Laughing Bird Caye, is located within what is called a faro and lies 13 miles southeast of Placencia. The name of the caye comes from the Laughing Gull, a bird, which once inhabited it in large numbers, but with the advent of ecotourism and increased visitation, the shy gull has moved elsewhere in the Belize coastal zone.
A “faro” is an angular atoll on a continental shelf, also called a shelf atoll. Similar to an atoll like Glover’s Reef, a faro is steep sided and encloses a central lagoon. The arms on each end make a kind of enclosure around a lagoon area on the leeward side. In this way, the island acts much like a mini-atoll. That’s good news for those wishing to dive the eastern side of the island. You’ll find a lot of elkhorn coral and fish life. Grunts, damselfish, parrot fish, houndfish, bonefish, and even rays and nurse sharks are to be found here.
The outer rim of the Laughing Bird Caye faro can be characterized by luxuriant coral growth. The staghorn corals form masses of interlocking thickets. Some of the elkhorn coral found on the outer rim form some of the largest colonies found anywhere in Belize. Fish life is abundant there, including large grouper and schools of snappers. The inner flank is by comparison less rich and diverse and is dominated by soft corals. — {mprestriction ids=”1″}
A very distinctive feature of the Laughing Bird Caye faro is theinner patch reefs and coral ridges. These reefs consist of both hard and soft coral, and the diversity of corals is generally very high. In the shallower water live branching and ribbon like corals, while in the deeper waters the coral morphology transform into the platy and brain corals. The abundance and variety of corals is the key attraction of Laughing Bird Caye. The Laughing Bird Caye reefs can be divided into three distinct groups – the outer rim, the intra-lagoons, and the inner flank. Each of these can be characterized by distinct coral habitats.
The intra-lagoons of Laughing Bird Caye are completely enclosed. The depth of these lagoons average about 15 feet. The bottom of the lagoon consists of silt, mud and seagrass. These seagrass habitats are massive feeding grounds for many different species of fish during the night. The seagrass blades themselves also form a rich substrate for many different species of algae.
A mini-atoll with a white sandy beach and its own miniature reef surrounding a natural swimming pool, is a snorkeler’s heaven, and a few minutes by boat from the Belize Reef. It’s a favorite stopover for reef kayakers and a great place to stop for a picnic or even camp overnight.
The Caye and the surrounding area are under increasing pressure from tour operators in Placencia, tourists and fishermen. The smaller cruise ships are beginning to visit the caye to snorkel in the rich waters surrounding it. Fortunately, the local population has taken steps to help control use of the park.
Mooring bouys and channel markers are in place. An education program to teach visitors how to experience the uniqueness of the site without destroying it is currently in place through the different resorts which utilize the caye.
Between 2010/2011 most of the managers of the protected areas in the south are now requesting for visitors to be accompanied by a guide. Here again please check in with the warden, as he is usually quite willing to be your guide, otherwise one will need to be hired from Placencia.
It is recommended you contact the warden as to
- Where to anchor here. There are some moorings installed, but those will be far to small for the regular yachts.
- Jet skies are not permitted here, but again please double check with the warden.
As evening falls you will have the entire island to yourselves, making it a good place for evening stroll for your guests. There is a trail running down the center of the island.
There is a full time warden located on the island who collects US$10.00 per person. He also maintains the island clean and nice and there is a public BBQ facility also available.
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