Barranco, Belize tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 16:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are America/Belize local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Barranco is the southernmost village in Belize, a Garifuna settlement of around 120 people on the coast near the mouth of the Sarstoon River, which marks the border between Belize and Guatemala. The nearest town with regular services is Punta Gorda, 10 km north by boat. The village is part of the Toledo District's network of Garifuna communities that maintain traditions of drumming, dugu ceremony, and cassava cultivation largely undisturbed by the coastal resort economy that shapes northern Belize. The tidal pattern is microtidal Caribbean: spring range 20–50 cm, mixed semidiurnal. Open-Meteo Marine provides the forecast data — timing accuracy ±45 minutes, height accuracy ±0.2–0.3 m. The Sarstoon River mouth 8 km south has its own complex tidal-fluvial dynamic, but the coastal waters off Barranco follow standard Bay of Honduras microtidal behaviour. For anglers, the coastal reef fringe between Barranco and the Sarstoon mouth is one of the least-pressured reef sections on the Belize coast. Snappers, grouper, and permit work the scattered coral heads at 4–8 m depth accessible by panga within 15 minutes of the village dock. The Sarstoon River mouth itself — politically sensitive, as it runs along the Guatemala border — holds tarpon and snook in the lower reaches, but access arrangements require awareness of the boundary situation and are best arranged with a local guide. Kayakers and canoeists can paddle the creek systems and mangrove lagoons immediately north and west of Barranco within the Sarstoon-Temash National Park, which protects the mangrove-dominated coastline between the village and the Guatemalan border. The park contains the tallest mangroves in Belize (red mangroves exceeding 30 m) and a near-intact fringing coral system. The park has no formal visitor infrastructure — no dock, no marked trails — so paddlers need self-sufficient navigation. Birdwatching in the Sarstoon-Temash area is among the most productive in Belize. The freshwater-saltwater transition zone supports an exceptional range: boat-billed heron, jabiru stork (Belize's national bird, seen in wet season), roseate spoonbill, and a full roster of kingfishers. The mangrove interior supports secretive species like mangrove vireo and mangrove swallow in numbers that reflect the low disturbance level. Beach families won't find resort infrastructure here. The village beach is functional rather than scenic — grey sand, minimal shade, basic dock. What Barranco offers is a genuine end-of-the-road coastal experience, one of the last on the Belizean mainland. For families seeking authentic cultural engagement and wildlife access over amenity, the journey is worthwhile.