Whale Sharks
Every year during the full moon period in the months of March, April, May & June whale sharks migrate to an area off the beautiful shores of Placencia in Belize called the Gladden Spit. Some thirty years ago a local fisherman living on one of the Sapodilla Cayes was the first person to report sightings of these magnificent creatures. Local fishermen from Placencia out on their annual snapper spawning fishing trips also had sightings, but thought it was only one shark, they named it Sapodilla Tom in honor of the first person that reported sightings. After the introduction of scuba diving to the area in the early 90's, it has been discovered that the migration is indeed dozens of sharks. Today this migration is the most popular diving attraction in Placencia with divers visiting from all over the world.
Besides the whale sharks, divers get to see thousands of spawning tropical snappers including dog, cubera and mutton snapper when diving at the Gladden Spit, undoubtedly, the largest congregation of fish found anywhere in the Caribbean.
The video below was originally by National Geographic and features whale sharks and the spawning snappers at the Gladden Spit off the coast of Placencia, Belize.
The Seahorse Dive Shop is owned and operated by Brian Young, a native of Placencia and the founder of Whale Shark program in Belize. He and his trained dive masters have the most experienced with the sharks and keep up to date logs of their migrations. Seahorse Dive Shop can provide such details as exactly when the sharks migrate, the most suitable dates in the months for viewing them, or if a certain shark has been seen previously.
The whale shark drill is 2 dives a day: a morning dive around 11:00am followed by an afternoon dive after lunch that starts around 3:00pm. Brian and his well trained dive masters uses a clever technique in bringing the sharks to the surface: They would dive as deep as
A Video Documentary By National Geographic
90 feet or so, looking for the schools of cobera snapper, when spotted, the dive group is to congregate tightly above, creating a large column of bubbles that attract the curious whale sharks, who may think it's a chimney of spawn. When the gentle giants appear, they often ascend quite close to the surface, making them visible to both divers and snorkelers.
Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the sea and being so close to these gentle giants is indeed a thrill to last one a lifetime...
March 08 to 22 & April 06 to 18/2012
May 06 to 18 & June 04 to 16/2012
- Round-trip flights between Belize City and Placencia
- Land transfers between Placencia Airstrip and resorts
- Accommodations, number of nights and whale shark diving as specified in the resort itineraries on the right
- Whale shark diving includes: 2 tanks/2 dives per day. (*Note: diving is with Seahorse Dive Shop)
- Boat/guide/equipment & lunch
- Taxes and Service Charge
- Price is per person based on double occupancy and in US dollars
- (Whale shark park fees of $15 per diver, per day is not included and will be collected at the dive shop)
Note: Whale shark diving can be mix with regular reef diving, Glover's Reef & Shark Hole Hole by request. Diving can also be combined with inland tours available from Placencia such as the jaguar preserve, monkey river and Mayan ruins including Xunantunich.
The Inn at Robert's Grove: 7 Nights in 1st Floor Standard Room w/5 Days of Whale Shark Diving.
March 08 - May 18: $1798 PP, based on dbl.occ
June 04 -16: $1655 PP, based on dbl.occ
Tradewinds Resort:
7 Nights in a Standard Beach Cabana w/6 Days of Whale Shark Diving. $1490 PP, based on dbl.occ
(Valid March 06 thru June 16, 2012)
Laru Beya Beach Resort:
7 Nights in a Sea View Standard Room w/5 Days of Whale Shark Diving.
March 06 - May 18: $1750 PP, based on dbl.occ (*excluding Easter)
June 04 - 16: $1625 PP, based on dbl.occ
Turtle Inn Resort:
7 Nights in a Garden View Cottage. 5 Days of Whale Shark Diving:
March 08 - May 18: $2550 PP, based on dbl.occ
June 04 - 16: $2350 PP, based on dbl.occ
