Country Article / Postcards
Into the Blue Hole of Belize
Date: 01/19/2005
The almost perfectly round "Blue Hole" of Belize, in the center of the Lighthouse Reef Atoll, is one of the world’s most intriguing dive destinations. Up close, it’s filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and sharks. But step back. At more than 400 feet deep and 1,000 feet in diameter, it’s visible from outer space. Photo courtesy of www.travelbelize.org.
Dear International Living Reader,
The Blue Hole, a two-hour boat ride off the island of Caye Caulker, Belize, is arguably the world’s most famous diving destination. The "hole," which used to be a cave that rested atop the sea, was made famous by Jacques Cousteau in the 1970s. Melting ice from the end of the last Ice Age engulfed the cave, which now delves 480 feet into the sea.
The dive begins as your group descends to a sandy beach floor about 16 to 19 feet below the surface. From there you wiggle your way over to the edge--a daunting sight as you look down hundreds of feet into a dark and scary hole.
The group begins the real descent to 130 feet (the depth limit for recreational divers).
Once at the depth limit, divers are able to swim around massive stalactites and stalagmites, the size of which most have never seen. Because of the depth of the water, and the fact you are in a former cave, visibility is limited to around 30 feet. If you are lucky, as our group was, you may catch a glimpse of the reef sharks that live and hunt in the cave. We saw a small group of three swimming just a few feet from us.
After diving the Hole, we headed to an island park where we ate lunch on the beach and enjoyed a nature walk through a bird sanctuary for red-footed boobies. After this brief respite, it was back to the boat for two more dives along some of the most spectacular coral reefs in the world. Our second and third dives included sightings of turtles and manta rays. The cost of the dive is expensive ($130 to $140, including food, drink, and three dives) but certainly one to remember.
Craig Kaminsky and Maureen O’Driscoll
For International Living
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