Laughing Bird Caye Slope - Caribbean Coast
The Laughing Bird Caye Slope is a solid spot to get your fins wet, especially if you’re new to diving or knocking out some course work. We often bring our Open Water students here for confined water dives, and it’s a good choice for Discover Scuba Diving too. The main draw is the fish nursery; you’ll see plenty of juvenile snapper and grunts zipping around the shallows, which is always fun for newer divers. While it’s not going to blow your mind with massive schools or dramatic drop-offs, it’s a perfectly pleasant introduction to the Caribbean’s smaller inhabitants.
- Location
- Caribbean Coast, Guatemala, Central America
- Coordinates
- 16.433300, -88.183300
Best Time to Dive in Caribbean Coast
The warmest water temperatures in Caribbean Coast occur in January, averaging 27.7°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.7°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.7°C (air: 25.3°C)
- February: 27.7°C (air: 25.4°C)
- March: 27.7°C (air: 26.6°C)
- April: 27.7°C (air: 27.6°C)
- May: 27.7°C (air: 28.5°C)
- June: 27.7°C (air: 28.1°C)
- July: 27.7°C (air: 27.6°C)
- August: 27.7°C (air: 27.6°C)
- September: 27.7°C (air: 27.8°C)
- October: 27.7°C (air: 27.3°C)
- November: 27.7°C (air: 26.1°C)
- December: 27.7°C (air: 25.1°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Caribbean Coast
- BB-17 - 12m (wreck)
- CHAVIN - 9m (wreck)
- Gladden Spit (reef)
- Gladden Spit (reef)
- HERCULES - 12m (wreck)
- HYBUR 8 - 15m (wreck)
- JUSTO RUFINO BARRIOS II - 10m (wreck)
- KARINA I - 10m (wreck)
- Laughing Bird Caye
- MISS TAMMY - 3m (wreck)
- Pompion Wall - 45-70 feet (wall)
- Rio Dulce Reef - 3-12m (reef)
- SAMANTHA - 3m (wreck)
- Seal Cays (reef)
- South Water Caye
Nearest Dive Centres to Laughing Bird Caye Slope
Marine Life in Caribbean Coast
Home to 459 recorded species including 380 reef fish, 32 hard corals, 12 other, 8 sharks & rays, 6 sea urchins, 5 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Redear Herring (Harengula humeralis) - Reef Fish
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Thin leaf lettuce coral (Agaricia tenuifolia) - Hard Corals
- Grunt (Haemulon plumierii) - Reef Fish
- Fray (Jenkinsia lamprotaenia) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Yellowtail Parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne) - Reef Fish
- Blue Parrotfish (Sparisoma chrysopterum) - Reef Fish
- Threespot Damselfish (Stegastes planifrons) - Reef Fish
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Cola (Ocyurus chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Broad Shad (Gerres cinereus) - Reef Fish
- Slippery Dick (Halichoeres bivittatus) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma bifasciatum) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Laughing Bird Caye Slope
Based on average water temperature of 27.7°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 28°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories