Within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll lies the great Blue Hole, one of the most amazing dive spots in the world. The Blue Hole is 1000 feet wide by 440 feet deep and just eight miles from Long Caye. It is the largest ocean sinkhole in the world and the only one of its kind that can be clearly seen from space.
The atolls are the Belize diving experience. They are far from shore and are basically wilderness existing in pristine conditions. They are huge: each by itself is about the size of Grand Cayman or Cozumel. Being farther from land, they are bathed in the clearest water on a consistent basis. Each atoll is distinctive.
The Lighthouse Reef Atoll is Belize's dive Shangri-La. It offers the best and most diverse marine life in the world. It is the outermost of the three atolls (45-50 miles east of Belize City) and a universe of diving in itself. Approximately three miles east of Long Caye is the famous island known as Half Moon Caye. This Belize Natural Monument is preserved and protected by the Belize Audubon Society and home to the only site of Red-footed Booby Birds in Belize. It is easily seen from the island dock and well worth the visit.
Although the Lighthouse Reef Atoll is the farthest atoll from the Belize mainland, it is the richest and most diverse of the three atolls of Belize. The atoll has six islands and more than 40 incredible dive sites. To the north of Long Caye there is a great diversity of corals in extremely clear, warm water. The visiblility off Long Caye is spectacular and there are superior wall sites just to the west of the island. Black coral, orange sponges as well as wide varities of marine fish are some of the best seen in the world. Several shipwrecks are within the atoll and many are believed to have lost pirate treasures. Colonial rifles and artifacts have been found on the island and in the surrounding waters. Do some exploring and see what can be found!
What's more, the Belize Barrier Reef has some of the best diving. It is the second largest in the world and the largest coral reef ecosystem in this hemisphere for its size. Aesthetically and ecologically, its integrity is virtually unharmed. Forming a nearly continuous fortification for 150 miles along the continental shelf edge, the Belize Barrier Reef provides life and security to all of Belize. The Belize Barrier Reef ecosystem has remained pristine because the small, subsistence-level population has not streessed it unduly, keeping it a diver's dream.
|
