that will make the dives enjoyable and exciting. Critters include spotted drums, huge lobsters, cleaner shrimp, arrow crabs, groupers, snapper, barracuda, occasional southern rays, and more varieties of reef fish than you can count.

There are many dive sites in this marine park including Coral Garden, Laughing Bird Drop Off, Laughing Bird North, Laughing Bird South and a small wreck. Another interesting inner reef dive site is Long Coco Split near Mosquito Caye which offers similar attractions at a greater depth.

These are fun dives suitable for beginner to advanced divers with depths ranging from 30 to 80 feet/9-24meters.

Trip Plan

This is a two-tank boat dive trip with an authentic Belize-style picnic lunch on the caye during the surface interval. Divers arrive at our dive center by 08:30 for a 09:00 am departure. Laughing Bird Caye is 11 miles east of Placencia. The boat ride duration is 30 to 40 minutes. The trip gets back at around 3:00 pm. Typically, snorkelers go on this trip and work from the caye, joining the divers for lunch

Dive Sites

Coral Garden

Coral Garden is ½ mile southeast of Laughing and is known for its abundance and variety of coral. Critters include spotted drums, huge lobsters, cleaner shrimp, arrow crabs, and lots of varieties of reef fish. Coral mounds separated by sandy patches rise from 100 feet/30 meters to 30 to 40 feet / 10 to 12 meters from the surface. This dive can be done at either the 70-foot/ 21-meter or the 40-foot/12-meter range.

Laughing Bird Drop Off At the 15 to 25 feet/5-8meters, sandy patches make this site a perfect location for open water training and checkout dives. The dive can be done from shore or from a boat. A coral wall slopes gradually from about 25 to 80 feet/8-24meters. Sightings here could include lobsters, barracudas, lizardfish, Nassau grouper, angel fish, furry sea cucumber, and lots of other juvenile reef fish.

Laughing Bird North

One mile north of Laughing Bird Caye, on top of the slope, there are scattered coral patches on the seafloor which makes it a perfect habitat for the protected queen conch. The dive itself is along a slope running from north to south at around 25 to 80 feet/8-24meters. Impressive wire coral and lettuce leaf corals lines the side of this wall and forms a perfect habitat for spotted moray eels, lobsters, and trumpet fish. Spotted eagle rays may also be seen gliding along this wall.

Laughing Bird South

One and a half miles south of Laughing Bird Caye, there is a huge canyon running north/south at 50 feet/15 meters. This dive can be done either in between or on the east side of the canyon. Lobsters can be found in groups of 4 or 5 hiding out in the crevices of the canyon. On the sandy bottom in between the canyons wall is a usual hiding spot for southern stingrays and nurse sharks. The southern part of the canyon catches a bit of current and is an excellent habitat for healthy coral growth.

The Wreck

At 90 feet/27 meters just off Laughing Bird Caye lies the ‘Miss Pamela’, a small tugboat, sunk in 2002 to create an artificial reef and an additional dive site in the inner reef. The wreck has created a micro reef with good fish life, including one or two goliath grouper and a huge barracuda preying on schools of silversides sheltering around the wreck. The visibility and diveability of the wreck are generally wind-dependent as bottom sediments are easily stirred up. A dive light is a good accessory to have on this dive.

Long Coco Split

Long Coco Split is one mile east of Mosquito Caye, about 3 miles from Laughing Bird Caye. This area has basically the same marine life as dive sites around Laughing Bird Caye. The formation here is a bit different from most sites in Southern Belize and it is also possible to dive a bit deeper here. Most of the activity at this site is at the tip of the split where large schools of silversides can be found here along with bigger predator fish. Black corals and gorgonians give this site a unique appearance as it is inner reef. Depth is 25-90 feet / 8-27 meters.