{"id":85124,"date":"2023-12-02T13:39:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T13:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nohurrytogethome.com\/?p=85124"},"modified":"2023-12-02T13:40:51","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T13:40:51","slug":"scuba-diving-belize-blue-hole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nohurrytogethome.com\/scuba-diving-belize-blue-hole\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s it Like to Go Scuba Dive Belize’s Blue Hole? Here’s What You Need to Know!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wondering what it’s really like to go scuba diving at Belize’s Blue Hole? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first time I visited Belize was long before I was certified to dive, but it was a snorkeling trip there that first inspired my passion to explore the underwater world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Home to the second largest barrier reef in the world, the dive sites throughout Belize are world-class, and the Great Blue Hole is consistently ranked as one of the best in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post covers what it\u2019s like to dive the Blue Hole, and other amazing dives sites in Belize, and tips for making the most of your diving experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scuba Diving the Great Blue Hole in Belize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole believed to be the largest of its kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sinkhole initially formed as a limestone cave during the last glacial period, but as the ocean began to rise the cave flooded and eventually collapsed in itself, creating a vertical cave in the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blue hole spans an impressive 300m and is characterized by its rich shades of blue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, you aren’t going to be able to take in the magnitude of the blue hole by boat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get a full view of the blue hole you have to fly over it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of companies that offer helicopter and plane rides, but I couldn’t justify paying for this and the dive. It looks like an incredible experience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View of the great blue hole from the boat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scuba Diving in the Great Blue Hole<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What makes the blue hole dive interesting for divers is the geological formations that lie in the ocean’s depth. It goes to a total depth of 410ft!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huge stalactites and stalagmites can be found below the surface, some reaching 30-40 ft in length!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After our descent down the wall, we reached a maximum depth of 134 ft\/40m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We only stayed at this depth for about 5 minutes and then completed the remainder of the dive at 60 ft\/18m where there are coral reefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There aren’t coral reefs in the depth of the blue hole, so don\u2019t expect to see much here in terms of marine life. We saw a few fish, one shark, and a lobster. But it feels like you are on a completely different planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may experience dive narcosis because of the depth. Dive narcosis comes as a result of excess nitrogen in your body, which can be felt at depths below 30m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It affects people differently, and not everyone feels it. Dive narcosis will immediately wear off as you ascend, but it’s essential to be aware of the symptoms and let your dive master know if you feel them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of my group, I was the only one who got it and my instructor helped me safely ascend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Due to the depth, you need to have your advanced open water certification with at least 25 logged dives to dive the blue hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The total time of the blue hole dive is about 25 minutes, which is almost half of what a normal dive would be. This is because the deeper you go, the greater your air consumption is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience of descending to 40m below felt like I was entering another world.  I loved seeing the unique cave formations and the color of the blue at that depth is mesmerizing. It was a unique experience that I am happy to cross off my dive bucket list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I enjoyed the dives we did after the blue hole more. The blue hole is in the center of an atoll called Lighthouse Reef, which has some other incredible sites to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Book a tour that takes you to more than just the blue hole (most companies do this). The combination of the blue hole with the other two dives makes for a perfect day of diving. It also makes it worthwhile, as the boat ride out there is about 2 \u00bd hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half Moon Caye Wall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the blue hole, the next scuba dive was at Half Moon Caye Wall. The abundance of beautiful coral reefs, encounters with marine life, and excellent visibility made this one of my most memorable dives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some marine life we saw included giant sea turtles, reef sharks, eagle rays, barracudas, groupers, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Incredible colorful colors at Half Moon Caye<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We stayed at around 60ft\/18m during this dive for maximum air consumption, although the depth goes down to about 30m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to be careful and use a dive computer or your divemaster as a reference point to monitor your depth. It’s easy to go down below 18m without realizing it, especially when enchanted by a turtle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After the dive, we got to spend time on land at Half Moon Caye for our surface interval. This little island is beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have a reserve where you can see massive amounts of frigate birds and red-footed boobies flying around. I\u2019ve only seen these birds since in Marietas Islands in Mexico<\/strong><\/a>, so this is a pretty unique spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Red-footed<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Long Caye Aquarium Wall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The third dive site we visited was Long Caye Aquarium Wall, which is a short boat ride from Half Moon Caye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as we jumped in the water, vast schools of Bermuda chumps surrounded us. We descended further and followed along a 90-degree wall full of purple sea fans, brain corals, and every color you could imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Descending into Long Caye Aquarium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even in the shallow areas, there are gorgeous lush patches of coral to explore. The high visibility in combination with the colorful reef makes the aquarium an incredible dive to end the day. We stayed at about 18m for a total dive time of 50 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Long Caye Aquarium Dive in Belize<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Diving with Whale Sharks in Belize <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whale shark diving has been on my dive bucket list for a long time. I was so excited to be in Belize during the whale shark season, which runs from April to June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For ten days during the full moon during these months, snappers spawn around Gladden Spit which attracts numerous whale sharks, who dine on the caviar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t so lucky to see the whale sharks while diving in Belize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did find the massive spawns of snapper and followed along with them hoping that a whale shark would appear but alas, no luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After lunch on the boat, we went out for our second dive, hoping for better luck. While we didn’t see whale sharks, we did see two playful dolphins and a bull shark! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d never seen dolphins diving before; it was so much fun to watch them play with each other in the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I dived Gladden Spit at the beginning of the season (April), so the whale sharks hadn’t arrived in yet. It is nature, after all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not a guarantee that you will see whale sharks in Belize, but the sightings have been frequent in the past five years (apparently).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to visit Belize to dive with whale sharks I recommend having some flexibility in your schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for Scuba Diving in Belize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n