Belize South - Placencia & Glovers Reef
Embark/Disembark:  Placencia (Saturday-Saturday)

The Placencia & Glover's Reef itinerary explores southern Belize — a region that sees far fewer liveaboard divers than the more-traveled north, making it one of the most pristine and unspoiled diving experiences in the Caribbean. 
Sunday begins at South Water Caye, part of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve — a protected area of the Belize Barrier Reef UNESCO World Heritage Site. Coral gardens, swim-throughs, and healthy reef structures make this an ideal check-out location.

Monday through Wednesday is spent at Glover's Reef Atoll. Glover’s Reef is a stunning oval-shaped coral atoll—approximately 18 miles long and 6 miles wide—located 27 miles (43 km) off the mainland and forming part of the outermost edge of the Belize Barrier Reef alongside Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef. As one of only four true coral atolls in the Caribbean, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is exceptionally well-preserved thanks to its remote, protected status. Its brilliant turquoise lagoon is filled with more than 800 thriving patch reefs and pinnacles, many rising to the surface and creating a maze of vibrant, largely untouched habitats. Guests explore this remarkable marine reserve, diving dramatic walls, shallow reef systems, and pristine coral formations with visibility often exceeding 100 feet (30 meters). Marine life is abundant, with frequent encounters including Caribbean reef and nurse sharks, eagle rays, nudibranchs, sea turtles, green moray eels, batfish, seahorse, and the endemic white-spotted toadfish—found only in Belize.

Dive Sites:
BAKING SWASH REEF - Sunday morning guests will start their trip with a check-out dive at Baking Swash, a narrow cut through the western edge of the atoll. Two weathered tree limbs frame the channel’s beauty on each side. The shallow coral reefs break the surface, thriving in the protected waters.

SPLIT REEFS - This 40-foot (12 m) deep reef reaches to the surface with a deeper reef dropping down along a 100-foot (30 m) wall. This dive site offers rare specimens of healthy corals such as endangered elkhorn coral, boulders of brain coral, large cactus corals, and delicate staghorn corals together form intricate thickets. An array of soft corals and gorgonians like colorful sea whips, sea rods, corky sea fingers, and Venus sea fans also sway across the reef. A kaleidoscope of shimmering, small fish school together – blue chromis, sergeant majors, and blue-headed wrasse glide over and through the corals.  

SHARK  POINT - Shark Point is one of the more remote dive sites around the atoll; visits are weather permitting, only. It is an exposed area with a rare spawning aggregation site for groupers. Several species of sharks are associated with this dive site including nurse, blacktip, hammerhead, and tiger sharks. Sharks can be seen cruising along the sloping white sand channels and over the coral colonies.

 GROUPER FLATS - This dive site is located on the northeastern reef tract and is home to several species of grouper. Both the shallow and deeper reefs here are home to rare, mature elkhorn coral and huge colonies of lettuce coral. The gentle topography of this amazing reef is home to Nassau, tiger, black, spotted and marble grouper often seen resting amid the sea whips and gorgonians.

LONG CAYE WALL - Long Caye Wall is a beautiful dive site with dense coral growth including endangered elkhorn coral. Forty feet (12 m) down, divers see garden eels, rays, gleaming schools of fish in the water column and smaller fish hovering over on soft sandy bottom. The vertical drop here has many overhangs adorned with giant, colorful sponges, black coral, and wire corals. Sea turtles, eagle rays, manta rays, and curious barracudas are regular visitors all along the wall.

SOUTH WEST CAYE WALL - The Southwest Caye Wall is a dramatic drop-off from its crest at 50 feet (15 m) down to an underwater cliff at 130 feet (40 m) deep. This dive site is characterized by boulder coral, wire coral, and spectacular sponges.

EMERALD FOREST REEF - Emerald Forest Reef is named for the huge elkhorn coral colony that dominates the shallow reef crest creating a large canopy of golden coral. Nearby, divers often see snappers, groupers, trunkfish, angelfish, lobsters, traveling schools of wrasse and clouds of blue chromis amidst the large basket, tube, and rope sponges.
 
Thursday visits the Gladden Spit & Silk Cayes Marine Reserve. This site is world-famous for whale shark aggregations, which occur seasonally from March through June when snapper spawn draws these gentle giants to the surface. Even outside whale shark season, the site delivers exceptional pelagic encounters — large schools of horse-eye jacks, bull sharks, and spawning groupers.

Friday concludes at Laughing Bird Caye National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Belize's most photogenic dive locations. Faro-shaped reef structures, crystal-clear shallows, and colorful coral gardens provide a perfect finale to the week. 

Sample itineraries and maps are for illustrative purposes only and subject to change based on local regulations, guest experience, weather, and logistics.