A shallow sandbar where nurse sharks and southern stingrays gather around the boats. There are two sites with the name near Caye Caulker, and the trip you book decides which one you see.
Shark Ray Alley is a shallow snorkel site in Belize where nurse sharks and southern stingrays gather around the boats. The official one is Zone D of Hol Chan Marine Reserve, on full-day trips from Caye Caulker, and a second site in the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve shares the name.
The trip you book decides which Shark Ray Alley you see, and the Caye Caulker reserve's own management plan warns visitors not to mix them up.1
If a trip just says "Shark Ray Alley", it usually means Hol Chan's. Half-day trips from Caye Caulker that stay in the local reserve visit the second site. Most trips include the park fee in the price.2, 3
Nurse sharks and southern stingrays glide over clean sand in water shallow enough to see the bottom. The site began as a spot where fishermen cleaned their catch, and the animals learned to come to the boats. They still do: most visits start with sharks circling the hull before anyone is in the water. Researchers have identified 126 individual nurse sharks using Hol Chan's alley.4
Swimming with nurse sharks at Shark Ray Alley is safe when you follow your guide. Nurse sharks are bottom feeders that are not generally aggressive and usually swim away when approached.5 Bites happen when someone grabs or corners one, so keep your hands to yourself and give them space.
Hol Chan's Shark Ray Alley has its own rules, set when it became Zone D in 1999.6
Boats may stay for up to an hour and check in with the ranger first. The Caye Caulker reserve's alley is visited with guides too.
Full-day trips from Caye Caulker visit Hol Chan's Shark Ray Alley alongside the reef cut, and half days that stay in the local reserve visit the second site. If you're choosing between them, compare our half-day or full-day snorkel trip from Caye Caulker guide.
All three meet on Caye Caulker. Prices checked November 2026 and can change, so check the live price before you book. We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.
The sharks at Shark Ray Alley are nurse sharks, a slow bottom-feeding species, and they share the site with southern stingrays.
Swimming at Shark Ray Alley is safe for most snorkelers who stay with their guide and don't touch the animals. Nurse sharks usually swim away when approached.
Shark Ray Alley is part of Hol Chan: it became the reserve's Zone D in 1999, and it's the original site most people mean. The Caye Caulker Marine Reserve has a second site with the same name, closer to the island.
You can't scuba dive at Hol Chan's Shark Ray Alley: the rules allow snorkeling only, apart from licensed research.
You get to Shark Ray Alley from Caye Caulker on a guided snorkel trip. Full days usually visit Hol Chan's alley, and half days that stay in the local reserve visit the second site.