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December 2nd, 2009 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

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BELIZE'S GREAT BLUE HOLE IS REALLY WORTH DIVING

Belize's Great Blue Hole Is It Really Worth Diving

This is the question repeatedly asked in many diving message boards on the Internet and received answers sometimes misleading depending on the divers experience the answer.

This article was written to provide factual information based on unbiased sources of hundreds of divers reaction I have had the opportunity to speak to after diving the Blue Hole.
Since I was a dive operator in Belize for many years and love the country, there will be some readers who say, of course I will promote the Blue Hole with a positive way but the real truth is I personally think 90% of the divers was a great experience and a great addition to great diving Belize diving.

It's Great Blue Hole Belize is 1000ft across and 460ft deep and forms a nearly perfect circle. Has become a favorite fishing ground for fishermen Belize for hundreds of years and in 1970 it introduced to the public by Jacque Cousteau of the above boat Calypso Blue Hole mapped for the first time and highlighted with a miracle in TV documentaries.
The Blue Hole of Belize is unique in many ways, one of them that it was the only Blue Hole in the world that can be seen with the naked eye from outer space.

This is the fact that thousands of years ago Blue Hole is a cave above the sea level, the reason we know this because Stalagtites and stalamites can not form under water, and can only be grown with drip drip constant which can be seen going on in many stalagtites above ground cave system today.
When you consider that it takes more than 100 years to grow only Stalagtite one inch, with a spectacular view to see the 40ft stalagtite has taken literally thousands of years to reach that size. Which can be found in Stalagtites Blue Hole began 100ft, depending hanging from the ceiling some more than 40ft long.

That Blue Hole and the surrounding area has been designated as World Heritage sites is due to the uniqueness and is one of the many protected areas of Belize. (did you know that nearly a third of the country of Belize is designated as protected reserves)

Many people do not realize it, but there are only 2 spots diveable at the Blue Hole, north side of which is the more popular side of the larger boats, because of easy access to the side of it, and then they are the south side which is generally only boats can access smaller because of the wind and the fact that has become pigeon-hole of the ring itself.
Each has only about 300ft or more Stalagtites hanged himself after only a flat wall is basically nothing. In northern dive sites you only have Stalagtites (hanging down) only to drop below you, on the southern side has been good and Stalagmite Stalagtites which can be found at around 145ft where there is a small ledge which has some Stalagmites, This is the side you are more likely to meet with a population of Shark population.

In many message board posts you'll read that some divers saw many sharks as Other divers see anyone and there is a simple explanation for this.
I dove the Blue Hole for more than 12 years, and while today the Blue Hole has a large population of Caribbean Reef Sharks that will depend on how you dive the Blue hole and you dive with whether you will see a shark population or not.

Many years ago before This large population into everyday events near, we were doing at the opportunity to see sharks at the Blue Hole, but always on the South side, and almost NEVER when we dove north side of the is 99% of the time, because as mentioned the size of the ship that we use only allows us to dive the south side when the wind is good ..

So why several divers saw the shark and the other does not? Heres spoon

Almost all the dive boat Blue Hole from San Pedro to see sharks on many occasions, and the reason for this is that they arrived at the Blue Hole FIRST before the aggressors and other large ships, etc. located in the resort area. (make a mental note here that usually the divers who which is usually very experienced Liveaboards books and living in a remote atoll resort because it is the best dive sites in Belize are usually to be found)
Be first to dive Blue Hole affords them a better visibility for the first group to dive the Blue Hole vis some of the best, the reason for this is, when you come down it causes mud to drive as the bubbles rise and release the mud causing visibility to be reduced. (These days because of the many boats and divers visibility is almost always very bad compared with other fantastic diving at Lighthouse Reef)

When you consider that the San Pedro sent many boats a day to the Blue Hole you can understand why the people who dive it later in the morning on the pretext (Let us wait till san pedro boat go so the less busy) dive sites that may have been through 50 divers already before they get a chance to dive it.
This puts them at a distinct disadvantage for diving, especially in high visibility areas since 40-50 divers and a bubble of visibility will be reduced up to 50% in some cases, there beside the Sharks.
Sometimes the sharks will follow you throughout the dive, but primarily utilized at the end of the dive since you have an extended safety stop of 10 minutes or more, and while waiting for that time in the sandy ledge 15ft located in your buzz and entertained to 30 Caribbean Reef Sharks. (Not covered)

Sharks will try to come to the surface with water fishing with sardines will bring them to the surface from depths Blue Hole scuba divers and provides an opportunity to see the creatures of this extraordinary for safety stops.
Liveaboards feedback that is not water and the local resort and if it is not be possible to see sharks were reduced by 90% so you can clearly see that most of the divers who dive the Blue Hole from Palmyra liveabord or resort will have a diving is much lower for this reason.
Fishing is not allowed now, but some operators are still doing this to try and get the sharks from the depths.
This is usually very experienced divers who are usually the people in Liveaboards because they usually affords the best diving opportunities in Belize and the absolute right to EXCLUSION of the Blue Hole dive based on how they are currently running a dive.

For years the questions that arise repeatedly posted on various message boards divers Is Worth diving the Blue Hole? and you will see the same answers over and over again from that did not bother wasting your time to good diving and great value all things in between.
Why is there such a vast difference in public opinion, my answer is that most customers stay on the message board, those who are posting at least once a week, etc. are usually very active diver and has lots of experience and have the opportunity to dive a few places around the world and give free advice But there others.This can do justice to a fairly new diver that happens to a message board and asking questions are worth diving the Blue Hole? Most of the answers I see on message boards negative when asked this question, mainly because I believe very experienced divers who may have 1000's of diving under the belt waist and when he plunged the Blue Hole was probably from Liveaboard after a group of other divers had dove and because he lacks worldly experience than impressed with the Blue Hole, then he had heard enough to make this experience a new diver just dove Cozumel since the certification and has 20 dives under his belt, of course he thought was an expert diver to know exactly what he was talking about so decided NOT to dive the Blue Hole because of what he had been told.

When is enough new divers to Belize and asked if you want to dive the Blue Hole Ohh I received no answer I've heard that I was not good then I ask who told you that, and I received an answer from me read on a message board, or my friends to come to Belize and he said to me, so I asked if he was diving the Blue Hole when he was here?? and I received an answer Oh no, but he heard it is not feasible either, so do not dive when he was in Belize. I heard this time after time to time. I then explained the Blue Hole trip and hopefully I've got some inhouse guests who had just come back and then I do not need to say anything they will sell their trip for me but if I do not have an inhouse dive then I will tell them about the trip and encourage them to go and I usually add that if they do not think it was worth there I'll return the money, of course, to this date I have never returned the money they usually anyones really appreciate that I talked them into it and let them make there own mind and I happy to break the cycle of OH No I heard it was not worth it mode.

Why do I do this if I make more money making them inhouse? the reason is that I am the first to say that Belize has a lot of different areas to dive and each unique in what is offered, based on what a particular diver looking for in a vacation (which other Belize article immediately following) I want to visit the divers to return with a positive impression of the Belize dive and I can do to enhance the enjoyment Belize diving there so I'll do it.

The Blue Hole is a unique diving pigeons that if true could be a notebook In addition to all divers will be less impressive to those divers with thousands of dives under his belt but there 95% of divers will really enjoy diving and see it as a positive DIFFERENT fun dive.

So next time you see a question posted on a message board asking about the Blue Hole to be sensitive to the EXPERIENCE of divers ask when you answer it. Divers who have been lucky enough to travel all over the world with thousands of dives under his belt there will find a passion, but less than the average divers will enjoy diving Lighthouse Reef and The Great Blue Hole of Belize possibility sharks and scary feeling thin difference, it will be an unforgettable experience for them to dive, giving them a chance to make a self assessment.

If you are planning to go to Dive Belize why not visit the site web and let me help you plan your trip

Diving Safely

Gaz Cooper

Something Blue