Half Moon Caye Belize

Half Moon Caye is a Caribbean island part of Belize's Lighthouse Reef Atoll, located approx 80 km/50 mi east of Belize City (the country's largest by population). The island's namesake is The Bahamian private island Half Moon Cay, Half Moon Cay is owned by the world's largest cruise shipping company (Carnival Corporation) via its subsidiary Holland America Line.

As a cruise destination, Half Moon Caye is visited by smaller-sized, expedition-type ships of luxury sea travel brands like Lindblad Expeditions, Hurtigruten Expeditions, Ponant.

Half Moon Caye Wall is popular as a recreational scuba diving/snorkeling destination in Belize, together with the Great Blue Hole. Half Moon Caye is just ~13 km/8 mi to the south of the Great Blue Hole, and both are visited via boat tours leaving from Belize City and Placencia (travel time ~1 hour). Great Blue Hole is a giant circular sinkhole with diameter 318 m/1043 ft and depth 124 m/407 ft. The Belize Great Blue Hole is approx 75 km/45 mi to the east of Belize City and near the Lighthouse Reef Atoll's center.

In 1981, Half Moon Caye became the country's first nature reserve as well as Central America's first protected marine area in Central America. In the early 20th century (1924) the island was designated as a bird reserve/wildlife refuge to protect a large seabird colony of the endangered red-footed boobies (Sula sula).

The Half Moon Caye Natural Monument is part of the Belize Barrier Reef Heritage Site (1996-established by UNESCO). The island has a total area of approx 0,17 km2/0,07 mi2, length 0,8 km/0,5 mi, and width 0,2 km/0,12 mi.

The island's scenery is marked by a coastal forest (primarily of the shrubby siricote tree/Cordia sebestena) providing habitat for the Western Caribbean's only viable breeding colony of red-footed boobies. The seabird colony itself supports the forest by providing the guano fertilizer, with a high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium.

Half Moon Caye is also a habitat for the Belize leaf-toed gecko (aka atoll gecko) and Allison's anole lizard.

Each year between May and November, Half Moon Caye's southeastern part serves as a nesting ground for the endangered sea turtles loggerhead, hawksbill, and green turtles.