1 sinkhole · down to 40 m (131 ft) · 1 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in Great Blue Hole
- Sinkhole1
- Max depth40 m (131 ft)
- For intro teams1
- Dive centres4
Diving and fills
Dive here with
1 more who guide here
Why come here
The Great Blue Hole is not a cave dive but one of the world's best-known dives: a round sinkhole ~300 m across on the Lighthouse Reef atoll, once a dry cave whose roof collapsed. You dive down the wall to ~40 m, where giant stalactites hang under overhanging ledges, with only ~8 minutes at depth. It is a long day trip by boat with a dive centre from San Pedro, Caye Caulker or Hopkins, usually with two more dives on the atoll. Requirements differ per dive centre: plan with the strictest, a Deep specialty. Per SSI the water approaches 26 °C in April to June.
Don't miss
- Great Blue Hole: giant stalactites, some more than 12 m long, hang under the overhanging limestone ledges, and reef sharks and bull sharks often swim along.
On a rest day
- Half Moon Caye: A small island on the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef, in 1981 Belize's first nature reserve, with one of the few breeding colonies of red-footed boobies in the western Caribbean; from May to November sea turtles nest there. The Blue Hole trips stop there for lunch.
- Hol Chan Marine Reserve: A marine reserve of ~18 km² near Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, with coral reef, seagrass beds and mangroves; the name is Mayan for 'little channel'.
All 1 sinkhole
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Blue HoleEntry or dive feeBackmount · Open water / no overhead | 40 m (131 ft) | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
4 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Amigos del Mar (San Pedro)
San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye
Air; nitrox on the Blue Hole trip (USD 35)
Ask
Guided dives: Great Blue Hole
Rental: Wetsuit, BCD, regulator, weights and tanks are included on the trip; full gear USD 30, torch USD 17 and dive computer USD 30 extra.
PADI dive centre in San Pedro. Day trip to Lighthouse Reef with three dives: the Blue Hole to ~40 m, the other sites to ~18 m. Asks Open Water, at least 20 logged dives and a minimum age of 12; runs from 10 participants. The USD 40 park fee is paid on site.
Elite Adventures Belize (San Pedro)
San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
Guided dives: Great Blue Hole
A day trip of about 12 hours (departure 6:00 am, ~2.5 h by boat) with three dives: the Great Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall and Long Caye Aquarium, with lunch on Half Moon Caye. The 40 m (130 ft) profile only for divers with 25 or more dives; otherwise a profile to 24 m (80 ft). From USD 295, plus tax and park fee.
Hamanasi (Hopkins)
Hopkins Village, Stann Creek
Guided dives: Great Blue Hole
Dive resort on the coast at Hopkins. The trip to Lighthouse Reef (6 am–4 pm, ~2.5 h out, ~2 h back, from 8 divers) dives the Blue Hole to 18 m with an Open Water card, or to 40 m only with a Deep specialty, after a check-out dive and an earlier Barrier Reef dive with Hamanasi. With a screening form (certification, number of dives, last and deepest dive) the dive leader decides whether you go. The park fee is included in the price (USD 410).
Victoria House dive shop (San Pedro)
Victoria House Resort, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
Guided dives: Great Blue Hole
Rental: Equipment is included on the Blue Hole trip; fitting the day before.
Dive shop of the Victoria House resort. Runs to the Blue Hole and Turneffe Atoll (three dives, 5:30 am to 4:30–5:30 pm) with a minimum number of divers; you must have dived within the past two years. The USD 40 park fee is not included. PADI courses up to Advanced Open Water.
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near San Pedro (Ambergris Caye), Caye Caulker, Hopkins
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- San Pedro (Ambergris Caye)Booking.com ↗
- Caye CaulkerBooking.com ↗
- HopkinsBooking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 911 in Belize. Chamber: Belize Hyperbaric Chamber, Lion Street in San Pedro opposite Maya Island Air, emergency number 226-2851 (per The San Pedro Sun, 2017; have your dive centre check that it works now). The Blue Hole is 2–2.5 h by boat from San Pedro.
Access and rules
- Natural monument: the Blue Hole has been a natural monument since 1996, managed by the Forest Department together with the Belize Audubon Society, and is part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site. Boats use moorings. The park fee is USD 40 (per Amigos del Mar and Victoria House), on site or through your dive centre; rangers check the tickets.
Gas and fills
- Gas: air; Amigos del Mar offers nitrox on the Blue Hole trip (USD 35). We found no technical gas.
Water and season
- Water: per SSI approaching 26 °C in April to June, the best time, before the hurricane season; at ~18 m you feel a thermocline with cooler water. A 3 mm suit is enough per SSI.
Getting around
- Travel: Philip S. W. Goldson airport (BZE) near Belize City, then a domestic flight or the ferry to Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker. Departure around 6 am, back around 5 pm; 2–2.5 h each way across open sea (Hamanasi runs ~2.5 h from Hopkins). Liveaboards dive the Blue Hole on multi-day trips. Don't fly within 24 hours after diving.
Good to know
- Read this first: the Great Blue Hole is not a cave dive. You dive into a round sinkhole ~300 m across on the Lighthouse Reef atoll, down the wall to ~40 m, where stalactites hang under overhanging ledges, with open water above you. It is a long day trip by boat with a dive centre, usually with two more dives on the atoll. We found no dive centre in Belize that takes cave divers there or dives it on technical gas.
News
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