Hol Chan, Mayan for “little channel,” covers 19km2 of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forest near San Pedro. Established during the 1990s during a time of increasing tourism and declining fishing industry, the area covers 4 zones which have differing biomes and permitted activities.
Generations of fisherman cleaning their gear while returning to port has
created an unexpected gathering place of sharks and stingrays, known
locally as Shark Ray Alley, where local tour guides feed the animals as
tourists watch from nearby.
Hol Chan Cut is open to the sea beyond the reef, enabling marine
creatures to travel between the interior and exterior of the reef. This
concentrates wildlife with 160 species of fish, 40 types of coral, and 3
species of sea turtle in addition to numerous rays, lobsters, eels, and
anenomes.
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