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Our Whale shark snorkel tours in Belize at Gladden Spit, Placencia
The Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve is a spawning aggregation site for many different tropical fish species including the cubera, mutton and dog snappers which produce tons of spawn. This spawning occurs around the full moon to last quarter during the months of March to June. This is what attracts the Whale Shark to the Gladden spit near Placencia in Southern Belize.
Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the ocean growing up to lengths of 60 feet/18 meters and are gentle filter feeders that eat minute plankton and spawn. Scuba Divers and snorkelers get a rare opportunity to swim along with these magnificent creatures when they book on a whale shark excursion with Splash Dive Center, and we follow special guidelines and procedures to ensure safety and to limit any harm that may be caused to the whale sharks. Snorkeling is done on the surface in open water following the bubbles of scuba divers which resemble spawn and draw the whale sharks in.
Snorkelers have an excellent chance of seeing the whale sharks as they come to the surface to feed and for those looking for a little more adventure than staying on the surface, we offer SNUBA, which is an system that allows snorkelers to stay underwater longer by breathing compressed air through an extended hose.
Gladden Spit is the only place in the world where timing for whale shark visits is reasonably predictable and Placencia is the best departure point in the whole of Belize to enjoy these trips. They will there during the time of the full moon during March to June but may arrive earlier or later during that predictable time frame.
Splash Dive Center monitors the arrival of the whale sharks so as to ensure that scuba divers and snorkelers have a very good chance of meeting up with the whale sharks. You can increase your chances of seeing whale sharks by booking for a couple of days on a whale shark scuba diving package (or several snorkelling trips) rather than just one. For scuba divers and snorkelers that arrive in Placencia before the whale sharks do, there are lots of other fun and interesting dives and inland adventure tours that are excellent destinations in their own right as the majority of the attractions in Belize are in the southern half of the country which offers the healthiest reef systems and abundance of aquatic life.
In accordance with Belizean sustainable tourism practices the time slots for Whale shark diving and snorkelling are allocated to dive and snorkel tour operators. Accordingly, our departure time from Placencia is dependent upon the assigned time slots. The travel time from Placencia to Gladden Spit is one hour and thirty minutes. Two whale shark snorkel encounters are attempted with lunch on the boat and an opportunity for some very nice snorkelling near the reef during the lunch interval.
In 2010 the best time to see whale sharks is:
- March 28th to April 8th
- April 26th to May 6th
- May 25th to June 15th
- June 24th to July 4th
Our scuba diving and snorkelling day trips and packages represent excellent value for money and the cost of a snorkelling day trip is $ 105.00 per person for inclusive of park fees, lunch, guide and equipment. We recommend bring an underwater digital camera, with flash disabled, available from Splash to enjoy the encounters of a lifetime!
These trips from Placencia are in high demand and normally sell out months in advance, we recommend booking today to ensure availability, please contact us with specific questions you may have and to arrange a reservation.
