Ambergris Caye Snorkeling GuideIf you want to snorkel in Belize, then you will want to explore the Ambergris Caye snorkeling opportunities. We have taken many Ambergris Caye snorkeling trips, and we share our experiences below. Ambergris Caye is the biggest offshore island in the chain of over 200 along the coast. It is still inside the vast Belize barrier reef, but just barely. The reef is only about a mile from the caye in some areas. And that is one of the reasons that Ambergris is the snorkeling (and diving) center of Belize.
How To Get To Ambergris Caye Snorkeling 
You will need to first fly into Belize City International Airport, and then take a smaller plane out to Ambergris, which we recommend you do immediately. Don't stay in Belize City, because not only is it not very nice, there is no snorkeling close to Belize City. 
There are also flights from Belize Municipal Airport to Ambergris. And boy is that a tiny airport. See the little shack in that picture on the right. That is it. The airstrip is a little dirt road right next to the water (we landed here when flying back from Placencia once). 
There is just one small town on Ambergris Caye, San Pedro, and it is where most of your snorkel boat trips will take off from. You can also stay at resorts and hotels that have snorkel trips that leave from their own docks (or you can be picked up at your resort dock by most of the snorkel trip companies.)Where To Stay In San Pedro You can stay right in San Pedro at a variety of little hotels that generally cost less. Or there are many nicer accommodations south and north of the town. The hotels in town are convenient, but generally louder at night. We found it convenient to stay in town and walk everywhere, but we did lose some sleep. The reggae bands can be pretty good at night, but loud. 
Car RentalsThere are not really any car rentals available on San Pedro. Instead you can rent golf carts, which are everywhere on the island. But they are pretty pricey, at around $70 a day. There are also many taxis, mostly old Toyota Vans without air conditioning. (We got a real kick out of seeing these vans because we have had one for many years, and we thought it was the last one running, only to find them all over Belize. The taxi drivers go up to the states and buy them up, and then drive them down here. They never die.) If you are staying at one of the resorts or hotels outside of San Pedro, you can also sometimes take water taxis into town.
There are many different snorkeling boat tour companies in San Pedro that will take you to some wonderful underwater spots. You can find companies that only run snorkel trips, and those that also combine diving and snorkeling on one boat trip. Our preference is to be on the boats that are just for snorkelers, but sometimes you have to join in with the divers.
There are four major locations that most of the snorkel boat companies go to. These are quick trips that are generally take less than a half day. They are all inside the barrier reef. To learn more about each and to see our snorkel pictures click on each link below.
In addition to the above popular spots, there are a handful of other locations that are Ambergris Caye snorkeling spots. Sometimes we have a hard time knowing exactly where a company is taking you, because they sometimes give locations their own "trade" name. For some of the locations below, you will find that divers frequent the outside of the reef, but the better snorkeling is inside the reef. There are tons of other diving locations along the reef fronting Ambergris, but these are the ones that we know offer some shallow water snorkeling sights. Tuffy Rocks Those are the most popular spots. In addition to those Ambergris Caye snorkel spots, you can also take longer boat rides to the offshore atolls. These are typically all day trips, starting early in the morning, and not returning until the evening. Most of these trips are combined diving/snorkel trips. We have yet to find a company running snorkel only trips to the atolls. Lighthouse Reef Atoll - Blue Hole Turneffe Islands Atoll Glovers Reef Atoll - (More often accessed from Placencia or Dangriga) Besides these specific locations, there are also a few other boat trips to see specific wildlife, depending on the time of year. These include trips to see the manatees. But even though these trips are often billed as "snorkel with manatees", you are not actually allowed off the boat to snorkel with them. You can learn a little more about some of the snorkel these locations and read review at this Ambergris Caye Snorkeling Website. With all of these snorkeling spots you will want sign up with your snorkel boat company choice at least the day before, if not several. During the busiest season trips do book up, so you may even want to reserve your seats before you arrive in Belize. Most of the time that is not necessary. In fact, if you are not visiting during the busy season, you may have the opposite problem, the boat companies won't run the trips because of not enough people. If you have a group of four to six people, you can also find a local boat that you can charter just for your group, and have them take you to a handful of lesser known locations that are not as busy. You may need your own equipment for this option though. Note: We always bring our own snorkel equipment with us but pretty much every established boat tour group will have equipment available for you.
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P.S. If you like beer at all, you can't miss trying the local Belize Belikin Beer. It is delivered all over Ambergris with a tractor! It is very light and refreshing and comes in heavy old fashioned bottles that they refill.