Permit· Ocho Rios· Other Caribbean

Ocho Rios Marine Park Protected Area (Rules & Zones)

18° 25.0′ N · 77° 6.0′ W · approximate

About 133 sq km of reef, reef flat and seagrass running along 13.5 km of coast from Mammee Bay (St. Ann) to Frankfort Point (St. Mary), out to the 1,000 m contour. A small core around Ocho Rios has been protected since 1966; NEPA designated the full park on August 16, 1999.

Belize Barrier Reef

Practical

Coordinate approximate: a nominal point in the original 1966 core (Conservation Zone A), east of the cruise-ship bay, placed inside the boundary coordinates NEPA publishes. Rules in force under the 1966 Beach Control Act order for that core: no fishing with nets, traps or spears; no boats except those under sail or oars; no water-skiing except where designated; no dredging or disturbing the seabed. NEPA's 2015-2020 draft zoning plan (status: draft, not promulgated when published) adds the following. Three Conservation Zones: no anchoring, no mooring, no fishing and no fish feeding. Zone A runs east from the bay (about 77 06.5W to 77 04.3W, seaward to about 18 25.1N). Zone B runs from Mammee Bay to the west side of Ocho Rios. Zone C is east of Zone A. A 50 m wide No-Wake Zone off Dunn's River Falls allows motor craft in and out at up to 6 knots only, with no anchoring or swimming. Dive and snorkel sites are buoyed: keep motor craft 30-50 m from any dive flag. In the Multiple-use Zone you may anchor, but never on reef. The commercial shipping channel into the bay is charted in the plan: no stopping or fishing in it. Practical upshot for yachts: anchor only in the harbour per the Ocho Rios anchorage entry and visit the reefs by dinghy, rowing or paddling into Zone A.

Best for

Knowing where you may anchor, fish and run a dinghy around Ocho Rios

Nearby