As part of its ongoing efforts to protect Belize’s marine ecosystem and maintain safe access to popular tourism sites, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve team in San Pedro replaced damaged mooring buoys and pick-up lines on May 8th. The repairs come after a local tour guide reported missing and damaged equipment at several key locations, including Chato’s, Shark Ray Alley, Mexico Rocks, and Hol Chan. Rangers responded quickly, replacing six mooring buoys, two pick-up lines, and one demarcation buoy to help prevent reef damage caused by improper anchoring.
Mooring buoys are essential to reef conservation, allowing boats to secure themselves without dropping anchors onto fragile coral formations. At busy tourism sites such as Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, anchoring has historically caused coral breakage and damage to marine habitats. Since the reserve’s establishment in 1987 as Belize’s first marine protected area, maintaining these systems has been a key part of protecting the reef while accommodating growing tourism activity.
Reserve officials thanked the local tour guide for quickly reporting the issue. They acknowledged the continued support of boat captains, tour guides, businesses, and the wider community in helping safeguard Belize’s marine resources. Officials also reminded vessel operators to follow proper mooring buoy guidelines to reduce unnecessary damage to reef areas.
The Hol Chan team is also preparing for its upcoming Reef Fest 2026 celebrations, scheduled for May 18th to 23rd under the theme “Restoring Today – Sustaining Tomorrow.” The annual event, hosted across Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, focuses on marine conservation awareness and community involvement. Activities will include the Reef Cash Cab trivia challenge, the Annual Primary Schools Trivia Competition, a Reef Fair at San Pedro Central Park featuring environmental organizations and educational booths, and a beach clean-up event at the Robles Area to help protect sea turtle nesting grounds during nesting season.
With marine tourism continuing to grow, Hol Chan Marine Reserve noted that maintaining and expanding the reserve remains important to protecting the health of the reef. Officials indicated that additional repairs and replacements are expected as part of ongoing conservation and maintenance efforts across the reserve.