Blue Hole Belize

Diving in Belize gives the unique opportunity for divers to explore the famous Blue Hole. Blue Hole Belize is part of the lighthouse reef system. It is located nearly 60 miles off the mainland of Belize City. Blue Hole Belize offers the most spectacular site for diving on the face of the planet. It lies in the center of Lighthouse Reef.

The hole is a large and circular stretching for nearly a quarter of a mile in diameter. The blue hole is 480 feet deep. Blue Hole Belize gets its color from the depth of water. Structures similar to the ones found in Belize are termed Blue holes.

The blue hole resembles a giant pupil in the midst of turquoise water. The hole is a perfectly circular limestone sinkhole that stretches for 300 feet across. The hole has a wide array of stalactites and limestone formations. They appear more intense as you go deeper. The blue hole is Belize’s largest protected area. Half Moon Caye Natural Monument lies near the blue hole. It comprises nearly 10,000 acres of land and 15 square miles of surrounding waters.

The circular reef area comprises of a diameter of nearly 1000 feet. It is an ideal habitat for corals to flourish. During low tide, the corals break the surface at many 

With the exception of two narrow channels, the hole is surrounded by reef. The hole serves as the opening point for the system of caves and passage ways that intrude this undersea mountain. There are many limestone stalactites that hang from the ceiling of once air-filled caves during the last Ice Age. With the melting of the ice, the sea level rose. This flooded the caves. At 130 feet, the temperature of the blue hole touches 76 degree Fahrenheit. The temperature remains fairly constant throughout the year.

The 400-feet depth makes the blue hole a bottomless pit. At a depth of 110 feet visitors get a good view of the stalactite formations that generally angle back. This allows divers to get below monstrous overhangs. Hovering around the stalactites, divers are often humbled by the knowledge that these formations were once above the surface of sea millions of years ago. This feeling is deepened when the divers are forced to breathe nitrogen, which has dizzying effects. Water at this depth is motionless, with the visibility touching 200 feet.

The deep, blue waters of the hole are home to blacktip tigers and hammerhead sharks. However, on diving expeditions you are more likely to view only your diving partner. There is a scarcity of light at the blue hole, and the water fails to circulate in a free manner. Therefore, the deeper regions within the blue hole are not rich in life forms. There are plenty of life forms near the rim of the hole.

There are plenty of cleaning shrimp that inhabit the ringed and knobby anemones. These shrimp entice you by the frantic waving of their antennae. Neon gobies also display their cleaning services from the numerous coral heads. Angel fish and butterfly fish are also commonly spotted