Lighthouse Atoll and Blue Hole
About Lighthouse Atoll and Blue Hole Belize
Trip Plan
The Great Blue Hole Belize sits at the center of Lighthouse Atoll, the northernmost of Belize’s three coral atolls.
Lighthouse Atoll is the northernmost of the three atolls in Belize. This marine reserve contains two of the four Belize Natural Monuments and is located about 50 miles from Belize. The atoll is about 22 miles long and 5 miles wide with 6 cayes with small diving resorts. The 3-1/2 to 4 hour boat ride north Is inside the barrier reef to Turneffe Atoll and then crosses over to Lighthouse Atoll and The Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is a famous bucket list dive but the Half Moon Caye Wall and Long Caye Aquarium get rave reviews that make the long boat ride worthwhile.
The pristine waters with unique coral formations and prolific marine life makes Lighthouse Atoll a popular spot for divers wanting to see the best Belize has to offer. The Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye are designated as Belize National Monuments.
We require a minimum of 10 divers and/or snorkelers for The Blue Hole trip to be viable.
The boat ride north takes 3½ to 4 hours — first inside the barrier reef to Turneffe Atoll, then across open water to Lighthouse Atoll and the Blue Hole.
Please note, we require a minimum of 10 divers and/or snorkelers for the Blue Hole trip to be viable.
Snorkelers need to arrive at our dive center by 05:00 for a 05:30 am departure. Due to the early start, a complimentary continental breakfast is served at our dive center. An authentic Belizean style picnic lunch is served between the snorkel excursions. The boat ride takes about 3-1/2 to 4 hours. The trip gets back at around 5:00 pm.
The Blue Hole snorkel tour includes three snorkel opportunities. The first is the Blue Hole and the second is at Half Moon Caye. The third snorkel incursion is after lunch on Half Moon Caye Natural Monument which is described at this link: https://belizeaudubon.org/hmcnm/.
The Blue Hole located on is one of Belize’s best-known dive sites. It was made famous by Jacques Cousteau who visited the Blue Hole aboard Calypso in 1972 to determine its depth.
The Blue Hole is actually a sinkhole that was created after the collapse of an underground cavern and cave system. Almost perfectly circular, the Blue Hole is about 1000 feet/300mt in diameter and over 400 feet/130mt deep. The circular reef area which surrounds the Blue Hole provides an attractive opportunity for snorkelers to enjoy the Blue Hole. The coral breaks the surface in some areas at low tide.
Groups of 10 or more can book the Lighthouse Atoll and Blue Hole trip as an overnight trip. The Elbow at the south end of Turneffe Atoll may be incorporated into the trip plan.
The Elbow at the south end of Turneffe Atoll may be incorporated into the trip plan but it is not suitable for snorkeling.
