The Blue Hole in Belize

[DeputyDan]

When I did a liveaboard in Belize - ever passenger except one voted to not dive at the blue hole.
That one didn't care to dive there - they just wanted to see it.

 

[Downing]

Whether or not to dive the Blue Hole is a well worn topic on this board. If you have the time, you might want to search back a couple of years for a thread that ran quite a few pages of debate.

A couple of things I would add: you can cut down on BH travel time by staying at one of the atoll resorts, Turneffe Island Resort, Blackbird Caye Resort or Turneffe Flats. All three make the BH trip once a week and it takes about an hour each way. My understanding is it takes more like two and a half hours each way from Ambergris Caye. Regardless of where you stay, it's a full day trip out and back because you'll do a couple of more dives in the area, and those dives are highly rated.

Or you could do a two-day trip starting further south with Splash Dive Center in Placencia. They dive all the "hot spots" up and back, spending the night on a nearby caye before doing the BH first thing the next morning on the return trip.

Although from the air the BH is spectacular, from a boat it's just more water. The only way you know you've arrived is when the boat captain pulls up at a buoy.

It's a "bounce" dive. You descend to the lip at about 50 feet. Once the group is assembled, then down you go to 130 feet. You hang out for about five minutes, looking at sharks if they're there and maybe swimming around one of the massive stalactites. Then up you go back to the lip. Hang out some more, looking at sharks if they're there. Safety stop next. Up and out. Enjoy a spectacular shallow lime-green water ride to the picnic tables at Half Moon Caye for an SI before more diving in the area.

A quality dive op will have a high number of dive guides to divers ratio and will watch you like a hawk to make sure you don't get into trouble. You would most likely be diving air on an AL-80.

Glad to hear Cousteau apparently didn't really dynamite his way in.

John Denver? That would have gotten old really fast, lol.

To answer your question "is [the Blue Hole] worth the money for airfare, hotel and dive boat tour?," in my humble opinion I'd say no. But diving the BH would be only a small part of a Belize dive trip, so if you take that into account then the answer is an absolute yes.

 

[antattack]

I'm going in June. The charter is a three dives. One of which is the notable Blue Hole bounce dive. That one dive is a bucket list dive and I intend to take a look for myself. I hear the other two dives are pretty good.

So, it's a full day of boats and dives. It's not something I would go all the way to Belize to do, but there's plenty of good diving in Belize and I'm going for a family event anyway. I can't wait!

I confess, I'm a little worried about diving the blue hole- I hear that you MUST dive with a group. It's a little troubling to think that I'll be diving to 130' with an insta-buddy of unknown experience. I'll have to think about some strategies to manage that risk. Maybe rent a bail out bottle... (thinking...)

 

[Hawkwood]

... It's a little troubling to think that I'll be diving to 130' with an insta-buddy of unknown experience. I'll have to think about some strategies to manage that risk... (thinking...)

I went with three other folks I knew well and dive with often. We elected to sit the dive out and just to the dives after. My decision was simple. I was not going in the water to do what is in reality a decompression dive. There is no other way to describe it. You dive as a group, descending all at the same time. Go to 140 feet and ascend at the same time upon instruction from the DM. You do not stop going down. However, you do stop on the way up at the DM's "instruction" to look at stuff. It's a deco stop regardless of what it is called.

 

[ktomlinson]

nitrox? Please review your course material...

What are they supposed to find when they review their material?

---------- Post added March 22nd, 2013 at 01:12 PM ----------

His long are divers usually at 140-145'? With a 26% mix vplanner shows close to 8 minutes at 140' with just a 2 minute stop at 10'. Personally I do have the blue hole on my bucket list, but I'd prefer to do an actual deco dive there. Anyone know of any ops do this? Are o2 bottles available? Helium?

 

[Hawkwood]

What are they supposed to find when they review their material?

What enriched air blend is going to be useable and of benefit at 140 feet....?

_________________________

edit: I see where there was some confusion on this post. Poor wording on my part. I was not asking what the blend and benefit would be, I was answering the direct question.

Question: "What are they supposed to find when they review their material?"
Answer: "What enriched air blend is going to be useable and of benefit at 140 feet."

I should not have added the "....?" I hoped that would have been interpreted as "what else?" It is true that the writer is responsible for the interpretation.

 

[ktomlinson]

What enriched air blend is going to be useable and of benefit at 140 feet....?

Well, comparatively, 27% will give you a po2 of 1.41 at 140', and will allow you 7:40 at depth with a 2 minute stop at 10'. Doing the same bottom time on air gives you over a minute at 30', 2 at 20' and 4 at 10'. To me, that is a benefit.

Edit:

I think a better way to say it is that air allows 3:40 at depth without a deco obligation, 27% allows 6:40. We're only talking 3 minutes difference, but it is almost double time at depth.

 

[dmyers]

What enriched air blend is going to be useable and of benefit at 140 feet....?

In regards to the Nitrox, I was speaking of bottom time and no deco requirement. Should have made that more clear.

 

[DandyDon]

I confess, I'm a little worried about diving the blue hole- I hear that you MUST dive with a group. It's a little troubling to think that I'll be diving to 130' with an insta-buddy of unknown experience. I'll have to think about some strategies to manage that risk. Maybe rent a bail out bottle... (thinking...)

Good luck on that - finding one there. Most of my travels have been alone, diving with insta-buds, and my pony has now been thru two hydros with me as well as all around North America & the Caribbean. It's a pain but a wonderful one. If you have a reg or air problem at 130 ft, do you think any buddy will have enough back gas to safely get both up? It's a several hour boat ride to the nearest chamber, if it's available.

Our LDS group did the week and the BH with the worst dive operator ever. On that trip my home bud had quit me for a tall blond he wanted but I still kinda trailed them as I had this promise to him mom and all. The boat mate turned her air all the way off, then open 1/4 turn, and she hit out on descent. My home bud hadn't checked. She left him and headed straight for a DM who understood the signals and turned it on for her. I did the whole dive nervous about what else could go bad, tried to watch the group, starting my ascent last. Long day.

 

[bamafan]

What are they supposed to find when they review their material?

---------- Post added March 22nd, 2013 at 01:12 PM ----------

His long are divers usually at 140-145'? With a 26% mix vplanner shows close to 8 minutes at 140' with just a 2 minute stop at 10'. Personally I do have the blue hole on my bucket list, but I'd prefer to do an actual deco dive there. Anyone know of any ops do this? Are o2 bottles available? Helium?

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