LIVEABOARD DIVING IN Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda is the capital and largest town of Toledo District in southern Belize and is the southernmost sizable town in the nation. The closest international airport is in Belieze City which is about 300km/186mi drive from Punta Gorda. Tourists can also take a bus. Punta Gorda is geographically a part of the Gulf of Honduras. It is a seaport and fishing town on the Caribbean Sea. Punta Gorda is the main point of transportation for people visiting the Toledo district and the offshore southern cayes. The town has one hospital, a police station, one bank, a post office, a gas station, a civic center, a number of churches and schools and various grocery stores, hotels, restaurants and bars. Great diving is available just off the coast of Punta Gorda. Diving is suitable for novice and experienced divers. Sapodilla Caye Marine Reserve is one of the best dive sites, which is approximately 64km/40mi east of Punta Gorda. This site is a 48 square mile preserved area of reef, sand and mangrove cayes. There are seven cayes with great wall dives. Schools of jack, spadefish, angelfish, parrot fish and snappers can be found there. The spectacularly clear waters through the lagoon area, characterized by silt, sand and shallow seagrass beds in the middle of the reserve, make the ideal spot for viewing pristine reefs of lettuce coral, sponges and algae that grow throughout. Another interesting dive area is Snake Cayes, which is located just northeast of Punta Gorda. The Snake Cayes consist of a group of four small islands - West Snake Caye, Middle Snake Caye, East Snake Caye, and South Snake Caye.