6 Best Snorkeling Spots near Placencia, Belize
Placencia, Belize, is a snorkeler’s paradise. Just off shore lies the Belize Barrier Reef—the second-largest reef system in the world—alive with dazzling corals, colorful reef fish, rays, sharks, turtles, and more. With so many cayes and reserves within reach, visitors are spoiled for choice. Here is a comparison of six of the best snorkeling spots near Placencia.
1. Silk Caye (Queen Cayes)
Silk Caye is one of the most well known and frequently visited snorkeling spots near Placencia, offering very good coral and fish varieties. Snorkelers are often drawn by the shallow waters and the chance to see rays, nurse sharks, and reef fish, which are almost guaranteed thanks to regular feeding in the area.
The cayes are small with little shade and limited facilities. Prices for trips here are often lower than on other tours. Crowds can be common.
Variety of coral:🪸🪸🪸🪸
Variety of fish species: 🐠🐠🐠🐠
Presence of sharks/rays/turtles: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈
Shade and spots to relax: n/a
Amenities: n/a
Location: Edge of reef, 22 miles out (45-55 minutes from Placencia)
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Good, great underwater, limited shade and tables, often crowded
2. Laughing Bird Caye National Park
Designated as a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Laughing Bird Caye is a carefully managed island about 12 miles from Placencia. The island has a nice beach, some shade trees and picnic tables, and a healthy fringing reef close to shore. Coral diversity here is strong, and snorkelers can spot colorful fish, barracuda, and even the occasional eel.
With its protected status, Laughing Bird has stricter rules and limited facilities—no bar or fresh meals, no paddle boards or kayaks. The island is very popular, so crowds are common, and parts of the reef show signs of heavy visitation. Nonetheless, Laughing Bird Caye remains a beautiful and accessible option for snorkellers.
Variety of coral:🪸🪸🪸🪸🪸
Variety of fish species: 🐠🐠🐠🐠🐠
Presence of sharks/rays/turtles: 🦈🦈🦈
Shade and spots to relax: 🌴🌴
Amenities: picnic tables
Location: National Park, inner reef, 12 miles out (35-40 minutes from Placencia)
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Very good, great underwater, limited shade and tables, can get crowded
3. Ranguana Caye
Ranguana Caye offers one of the best all-around snorkeling experiences in Placencia. Beginners can explore calm, shallow waters, while advanced snorkelers will enjoy vibrant coral gardens and the chance to venture out to “the Ranguana Cut”, near the barrier reef’s dramatic drop-off. The site is pristine, with tremendous coral and fish variety, and frequent sightings of rays, sharks and even turtles.
The island amenities add to the experience with fresh-cooked meals, a beach bar, shaded hammocks and lounge chairs, kayaks and paddle boards, and space to relax on land between snorkels. Avid snorkellers in the group can maximize underwater time, while others can choose to spend some time relaxing with a beer or a rum punch in a hammock. For a true adventure, guests can stay overnight in one of three beach cabanas.
Ranguana is farther from Placencia than some cayes and can only be visited through the island’s own tours. No artificial feeding is used to attract sharks, rays and turtles, so sightings, while frequent, may be less predictable than some other destinations. Trips are only available twice a week, and the number of visitors and boats are limited, so spots can be harder to find, but do offer a less crowded experience.
Variety of coral:🪸🪸🪸🪸🪸
Variety of fish species: 🐠🐠🐠🐠🐠
Presence of sharks/rays/turtles: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈
Shade and spots to relax: 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
Amenities: restaurant and bar, kayaks, paddle boards, beach games, overnight cabins
Location: edge of barrier reef, 18 miles out (45-55 minutes from Placencia)
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Excellent, uncrowded, great underwater, great onshore
4. Moho Caye
Moho Caye is one of the most relaxing snorkeling destinations in Placenia, offering ample shade, hammocks, picnic tables, and a spacious sandy beach. At 12 acres, it’s also one of the biggest cayes in the area, and even offers camping options for visitors who can’t get enough of the island.
Snorkeling conditions are good. The island sits on the inner reef. The island is relaxing, but has no bar or restaurant. Food and drinks are typically brought along by tour operators.
Overall, Moho is a great day trip for those seeking relaxation combined with some snorkeling variety.
Variety of coral:🪸🪸🪸
Variety of fish species: 🐠🐠🐠🐠
Presence of sharks/rays/turtles: 🦈🦈
Shade and spots to relax: 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
Amenities: picnic tables, grill for cooking, camping, paddle boards for rent
Location: Inner reef, 12 miles out (40 minutes)
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Very good, great underwater, shade and tables, can get crowded
5. South Water Caye Marine Reserve
South Water Caye is very different from the other destinations. The island itself is well developed, with multiple resorts, cabins, and other infrastructure—so it isn’t primarily a snorkeling stop. To snorkel in this area, you’ll usually need a boat excursion to nearby reef areas within the marine reserve.
It’s about 1.5 hours by boat from Placencia, so tours may involve more boat time and less underwater or beach time than other options. Coral and fish variety in the reserve is good, but this destination is better suited to divers or those staying overnight at the island’s resorts rather than casual snorkelers on a day trip.
Variety of coral:🪸🪸🪸
Variety of fish species: 🐠🐠🐠
Presence of sharks/rays/turtles: 🦈🦈
Shade and spots to relax: 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
Amenities: resorts
Location: Inner reef, 1.5 hours from Placencia
Overall: ⭐⭐- Long trip, snorkelling in surrounding reserve areas
6. Gladden Spit Marine Reserve
Best known as a whale shark diving site, Gladden Spit is a deep-water destination not particularly suited for snorkeling. Most tours here focus on diving, and while snorkelers can join, the depth and conditions may make it less rewarding compared to other spots.
Variety of coral:🪸🪸🪸
Variety of fish species: 🐠🐠🐠
Presence of sharks/rays/turtles: 🦈🦈 (whale shark destination)
Shade and spots to relax: n/a
Amenities: n/a
Location: Edge of reef, 1+ hours from Placencia
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐- Long trip, less snorkelling oriented, more diving for whale sharks
What about “island hopping” combo trips?
Several providers offer “island hopping” trips that combine, for example, Silk and Moho Cayes. These can be a great option to see a little more - but can result in more time on the boat and less time on the beach or in the water. They may also require you to do what the group is doing when the group is doing it — for example, wait in the boat for the whole group to finish at Silks, or end your snorkel sooner than you might prefer. A single trip to Ranguana or Moho may allow your group more flexibility if some in the group prefer to “snorkel til they drop”, while others would rather spend some relaxation time in the shade or hammocks.
Where to Book Your Perfect Snorkeling Getaway
Placencia offers an impressive array of snorkeling opportunities, from large islands with casual atmospheres to boating excursions for snorkeling enthusiasts. Placencia has a snorkeling destination for everyone.
Ranguana offers its own tours from its own website. Captain Jaks runs a lot of tours and is what TripAdvisor defaults you to. Seahorse, Splash and Go Sea Tours are well established and well respected tour providers. Many others can be found with a little google sleuthing. Options abound. Enjoy!
About the authors: We have owned property in Placencia for over 25 years and visit several times a year. Over these many years, no one has published good information comparing the snorkel and day trip options for visitors; so we decided to finally do so and have done our best to be unbiased and factual. That said, full disclosure: we own Ranguana. We would invite readers to verify all information by checking reviews on Google and/or TripAdvisor. Another note: regarding a visit to Ranguana, we have committed to devote all profits from Ranguana operations to marine conservation in Belize. Every dollar you spend with Ranguana goes back to the local economy. You should also know that TripAdvisor allows direct booking of only one provider (Captain Jaks), so, by all means check their reviews, but also look around the web if you want to find all the options for the best trips at the best prices. We encourage you to support the local Belizean tour providers and guides who work hard to make a living showing off their beautiful country.
