Kate and William go diving along world’s second-largest barrier reef

A video shows the pair swimming alongside each other and giving the OK hand signal as they view the coral and marine life.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have praised the Belize government for its efforts to protect marine life (Jane Barlow/PA)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have praised the people of Belize for their work to look after the marine environment off its coast, as the royal couple took a dive to see the underwater wildlife for themselves.

William and Kate donned scuba gear to explore the second-largest barrier reef in the world.

The pair were seen swimming alongside each other and giving the OK hand signal as they viewed the coral and marine life.

William said it had been “really fantastic” and hailed the “wonderful work” of those helping to ensure the coral and fish are protected, in a video posted to the official Kensington Royal Twitter account.

He said: “(It’s) really fantastic to see the underwater environment here in Belize, and what wonderful work they’ve been doing to protect the coral and the fish life.

“Belize’s work on marine protection is world-leading, which is crucial when you’re protecting the world’s second largest barrier reef, and in fact it’s a Unesco World Heritage site.

“And it’s clear to see the Belizeans value their environment, whether it’s the marine environment or the land environment.

“It’s great to see that their commitments are going further and further, and we should support them and value their efforts to protect both the marine and the land environments.”

In a tweet accompanying the post, it was noted that the effects of climate change “are evident”, but also that the government of Belize and communities there “deserve huge recognition” for committing to protect 30% of its marine environment by 2030.

The video was posted at the end of the couple’s visit to Belize, as they travel to Jamaica, the next stop on their eight-day tour of the Caribbean.