GREAT BLUE HOLE | BELIZE

There are places on our wonderful planet so extraordinary that you don’t actually believe they exist until you see them for yourself. Great Blue Hole, located off the coast of a Central American country of Belize, perfectly fits that category. This is one of those nature’s anomalies that will leave you speechless and awe-inspired, and if you happen to be passionate about scuba diving, the Great Blue Hole is the ultimate destination for you. Scuba diving in this place is something that will vividly remain in your mind forever.

The Great Blue Hole is actually a submarine sinkhole in the centre of Lighthouse Reef. People who were fortunate enough to see it up close say that it resembles a giant eye amidst a turquoise sea. This is a perfectly circular hole which diameter is approximately 91 metres (over 300 feet). The water here is 125m deep (412 feet), and its temperature is pleasant 24 degrees Celsius (or 76 F).

The walls of the Great Blue Hole are almost transparent from the surface until a depth of 33 metres where you will find amazing stalactites and stalagmites which, oddly enough, angle back. You can dive below these huge overhangs while feeling exceptionally humbled by their size and texture.

As far as the marine life goes, the Great Blue Hole is home to stunning sponges and coral formations, sharks, and some of the biggest lobsters you’ll ever see. While we are at the subject of sea creatures, it is worth mentioning that in the late 1960s and early 1970, several divers reported seeing an apparition here that resembled a huge sea serpent which allegedly had distinct red eyes and was whopping 20 feet long.

Day trips depart from Ambergris Caye at 5.30am and it takes about two and a half hours to reach the hole, depending on the weather.