Blue Hole / Lighthouse Reef
The most sought after dive destination in Belize. The Great Blue Hole is a giant underwater cavern 43 miles off the coast of Belize. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 meters (984 feet) across and 108 meters (354 feet) deep, and was formed when sea levels were much lower thousands of years ago. As ocean levels began to rise, the cave was flooded. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the Lighthouse Reef and larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, and was made famous by Jacques Cousteau, who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world.
Today the Great Blue Hole is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains one of the top dive sites in the world. St. George’s offers a full-day dive trip to the Blue Hole for experienced and advanced divers. To fully appreciate the wonders of this incredible site, we descend to a depth of more than 100 feet and therefore divers are required to have their Advanced Open Water certification.
Turneffe Atoll Diving
Turneffe Atoll is a group of small islands off the coast of Belize. It is approximately 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, making it the largest coral atoll in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The atoll was officially declared a marine reserve in 2012 because it is home to many important marine species. The land and seascape consists of a network of flats, creeks, and lagoons dotted by more than 150 mangrove islands. Large expanses of intact mangroves, seagrass habitats, and shallows provide important nursery functions for a wide array of fish species, crocodiles, lobster, conch and other invertebrates. It is home to more than 500 species of fish, 65 species of stony corals, sea turtles, manatees, dolphins, seabirds, and other wildlife.
Turneffe is about a 30-minute boat ride from St. George’s Caye and offers some of the best wall dives in Belize. Ask about upgrading one of your morning two-tanks to dive at Turneffe.