Scuba Diving Belize: 
Placencia

Scuba diving Belize Placencia may take a back seat to it's northern neighbors, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, but it has alot to offer the diver.

The town of Placencia, Belize itself is small, laid-back and has alot of charm. One of the main attractions is the mile long "sidewalk" which goes through town. Once you're done walking the sidewalk (that doesn't take long!), you're ready to hit the water.

So let's start exploring scuba diving in Placencia Belize:

Scuba Diving Belize: Placencia
Lay of the Land

Placencia is located at the end of a long, narrow peninsula in southern Belize.

It is bordered on one side by a lagoon and the Caribbean Sea on the other side.

The eastern side (Caribbean side) of the town is pretty much all beach.

It's not the best beach in the Caribbean (by far) but it is nice to hang out on for a few days.

Unfortunately, there is a bit of seaweed and it is not uncommon for trash to be washed up on shore from the winds (not the fault of the Belizeans).

In the main part of town where the accommodations are, they appeared to have a handle on the trash (at least when we were there).

There is a road that runs down the peninsula on the western side. The "main street" as it is called is actually a sidewalk. Businesses and houses line the street.

The Placencia sidewalk is reportedly listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the narrowest street.

When we first went to Placencia in 2002, the sidewalk had been destroyed by Hurricane Iris in 2001. When we were there in 2007, the famous Placencia sidewalk was pretty much put back together.

The town is small and you can walk pretty much anywhere you need to go. The population of Placencia Belize is in the neighborhood of 1,000 people.

More and more expats also seem to be moving to Placencia both to retire and to open businesses. Can't say that I blame them.

Scuba Diving Belize: Placencia
Location & Maps

Belize itself is situated on the Caribbean coast. It is bordered by Mexico in the north, Guatemala to the south and west and the Caribbean on the east (see our Belize maps for more info.)

Placencia is located in the southern portion of the country, about 100 miles or so south of Belize City.

It is at the very southern tip of a 16 mile long, narrow peninsula. 

The first map gives you a reference for where Placencia is located within Belize. The next map zooms in on the peninsula and shows the village of Placencia (it is a bit outdated but you can get a feel for how the village is set up and its geography).

The first two maps are courtesy of travel-center.com. 

This next map is the fun one - an interactive map of Placencia and the peninsula. You can zoom in on the area you want to see. Or you can zoom out to see more of the country. Whatever you want to do. It's alot of fun.

Now we get to the nitty gritty. A zoomed in interactive map showing the famous Placencia sidewalk and businesses to help you along. You can see where you are going before you get there!

The village itself starts about a half mile from the airport. You can fly into Placencia from Belize City, with several flights operating daily. Maya Air and Tropic Air are the two main airlines that service Placencia.

Alternatively, you can take a bus down the peninsula from the "mainland" or take a water taxi across the lagoon from the "mainland" on your way to go scuba diving Belize Placencia.

(You might want to check out our #1 tip for cheap airfare to the Caribbean as well as our other tips for cheap airfare to help make your trip more affordable.)

Placencia Hotels

There are a range of accommodations to choose from in Placencia. You can find a simple guest house or a higher end luxury type property. Whatever appeals to you.

You can stay in a modest bungalow or you can choose a higher end beach hotel in Placencia. What you won't find are the huge mega all inclusive type resorts you can find on some Caribbean islands.

Placencia is a laid back town and its lodgings reflect that.

As this area has become more well known, your range of lodging options has increased also.   

When we first went to Placencia, we rented a treetop bungalow across from Kitty's Place.

We went a right after a major hurricane hit and there were no tops left on the trees; we wanted to support them so we went anyway. Understandably there weren't alot of tourists there then but I'm glad we went. The business was needed.

Since then, Kitty's has changed hands twice (that I know of); it was Saks at Placencia and is now called Los Porticos Villas Placencia.

The new owners have renovated the resort. I haven't seen all the renovations so I can't comment on these accommodations now.

I will note that this resort is a little out of town. You can walk to town or take a short bike ride though so it's not too bad. It has a nice beach and is a good place to get away from it all.

The second time we stayed in Placenia we stayed in town at Cozy Corner (back then it was $52/night).

It has a nice location on the beach and is close to everything (of course, Placencia isn't that big so nothing is far away). This hotel, while nice, wasn't luxurious by any means but we enjoyed our stay. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here when we return to Belize.

These are the two Placencia hotels we are most familiar with. Of course, you will have quite a few options for your stay. Which accommodation you choose is a matter of personal preference. I'm sure you will be able to find something to your liking.

Another option for your stay in Placencia is to use Airbnb to rent your own apartment, condo or room. We use Airbnb extensively when we travel and have had great experiences. We are also hosts on Airbnb so you know we like them. I especially like having a kitchen since it makes it more convenient and economical for meals.  

If you want to try them use can use our link to get a $40 travel credit when you open a new account. If you do travel through Airbnb we will get a $20 travel credit - at no additional cost to you. So thanks if you use our link :)

Scuba Diving Belize: Placencia
Weather

Like the rest of Central America and both Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, Placencia has a tropical climate. So it can get hot and humid, especially in the summer months.

The average daytime temperature during the summer months is typically around the mid to high 80's F with temperatures in the 90's F not that uncommon. Nighttime temperatures are usually in the mid 70's.

Things cool off a bit in the winter months with average temperatures closer to around 80F. Nights cool off to the mid to high 60's.

Belize and Placencia have a rainy season from June to November with the most rainfall occurring in the August-November timeframe. The island does get hit by hurricanes during the hurricane season (June-November also).

Placencia was devastated by Hurricane Iris in October 2001. Almost all, if not all, buildings in town were damaged or destroyed. We first went to Placencia in February 2002 and witnessed first hand all the damage done. Unbelievable.

The major tragedy during that hurricane was the death 17 divers and 3 crew members of the Peter Hughes live-aboard ship, the Wave Dancer. I won't go into it here, but there is lots of finger pointing about who was to blame for this tragedy. If you google it, you can read all the sad details.

Placencia has since been affected by other hurricanes but thank goodness, nothing of the destruction like Hurricane Iris.

Scuba Diving Belize: Placencia
Water Temperature

Water temperatures around Placencia are similar to Ambergris and Caye Caulker.

In the winter months (December to February), the water is around 75-80 F. It warms up a bit for the summer months with the average temperature in the 78-83 F range.

So if you go to scuba Belize, you should be pretty comfortable underwater, at least in the summer months. If you go in the winter and tend to get cold, you would probably want to wear a scuba diving wetsuit. A 3mm should be more than sufficient depending on your comfort level.

Scuba Diving Belize: Placencia
Reefs and Rides

As you travel further south in Belize, the barrier reef runs further and further from shore. As a result, you will have longer boat rides than scuba diving in Ambergris Caye or scuba diving in Caye Caulker (unless, of course, you are going out to one of the atolls).

Depending on where you dive, the boat rides can by anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter or so. I would say our boat rides averaged just under an hour.

Since you are so far from shore, surface intervals are typically done on one of the many cayes out near the reef. Lunch is usually provided and can sometimes be a BBQ. Not a bad way to offgas.

Scuba Diving Belize: Placencia
Diving

Placencia is probably most famous for the annual whale shark sightings.

During certain weeks in March-June, depending on the full moon among other things, whale sharks are commonly sighted. They come to eat eggs that are released by fish in the area.

I have never had the opportunity to see this, but it definitely on my to-do list. You only read great reviews by people who have had the luck of seeing these enormous creatures.

If you are planning on going to scuba in Belize to see the whale sharks, make sure you check the calendars of the local dive operators. That way your visit can coincide with when the whale sharks are expected to be around.

Other than whale shark dives, Placencia has wall dives, canyon dives, reef dives, etc. There are dive trips to both the inner and outer reefs.

Most of the wall diving is done on the outer reef, and the water can be rough depending on the weather. You usually dive around cayes that are located out by the barrier reef. These are the longer boat rides, probably around an hour.

While we were there we dove Silk Caye wall (twice), Dark Wall, White Hole, Moho Caye, Pumpkin Caye and Laughingbird Caye (I told you there were alot of cayes!).

Our best dives were probably off of Silk Caye while we were scuba diving Belize Placencia. We saw lobster, a huge green moray, spotted moray, sharks, crab and red-banded coral shrimp among other things.

The dive off of Moho Caye was memorable only for the destruction of the hurricane.

Broken coral and fans all over the place. Like a bomb went off. Which I guess it did in a way. I read a more recent review of this dive site and it wasn't much better.

So if you go, you might want to avoid this spot.

The top of Laughingbird Caye was also affected by the hurricane, but deeper down it was much better.

Visibility was OK while we were there. I'd say it averaged about 50-70 feet, depending on the dive site. Our dives averaged about 60-80 feet, with 83 feet being our deepest depth.

All in all, I enjoyed the diving in Placencia. The big drawback are the length of the boat rides.

From my experience, I would say the scuba diving in Ambergris and Caye Caulker was better.

Not that the diving was bad in Placencia, just better in the northern cayes. Of course, I certainly wouldn't turn down a chance to go back to Placencia!

Scuba Diving Belize: Placencia
Topside

I love the village of Placencia. It is a nice, small, laid back place. Everything is casual and informal and you can walk everywhere.

There are alot of tours you can take inland depending on your interests. Birding, hiking, caving, Mayan ruins - they are all possibilities here. You could also rent a car and go explore on your own.

One tour we did was go down to the southern end of Belize and go tubing in a cave after a walk through the jungle. It was alot of fun. We also went to a couple of the Mayan ruins while we were there.

So whatever your interests are, you should be able to find something to keep you occupied and interested in Belize. Hope you found this page on scuba diving Belize Placencia helpful.

Have a great trip!

Here are some books you might want to take a look at to help plan your Belize vacation. 

Pictures by Three E. Aldriches and Lizzerd68. Thanks!

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