The True story behind the Split in Caye Caulker, Belize

I sit on a wooden beach recliner, sipping from a pineapple margarita that I had just ordered from the Lazy Lizard Bar and Grill. Above me, the sun is framed in the bluest sky imaginable, reggae music is playing in the background and in the foreground I am being enticed by the breath-taking view of the sea or ‘The Split’ as it is ardently referred to in Belize. The Split has become the most popular beach destination on the beautiful island of Caye Caulker, Belize. When you’re at the Lazy Lizard Bar and Grill basking in the beauty of The Split, you can’t help but think and feel that life is indeed, good.

Ask most Belizeans about The Split in Caye Caulker, Belize and you’ll hear a myriad of stories about how this expanse of sea came to be. Some say that The Split is actually man made. This is partly true. In the early 1950’s, local fishermen dug through mangrove to make a channel for their boats to pass. This hand-dug channel marked the beginning of what is now referred to as The Split.

Others insist that The Split was created as a result of Hurricane Hattie. Hurricane Hattie was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, reaching a peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane. The country of Belize, at the time known as British Honduras, sustained the worst damage from the hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. After Hurricane Hattie struck Belize, the fishermen’s hand-dug channel was widened which made it appear like the island was split in two. The locals eventually found the newly widened channel to be the perfect place to go for a swim and soon the area was being referred to as The Split.

Fast forward to 2020 and when you think of the island of Caye Caulker, you simultaneously think of The Split. Just footsteps away from the best hotels in Caye Caulker, The Split is the heart of the island and with amazing music, drinks and food from the restaurant at The Lazy Lizard Bar & Grill it is now the place to be in Caye Caulker, Belize.

And when the sun sets over The Split and the blues of the sky transforms to cool darkness, visitors continue to enjoy the splendour of The Split from atop the bohemian El Portal Lounge. El Portal Lounge sits right on top of the Lazy Lizard Bar and Grill and offers marvellous views of The Split and a taste of classy island night life. The Split feels like home to every local and if you get a chance to visit the country of Belize and the island of Caye Caulker, you will undoubtedly leave the island feeling like you have found your happy place.