Management Plan - Glover's Reef Marine Reserve

2.6.2 Archaeological Sites
Glovers Reef Marine Reserve – Management Plan
Little is really known about the extent to which the Maya used the cayes of Glover’s Reef.
Surveys of Middle Caye in 1997 and 1998 showed that these cayes probably served as preclassic
Mayan settlements. Pottery similar in form to that found in Stann Creek indicates
tentative dating of the Maya sites to the Late and Terminal Classic periods (Graham 1999). As
Glover’s Reef is located along the pre-Columbian trade route between Honduras and the
Yucatan, it was probably used more than casually, but whether as a short term fishing station or
with longer-term occupation is not yet known. A pre-classic Mayan settlement has been
identified on Long Caye.
Pieces of European pottery and porcelain, are also commonly found on Middle Caye and
indicate historic use of the island over the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries,
(Graham 1999), possibly as shipwrecked crews. The Atoll has a history of use by pirates, and is
believed that the name “Glover” is derived from the name of the pirate ’John Glover’ who made
the atoll his base (Stoddart 1962), from which he was able to raid Spanish merchant ships.
The Atoll is noted for its numerous shipwrecks, including the following:
1. The “Monmouth”, an English merchantman wrecked on its way to London in 1751.
2. The “Argyle” and “Polly”, an English merchantman and American ship both sank in
1774.
3. An unidentified Scottish ship in 1786.
4. The “Chance”, an English merchantman sank in 1793 coming from Jamaica.
5. The “General Don”, an English ship en route from France sank in 1808.
6. The schooner “Susan” was wrecked in 1858 and the crew rescued and taken to Middle
Caye where they remained for six months.
7. The 200 ft steel steam ship, the Alps, sank in 1914 (B. Lomont, pers. com.)
2.6.3 Tourism and Recreation Use
Tourism is becoming an increasingly important economic activity on Glover’s Reef Atoll, though
with accessibility far harder than Lighthouse and Turneffe, much of the tourism is based on live
aboards, or based from the five resorts currently operating from the cayes within the Atoll
(Table 22). A sixth, Manta Ray Resort, is currently not in operation. Visitors also arrive from
other resorts on the mainland and other cayes on a daily basis, such as Hamanasi Adventure
and Dive Resort, from the mainland near Hopkins, and from hotels on Tobacco Caye. Sailboats
from The Moorings charter yacht business based in Placencia visit the atoll for snorkeling and
diving, and other private boats and yachts also visit the reserve, but on a relatively small scale.
Dive boats are required to register in order to operate within the reserve.
The Nekton Pilot, a live-aboard dive boat, also brings divers to the Atoll, though several
stakeholders have expressed the opinion that current mooring facilities are insufficient for the
size of the boat, and there has been friction about the way in which the boat has moored in the
past, with damage to both mooring buoys and coral heads.
Activities concentrate on scuba-diving, kayaking, wind surfing, sport fishing and fly fishing, with
the impressive reef structures of the reef edge and the sheltered waters of the inner lagoon
providing perfect conditions for these activities. A number of popular dive sites have been
identified - Emerald Forest Reef and Baking Swash on the leeward reefs, and Southwest Caye
Wall, Middle Caye Reefs, Long Caye Wall, and Shark Pt. on the windward reefs (Meyer 1990)
all provide opportunities for both diving and snorkeling, considered impressive even on a world
scale. The Pinnacles, in the southern portion of Glover’s Reef, is a dive site renowned for its
particularly rich marine life, being somewhat sheltered from the prevailing currents. Dive guides
are required by law to accompany groups of divers, and resorts offering SCUBA activities
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