Great Blue Hole

[Troy G.]

Planning a trip to Belize. I've read and have done a lot of research on the "Great Blue Hole." By the time I get here, I will have numerous dives under my belt.

Has anyone dove this site? I hear it's Jacques Cousteau's top 10 dive sites and must do's.

Pointers please!

 

[chillyinCanada]

How many dives will you have in by the time your trip comes up? I love diving the Blue Hole but it gets some bad press. So don't believe everything you read about it except for the parts about making sure you are really ready. Check out the videos on YouTube.

 

[tanksforthememories]

Know your limits and dive within them. Don't trust your life to some one else. Educate yourself about what could go wrong and plan accordingly. This goes for all diving, wether it is to 130ft or 30ft. Be smart and be safe. That being said, the best part of that dive is the first 30ft, where you may see sharks, and the 2nd and third dives which are full of life. The stalactites are not worth risking the 130ft dive to see if you are not trained and 100% prepared for all eventualities IMHO... Enjoy your trip.

 

[tomfcrist]

Although I have only dove this site once, its a cool dive. I dont know that I would dive it again....Kind of like Jellyfish lake, once youve seen it it loses its appeal...at least to me. Disclaimer: I dont like pretty reefs and fish...If its not a wreck, I get bored rather easily. It is a good dive site though, just know your limits.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Another Blue Hole Thread. Moved to the Belize forum. Many, many threads on the Blue Hole here.

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Use this link to research the Blue Hole on scubaboard: https://www.google.com/search?q="bl...oq="blue+hole"+belize+site:www.scubaboard.com

 

[Downing]

To the OP, good move on the Mod's part. There are lots of BH threads here. I suggest you read through them, then come back if you have any questions.

If there is a general consensus, it would be that the BH is a long boat ride, about 2 1/2 hours, from Ambergris Caye, assuming that's your starting point. The two other dives afterwards are great. There are inherent dangers in diving to the 130 feet. If you can take a deep diving class or PADI's "Advanced Open Water," which includes one deep dive, that would be a good thing.

Some folks don't think it's worth it. Others think it's worth doing but only once. And still others, like me, think it's the first dive of a pretty great day and do it every chance they get.

If you really want to do it, then do it and afterwards you'll probably fall into one of those three camps.

 

[Hawkwood]

Have a read of this:

PADI cautions dive guides and tour operators: Belize needs dive and scuba safety policy - The San Pedro Sun News

 

[AWMIII]

There is no need to commit to going out to the Blue Hole before you get there. I never understand why people seem to think that they need to book these excursions in Belize months in advance. Amigos Del Mar goes several times a week. You could show up at their shop the night before a trip and sign onto the trip. That way you can get a chance to do some local diving before you decide to make the trip. In addition, if it is windy or rainy, do you really want to have paid for a 2-3hr boat ride across open ocean?

 

[Troy G.]

Hoping to have 35+ dives by then. I want to stick to about 20m. More interested in Sharks and other sealife. With that said I plan on taking the PADI Deep Water Diver Certification prior to the trip as well.

---------- Post added March 14th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ----------

Yes, I always am aware of my limits. 21 years of military service taught me that!

---------- Post added March 14th, 2014 at 11:31 AM ----------

lol, unless you know something I dont, I havent booged the excursion or the trip yet. Just looing into it! :cool2:

 

[AWMIII]

I didn't think that you did, but about once a week someone wanders into this forum and is asking questions about a Blue Hole trip. Many of them have already booked through their resort. One of the operators (the least expensive) has a bad reputation. Many of the resorts use them for their packages because they charge a fraction of what the standard rate is. The resorts make sizable commissions from booking these trips. there are probably 35-50 "dive shops" on Ambergris Caye. 3 or 4 actually make the trip to lighthouse reef themselves fairly regularly. The rest sub it out usually to Amigos Del Mar. Amigos runs a decent trip and has by far the nicest boats, but they take a lot of people. They run big comfortable boats with lots of protected "below decks" space. The rest from Ambergris Caye run much smaller boats.


FWIW much of the "Local" diving off San Pedro is below 20m. Typical dives are started at 45-55ft on top of the reef. The you proceed to the wall either along the top or in a canyon. Turn along the wall at between 70-100 ft, then swim back up along the top to end your dive in about 55ft of water after 35-50 minutes depending on your group. A free space safety stop is almost universal and the boat will follow the groups bubbles. Most of the "Local" diving I would consider to be intermediate and above due to the depth.

For reference, I logged 57 dives in Belize in 2013 and 90 plus total for the year. I only mention this so you know that I have a bunch of experience there for a gringo from Philly.

I almost forgot. I'll be back there Tuesday.