Overview

The Property’s coastline is made up of mangroves and saltwater marshes interspersed with sugar-white beaches and palm trees. The clear jade colored coastal waterways serve as the nurseries that support the vibrant offshore fishing industry and also serve as transmigration routes for a variety of marine life, most notably the endangered manatee.

Water Quality

1. Water Depth - Water depth over the entire coastline is quite shallow; seldom more than 1.5m in depth at a distance of 150m from shore. Within the survey area, however, there are some notable exceptions found on the coastline areas near the outlet point of Bennett’s Lagoon, where water attains a depth of 1.3m within 50m of the shoreline. This may well be because of movement of sediment away from the area by water flowing out from Bennett’s Lagoon.



2. Water Clarity – Water clarity is dependent on sediment load in the water, which is itself largely dependent on sediment particle size, water currents and wind. Nearly the entire length of Balam Jungle’s coastline maintains excellent water clarity as far as 50m from shore.

   In general, during dry season, water clarity increases south of High Bluff. This was observed during extensive surveys of the coastal area and confirmed through the satellite photography taken of the property.

Coastal Sediment Depths