Some Blue Hole Impressions

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Unless their qualified to do deco your still going to be stuck with a bounce dive.

You need to find a similarly qualified buddy as yourself and then find out if the operator will permit deco.

Last time I was there none of the guides/instructors could do a 50m dive (my certification), not even allowed to do any mandatory deco.

That's what I figured. Highly unlikely. Whenever I go down there, I will try to set that up, but pass if I cannot. Not interested in bounce dives. The only reason I want to dive tec is to enjoy some things that are deeper for longer.

 

[Downing]

Another issue you may run into is that you would almost certainly go with a group of rec divers who would have to wait on the boat for you to finish your dive. Depending on how long you were down, that might be untenable for everyone else.

Still, people have done it as a tec dive. I remember Peter, the instructor I mentioned above, had done it. And a few years ago, a group of tec divers discovered the remains of a diver at the bottom, thought to be that of a dentist from Miami who disappeared there (!) while on a rec dive some ten years before.

So I would definitely start checking around AC. It might just happen.

 

[_Ralph]

Belize Diving Service does tech, and cave on Caye Caulker.

_R

 

[Yobubba]

I've done the Blue Hole 40 plus times as a Guide. The Belize government has recently tightened restrictions for the Blue Hole dive and imposed a Liability Release on Operators.
Annex E (Normative):
Safety Screening Form for Recreational Scuba Diving Tours to the Blue Hole of Belize
The Blue Hole is a large submarine sinkhole that is 412 feet deep and 1,000 feet wide. It is located forty-three (43) miles from the mainland. The crystal-clear water allows you to see stalactites, stalagmites and sharks among other aquatic life.
Recreational Scuba Diving tours to the “Blue Hole” require special skill sets because of its unique environment; therefore, divers are required to be screened for eligibility to perform the recreational scuba diving tour. Based on the information provided, it is left to the discretion of the Scuba Diving Tour Operator to proceed with the Recreational Scuba Diving Tour or additional training prior to the same.
*Divers are advised that comments or concerns about the tour can be shared with the Belize Tourism Board at phone number 227-2420 or e-mail at info@travelbelize.org.
Diver’s Name: ______________________________
Address: ____________________________
____________________________
Type of Scuba Diver certification (Please check one):
 Open Water Diver  Advanced Open Water Diver  Other (Please specify) ___________
Number (#) of logged dives: ________________
Date of last dive: (dd/mm/yy): __________________________
The deepest depth I have dove to is: ________ feet OR _______meters
 I hereby certify that the above information provided is true and accurate
Signature: ______________________ Date: ______________________
*The below is to be filled out by the Recreational Scuba Diving Tour Operator:
Based on the information provided by the diver above, the below action is to be taken
(Please check one):
 Proceed with the recreational scuba diving tour to the Blue Hole
 Refresher Course needed
 Additional training needed (Please specify): ____________________
Name of Dive Leader for the tour: _____________________
Signature: __________________ Date: ________________________

 

[chillyinCanada]

I like it! Great way to improve the monetization too.

 

[Downing]

Was that Release something that came out of the 2014 draft of the Belize National Code Of Practice For Recreational Scuba Diving Service? If so, then I guess the draft must have been adopted into law and that's a good thing.

 

[The Laconic]

That reads like subversive marketing rather than a safety initiative. Most liability waivers don't use the modifier "crystal clear", for one thing.

 

[drrich2]

Whoever called the water in the Blue Hole 'crystal clear' wasn't on the dive I did there!

Not sure how much impact the liability release will have. Looks like op.s can still take fairly new OW divers Blue Hole diving if they want to.

Richard.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'll admit that "crystal clear" doesn't actually come to mind when I recall my Blue Hole dives either. That said, despite particulates, the visibility really is pretty decent compared to lots of other places I've been on certain days (including Maldives!). It's my opinion that the viz seems worse than it is due to it being a hole.

 

[Yobubba]

Was that Release something that came out of the 2014 draft of the Belize National Code Of Practice For Recreational Scuba Diving Service? If so, then I guess the draft must have been adopted into law and that's a good thing.

Yes, The Standards Department of Belize Government have imposed it on the operators and it's law, and yes it's poorly worded and smells of non-diving armature bureaucrats in the Tourist Board...but what the heck, the Government here has lots of rules but totally impotent in the enforcement or those rules. ...sound like I have an attitude, don't I.