Swallow Caye

Belize holds the largest remaining population of Antillean manatees, and Swallow Caye, a small mangrove island in the channel outside Belize City, was made a wildlife sanctuary in 2002 after a campaign led by a local tour guide who had watched more and more boats crowding the animals. The rules that came with it are strict and are the reason the sanctuary works: boats must approach slowly, cut engines at a distance, and swimming with the animals is prohibited outright. What you get is manatees surfacing to breathe in shallow water around the boat, which is enough. Trips usually continue to Caye Caulker or a snorkel site afterwards.

History

The sanctuary began with one man. Lionel "Chocolate" Heredia, a fisherman turned tour guide, had known the manatees around Swallow Caye for more than 50 years and began bringing visitors to see them in the 1980s. By the early and mid-1990s more and more guides were coming and everyone was getting into the water with the animals, so in 1996 he and others from around Belize formed a community group, Friends of Swallow Caye, to have the area protected. In July 2002 the Minister of Natural Resources signed the order declaring the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, which Friends of Swallow Caye now manages together with the Belize Forest Department (Oceana Belize).

What you'll find

• Antillean manatees - surfacing in the shallow water around the caye.
• The mangroves - the seagrass and channels the animals feed in.
• The sanctuary rules - engines off, no swimming, distance kept.
• The channel - the shallow water between the caye and the mainland.

When to go

December to April is the dry season with the calmest water and best visibility. Manatees are present year-round. Trips leave in the morning and are cancelled in wind. Book with an operator licensed for the sanctuary.

Before you go

Swimming with manatees is illegal here and any operator offering it is breaking the rules and harming the animals; report it rather than booking it. Sightings are from a boat at a distance and are not guaranteed. Boat strikes remain the main threat to the population, which is why the speed rules matter. The water is often murky.

Nearby

Caye Caulker is half an hour east; Belize City is half an hour west.