10 Fascinating Facts About the Belize Barrier Reef
June 15, 2019
The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the ocean’s most awe-inspiring and magnificent ecosystems in the world. It includes a diversity of habitats from mangrove forests, estuaries, sandy islands, atolls, and coastal lagoons where a plethora of life abounds. Here are 10 amazing facts about the Belize Barrier Reef! 1.) The Belize Barrier Reef is…
Read More »Animals of the Belize Barrier Reef
May 17, 2019
The Belize Barrier Reef is home to a large diversity of plants and animals, making it one of the most diverse ecosystems of the world: 70 hard coral species 36 soft coral species 500 species of fish hundreds of invertebrate species, including sponges hundreds of bird species dozens of marine mammal species It is believed that only about 10 percent of the species have been discovered,…
Read More »What is the Belize Barrier Reef?
April 15, 2019
One of the world’s great natural wonders, The Belize Barrier Reef, running some 190 miles (300 km) along Belize’s Caribbean coastline, is the largest reef system in the northern hemisphere, and the world’s second largest after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Along with some of the planet’s largest atolls, the reef supports diverse, vibrant marine habitats,…
Read More »Non Reef-Safe Sunscreen Banned from our Island
March 14, 2019
Non reef-safe sunscreen is banned and not permitted on our island. All volunteers must bring only reef-safe sunscreen. On average 14,000 tons of sunscreen slide off of humans and onto the world’s coral reefs each year, exposing these gorgeous underwater ecosystems to chemicals that kill them. The science has become irrefutable, chemicals in sunscreen (most notably…
Read More »3 Types of Coral Reefs you Should Know About
February 14, 2019
Scientists generally divide coral reefs into three classes: barrier reefs, atolls, and fringing reefs. Barrier reefs are extensive linear reef complexes that parallel a shore, and are separated from it by lagoon. At their shallowest point, they can reach the water’s surface forming a “barrier” to navigation. The Belize Barrier Reef, the 2nd largest in the world behind Australia’s Great Barrier…
Read More »5 Fun Facts about Whale Sharks
January 15, 2019
1. Whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet – they can reach up to 14m (46 feet!) in length and can weigh up to 12 tons. That’s 24,000 pounds or nearly 11,000 kilos!! 
2. Whale sharks are…
Species Spotlight: Nurse Sharks
December 15, 2018
The nurse shark gets its name from the sucking sound they make when hunting for prey in the sand, which vaguely resembles that of a nursing baby. Nurse sharks are slow-moving bottom-dwellers and are, for the most part, harmless to humans. However, they can be huge—up to 14 feet—and have very strong jaws filled with thousands…
Read More »Our Sea Turtle Hatchlings Have Arrived!
November 9, 2018
Roughly sixty days after our female Hawksbill Sea Turtle laid its eggs on our island we have hatchlings everywhere!! Our hatchlings made their way to the surface of the sand and headed out to sea, and are now dodging every predator imaginable. Our hatchlings now face a perilous journey to adulthood! https://fh-sites.imgix.net/sites/439/2018/11/09221605/VID-20181030-WA0003.mp4 Hawksbill hatchlings…
Read More »Hawksbill Sea Turtle Nests on our Island!
October 15, 2018
Reef Conservation International (ReefCI) had a recent visitor to our island – a critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle. Like other sea turtles, Hawksbills are threatened by the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, excessive egg collection, fishery-related mortality, pollution, and coastal development. Our Hawksbill came ashore to our small island in Belize and tried to nest but could…
Read More »Hope in a Sea of Plastic!
September 16, 2018
What can be done about all this plastic in our oceans? Is there a way to cleanup the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? There is hope! The world’s largest ocean cleanup is now underway in the Pacific Ocean, aiming to collect up to 150,000 pounds of trash in its first year and eventually tackle the Great…
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