Belize Underwater Photos

These 15 underwater photos of Belize reef and marine life are from major offshore divesites in Belize, Central America. They were taken on a dive trip November, 1998 on the Peter Hughes live aboard diveboat, the Wavedancer.

We had good weather all week and flat seas, but diving was well offshore as nearshore visibility was lowered due to the still heavy runoff from Hurricane Mitch, which had passed through 3 weeks earlier.

We did 27 dives in total, including 5 night dives. We the most of well known wall sites around Half Moon Caye and Lighthouse Caye, about 40 miles from the dock at Belize City. The trip included a dive into the Belize Blue Hole to depths of 160 feet.

Trip Overview

Photo List

Photo List

Photos 1:    13:

Squid could frequently be found feeding at night at the edge of the decklight field behind the boat. Skittish by nature, it took the long lens on the RS and a lot of luck to get these two closeups.

Photos 2:    6:    7:    10:

Belize is known for prolific sponge growth, in a wide array of species and colors. These 5 photos are samples, from the thousands you will see.

Photos 3:

This shy Indigo Hamlet shows the rare full front view.

Photos 4:    8:

I got 20 shots of this hunting octopus as it literally crawled across the camera.   Unfazed by the camera, diver, or flashing strobes, it came down the reef feeling into all the crevices for food, crossed the camera, then wandered out into the night.

Photos 5:

Barrel sponges and craters in the rock ledges held a variety of the puffer family. Here a striped burrfish stares nervously upward.

Photo 9:

Most of the atlantic species of butterflyfish are found Belize. This foureyed butterflyfish was one of a pair.