The word Hol Chan means little channel. It is a five square mile tidal cut within the reef itself, which has been protected by the government since 1987. As a result of this area being protected, it attracts a great deal of marine life, such as groupers, horse-eye jack, mahogany napper, parrotfish, lobster, moray, tarpons, and an assortment of brain corals. This area is about 3 to 30 feet deep, which makes this trip a beautiful snorkel and a shallow dive.
Shark Ray Alley became a popular snorkel site when it was observed that nurse sharks and stingrays congregated in response to fishing scraps being thrown into the sea. This snorkel site, which is now protected by the government, is somewhere around 6 to 10 feet deep. The sound of the boat engine attracts the sharks and stingrays. Once you arrive at the site your tour guide chums for them and feeds them. Then you enter the water and snorkel with the sharks and stingrays.
