Location
Key Information
| 85 km2 | MARINE AREA |
| 121 km2 | TOTAL AREA i |
Boundary: ProtectedSeas (Boundary Digitized Using Best Available Data)
2.0
September 2025
Feedback and Data Requests
Purpose
To protect an important part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site, established in 1996 for its outstanding universal value, and is obligated under this international convention to conserve and protect the area. The reserve includes a mosaic of coastal and marine habitats including rare littoral forests, mangroves, seagrass beds, and a diversity of coral reef types.
Regulations Summary
Restrictions
1. Extractive activities are prohibited.
2. No person shall engage in commercial, sport, or subsistence fishing.
3. No person shall secure a boat to the sea bed except by means of a mooring that is officially designated for this purpose, save in the case of an emergency where life and property are endangered, or with the prior written permission of the Reserve Manager.
4. Every diver shall adhere to the following rules:
a) divers shall register with the Reserve Manager prior to entering and Conservation Zone;
b) charter dives shall first obtain a license in accordance with these Regulations, before operating in any Conservation Zone and all dive boats shall fly the divers down flag when they have divers in the water;
c) only certified scuba divers, or divers undergoing a training course conducted by a recognized instructor, are allowed to use scuba equipment in the Reserve;
d) dive guides are required to explain the rules of the Reserve to a diver within the Reserve;
e) every boat owner desirous of operating a boat in these Zones, shall first register his boat with the Fisheries Administrator in accordance with these Regulations;
f) every operator of a motor boat shall observe the low wake zone boat way when approaching snorkelers or divers;
g) for Scuba tours, a maximum of eight divers per licensed dive master is permitted;
h) for snorkel tours, a maximum of eight snorkelers per licensed tour guide is permitted;
i) no person shall harass or in any way tamper with the any fauna.
5. No person shall engage in water–skiing or jet skiing within any Conservation Zone.
Allowed
Non–extractive recreational activities are permitted.