If you prefer your shark seared and served with drawn butter, your menu picks will change once you dive or snorkel with the biggest critters in the ocean who haven’t a mean bone in their oversized bodies!
It’s anybody’s guess how travel writer Camille Meyers fared when she was assigned the feature story, “11 Places Where You Can Swim with Sharks” by Expedia.com in 2019. She persevered and applied due diligence, heading for high-profile locations like Oahu, Australia, Fiji, South Africa and Polynesia to do her research.
These destinations are likely out of reach if you live modestly but still want an adventure-filled holiday. Find just that by traveling the short distance to Belize to get your fill of hanging out with sharks, and once you meet them, you may wish to introduce yourself to the sharks Meyers met when she included Belize on her list.
The sharks are waiting to meet you
Something amazing happens in the waters off the Belize coastline during the months of March, April, May, and June. It’s spring and gigantic migratory whale sharks, like human beings, turn their thoughts to love and romance in spring by heading to Gladden Split near Placencia. Don’t be intimidated by their sizes. Whale sharks may weigh 10 tons and measure up to 40-feet, but you’re safe around them.
Unlike mythological and movie-set sharks, these giants have no teeth so think of the krill and plankton they feast on as oceanic milkshakes. By the time they reach the Split to spawn in accordance with moon phases that compel them to return every year, your opportunity to engage with them is at hand—just as long as you abide by the stringent rules Belize has put into place to protect these amazing creatures.
Laru Beya Resort dive trips
What benefits do you enjoy by letting Laru Beya Resort staff help you navigate the waters in search of whale sharks? Reserve lush accommodations at this luxury resort in Placencia and book a Belize Whale Shark Dive experience one week in advance.
Your tour will be led by certified, trained guides whose mission includes making sure you and the sharks stay safe. Only certified divers may consort with these creatures according to Belize law, so you will have to pass muster with the guides escorting you to the area or you can’t jump in.
Leave your beautiful accommodation around 8:15 a.m. only if master divers conclude that weather is conducive to diving that day and travel 26 nautical miles offshore in around 1 hour; 30 minutes to reach the Split. Bring essentials like sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, towels, clothing change, underwater camera and sandals.
Laru Beya staff sees to everything from your dive gear and drinking water to park entrance fees, packed lunches and the services of your guides. Consider Laru Beya your shark diving and snorkeling epicenter in and you will be rewarded more than you can imagine once you’ve undertaken this thrilling experience. Whale shark sightings have been decreasing recently and in an attempt to have a positive effect on the size of the spawning aggregations, the Gladden Spit Marine Reserve may close the whale shark zone for 2020.
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