Exploring the Blue Hole in Ambergris Caye Belize

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Exploring the Blue Hole in Ambergris Caye Belize
The Blue Hole, located about 40 miles off Ambergris Caye Belize, is a welcome addition to the greatest dive sites in the world. Jacques Cousteau explored the area during the late 1960s, and pioneered a diving route in 1972 still in use by divers today. It has since become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and attracts up to 20, 000 divers every year.

Belize Blue Hole
The Blue Hole was once a big limestone cave among several underwater tunnels; an earthquake caused the ceiling to relax, creating one of the biggest and most impressive sinkholes in the world. The earthquake also tilted the whole Lighthouse Reef to a 12-degree Ambergris caye Belizeangle, making it responsible for the stalagmites and stalactites protruding from its shelves. Marine life is abundant outside it – nurse sharks, sea fans, shellfish, gorgonians, moray eels, tunicates, hard corals and giant green anemones are just a few of the many fish species around Ambergris Caye.

It is best to visit the Belize Blue Hole during May. This marks the end of the high season so you can enjoy less crowd and lower prices. June and July are also good, but they tend to have more rain. International flights arrive and depart from Phillip Goldson International airport, located 11 miles northeast of Belize City. From here, most visitors fly to San Pedro Belize, the only town in Ambergris Caye. San Pedro is easily walked, and bicycles are available for further exploring outside. Water taxes can be rented for further exploring.

When in Ambergris Caye Belize
• Go diving or snorkeling. This is one of the best places in the world to do either.

• Bring lots of mosquito repellent. The breeze mostly keeps the mosquitoes away, but they soon return once it dies down. Make sure that your room has mosquito nets, or you can burn mosquito coils next to your bed as you sleep.

• Check out the visitor center. It is loaded with all the latest information concerning the reef, the weather, and diving conditions.

Don’ts When Visiting the Blue Hole

• Forget your camera. Bring an underwater camera for your dives. The colorful underwater seascapes of Ambergris Caye Belize are every photographer’s dream.

• Over pack. Flights going from Belize City to Ambergris Caye usually have lighter baggage allowances than international carriers.

• Miss the lobster. One of the most popular exports of Belize is lobster. It is fresh, delicious and relatively inexpensive.

Fun Facts about the Blue Hole

• There are two false rumors that persist about Jacques Cousteau. First, is that he used explosives to blaze his route to the Blue Hole. Second, his son Philippe Cousteau died during that trip.

• Because of its lack of sunlight, there is only little marine life in the Blue Hole itself. However, there are lots of coral and fish outside its perimeter.

• The Blue Hole measures about 1, 000 feet wide and 450 feet deep. Divers usually descend down to 150 feet, requiring 15 minutes of decompression time on the way back up.

Plan Your next Belize Vacation
On your next Belize vacation, make sure that you include the Blue Hole in your itinerary. You can ask your Belize hotel concierge for more information about trips and tours to this area.