Portofino Beach Resort Belize
Portofino Diving & Reef Club
Discover the most impressive dive sites Belize has to offer. The Barrier Reef is only half a mile from our beach, and every dive starts at our own dock.
An Underwater Paradise
The largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere
The clear, warm waters of Belize are world-renowned as a diver’s paradise. Our marine landscape boasts three of only four atolls in the Northwest Caribbean, plus a Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world, stretching 185 miles (298 km) along the coastline.
Between the mainland and the reef sit more than 450 cayes, islets and islands, including Ambergris Caye, where Portofino Beach Resort is located. The environment is unspoiled and the experience intimate.
½ mile
from our beach to the Barrier Reef
185 mi
of Barrier Reef along the coastline
450+
cayes, islets and islands
Free
try dive in our pool with a PADI Dive Master
The Descent
Scroll down to dive down
Every dive starts at the end of our dock. Here is how deep our best-loved sites go, from the shallows in front of the resort to the Great Blue Hole.
10–12 ft
Mexico Rocks
Right in front of the resort, truck-size colonies of boulder coral, 10 to 12 ft high, nearly reach the surface. Flame scallops, anemones, tube worms, shrimp and moray eels live here, and the light is perfect for photography.
30 ft
Hol Chan Marine Reserve
A natural channel through the reef in a sanctuary of about 5 square miles. Groupers, snappers and schoolmasters gather here, with eels along the channel walls.
130 ft
Great Blue Hole dive profile
With 100+ ft visibility, the profile is 130 ft for 10 minutes actual and 25 minutes total dive time. Stalactites and stalagmites, then wall dives with sea turtles, eagle rays and sharks on almost every dive.
400+ ft
The bottom of the Blue Hole
The sinkhole is 1,000 ft across and plunges to over 400 ft, the most well-known dive site in Belize. Our dive profile stays at 130 ft.
Dives & Reef Activities
Find your trip in two clicks
Pick dive or snorkel, then what matters most to you. All diving and snorkeling starts from the Portofino dock.
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10 to 25 min boat ride
Reef Diving
Up close with some of the sea’s most fascinating creatures on pristine Caribbean reef systems. Single-tank or multiple-tank dives.
About 30 ft (9 m)
Hol Chan Combo Diving
Dive the Hol Chan channel, then snorkel Shark Ray Alley. The perfect trip for families with both divers and snorkelers.
Right in front of the resort
Mexico Rocks Diving
Truck-size boulder coral colonies 10 to 12 ft high. Shallow water and good light make it perfect for underwater photography.
1,000 ft wide, 400+ ft deep
Great Blue Hole Diving
The world’s largest known underwater sinkhole. Meet giant groupers, nurse sharks and several types of reef sharks.
5 to 30 ft deep
Hol Chan & Shark Ray Alley
Swim over a natural channel in the reef, then with harmless nurse sharks and southern stingrays.
Three snorkel stops
Bacalar Chico
Loop the uninhabited north of Ambergris Caye, pass through the Mayan Channel and enjoy a beach barbecue lunch.
Lighthouse Reef Atoll
Blue Hole & Half Moon Caye
Snorkel the top of the Blue Hole wall, then picnic on palm-fringed Half Moon Caye and visit the Boobie Bird Sanctuary.
With beach BBQ
Fishing & Snorkeling
Troll the reef for snapper and grouper, enjoy a barbecue on the beach, then snorkel the famous Mexico Rocks.
No trip matches both choices. Try another combination.
Dives and snorkeling tours are for Portofino guests during their stay. Book your room first, then tell us what you would like to do, and we will confirm availability with our partners.
Our Dive Shop
Relaxed diving, from the end of our dock
Carpe Diem Charters operates our dive shop right at the end of the Portofino dock. Groups are small and matched to your skills, and there is no hurry, so everyone can enjoy the incredible underwater life.
Starting at
US$4,005
for two persons
Stay & Dive
7-Night Belize Diving Package
Seven nights of barefoot beachfront lodging, a local flight, daily meals, 2 days of local 2-tank reef diving and 1 day diving the Great Blue Hole (additional fee applies).
Kind Words from Happy Guests
They have a dive shop, Carpe Diem, right on site and they do amazing excursions — go to Mexico Rocks and Caye Caulker with them!
Holly Haringa
Resort guest review
Staying with us? Plan your dives.
Dives and snorkeling tours are for Portofino guests during their stay. Book your room, then tell us what you would like to do.