The Worlds Finest Dive Sites - The Blue Hole In Belize

Located approximately 60 miles from the capital Belize City, The Blue Hole has every right to be mentioned amongst our list of the worlds best dive sites. It's unique and dramatic geological formation, have resulted in a dive site that remains long in the memory all who have the opportunity to dive it.

The Blue Hole is situated in the middle of Lighthouse Reef, and was originally formed by the collapse of a series of underwater cave systems in the reef. Today, the resulting Blue Hole measures approximately 300 feet across, and is over 450 feet deep.

Barely visible from the surface, the diving at the Blue Hole starts with a descent down to around 25 metres, where the gradually sloping sand banks give away, and the Blue Hole opens up properly. As you continue your rapid descent, these sheer walls gradually give way to stunning stalactites, up to 25 feet in length, lining the outside walls of the lower cavern.

The Blue Hole is a short, deep dive, and you will level out at approximately 40 metres, before slowly making your way around the incredible underwater landscape created by the stalactites. Following a short exploratory period examining the stalactites, you begin a slow, gradual ascent whilst trying to catch a glimpse of one of the wide varieties of sharks which have made their home in the Blue Hole. Here it is possible to come across Hammerheads and Bull sharks, although reef and lemon sharks are much more commonly sighted.

Throughout the Blue Hole, there is not a huge amount of marine life, although given that Belize is host to the worlds second largest barrier reef, this is far away. The lack of marine life in the Blue Hole itself is due to the low levels of water exchange, coupled with the low level of light which manages to access the deeper recesses of the hole.

Ever since Jacques Cousteau made the Blue Hole famous in the late 1960's, increasing numbers of scuba divers have been travelling to Belize, and to the Blue Hole in particular. Given the totally unique nature and location of this incredible dive site, it is easy to see why, and undoubtedly this trend seems only set to continue.

About the Author: Mark Burns is Director of Scubaworld.tv, a large scuba diving holidays and scuba diving courses web site

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