The Truth About Shark Ray Alley Attacks In Ambergris Caye, Belize

The Truth About Shark Ray Alley Attacks In Ambergris Caye, Belize

The truth about Shark Ray Alley attacks in Ambergris Caye, Belize is that you shouldn’t worry about them. I’m sure you’re currently scouring searching the internet trying to find proof that there’s a very slight chance you could get bitten by a shark and die. You really want to experience swimming amongst these mysterious creatures, but you don’t want to risk your life for the adrenaline rush. Don’t worry, I was the same as you, googling “shark ray alley attacks ambergris caye belize”. I almost didn’t go on this rare adventure after psyching myself out. But my parents did it, so I knew it couldn’t be that bad.  And let me tell you, I am so happy I did because it was a once in a lifetime experience.

THE TOUR

The typical San Pedro, Ambergris Caye swimming with sharks & stingrays tour goes like this… You meet your guide at the dock and they will first take you Hol Chan Marine Reserve where you will see countless stingrays, fish, and possibly a few sharks. Then after about 45 minutes, you get back in the boat for a short ride over to Shark Ray Alley. Your guide will bait the sharks with food (fish heads, guts, parts, etc.) and you will be able to see the nurse sharks surround your boat. Naturally, you’d never be able to be this close to multiple nurse sharks, but these sharks are pretty much trained because they know that boats=easy food. You can jump in at any time to get up close to the sharks. When your group is done you’ll head back to the dock and enjoy the rest of your day in paradise.

TIPS

— I suggest going in the morning because the weather is usually better. Tropical weather can be unpredictable later in the day.

— Definitely bring a camera! I brought a camera and GoPro so I could take photos and video underwater as well.

FACTS

— The odds of a shark attacking you are roughly one in 11 million. You’re more likely to get in a car crash or injured from a vending machine.

— Nurse sharks don’t eat humans.  The sharks that you encounter on this tour are basically trained. The tour guides take you on the route that they’ve taken thousands of others on over the years. The sharks know that when a boat pulls up, they are going to be fed, so they gather around the boat.

LOCATION

— San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

COST

— $45 / half day snorkel trip

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WHY YOU SHOULD SWIM WITH THE SHARKS

Swimming with sharks in Belize was one of the most thrilling bucket list experiences. This tourist attraction can actually help save sharks. How? Because when you pay to swim with sharks, you are helping support shark tourism which currently earns over $315 million each year. The economic value of shark tourism is much more valuable than shark fishing where they kill sharks and are slowly diminishing the population.

The tourism cash flow is an incentive for areas with thriving shark tourism to focus on good conservation laws & efforts to protect and preserve local shark populations / the ocean because it helps their economy. Win-win.
I hope this inspires you to be a responsible traveler and hold off on shark fin soup. That stuff is weird af anyways. Get out there, learn, and explore this magnificent planet.

You can donate to organizations like Oceana to help save the ocean. Click here to learn more.