Great Blue Hole Diving — Belize

The Great Blue Hole is diving's most recognizable natural wonder — a near-perfect 1,000-foot-wide circle of deep blue surrounded by the shallow turquoise of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The main event is a descent to 130 feet where massive stalactites hang like cathedral columns in the darkness. While the Blue Hole itself is more spectacle than reef dive, the surrounding atoll offers excellent wall and reef diving.

Score
70.1 / 100
Country
Belize
Region
Central America
Area
Lighthouse Reef Atoll
Nearest airport
Philip Goldson International (BZE)
Visibility
24–46 m
Water temperature
26–29 °C
Max depth
125 m
Current strength
mild
Dive types
deep, wall, reef, cave
Best months
April, May, June, July, August
Minimum certification
Advanced Open Water
Access type
boat
Average 2-tank dive cost
$250 USD
Budget tier
luxury
Key species
Caribbean reef shark, bull shark, giant grouper, nurse shark, eagle ray, barracuda
Google rating
4.5 (3,800 reviews)
Top operators
Ambergris Divers, Belize Diving Adventures, Hugh Parkey's Belize Dive Connection
Nearest hyperbaric chamber
Sub-Aquatic Safety Services Chamber, San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) (~100 km)
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World Class
Advanced
Great Blue Hole
BelizeCentral America
70.1

SCORE

17.3155°N

-87.5347°E

The Great Blue Hole is diving's most recognizable natural wonder — a near-perfect 1,000-foot-wide circle of deep blue surrounded by the shallow turquoise of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The main event is a descent to 130 feet where massive stalactites hang like cathedral columns in the darkness. While the Blue Hole itself is more spectacle than reef dive, the surrounding atoll offers excellent wall and reef diving.

The Iconic Sinkhole of the Caribbean

Visibility24–46 m
Temperature26–29°C
Max Depth125 m
Currentmild
2-Tank Dive$250
Best MonthsApril, May, June, July
CertificationAdvanced Open WaterAdvanced

Score Breakdown

Click any score to see a detailed breakdown

ML68.0CH60.0VIS90.0SV58.0TMP85.0DA72.0OP78.0TS62.0GT55.0VAL48.0CRD60.0SP95.0

Marine Life

68.0

Species diversity, megafauna encounters, reef fish abundance, macro life, and endemic species.

Species Diversity
60
Megafauna Encounters
72
Reef Fish Abundance
55
Macro Life
50
Endemic Species
45
Marine Life Diversity
68.0
Coral & Reef Health
60.0
Visibility & Conditions
90.0
Dive Site Variety
58.0
Water Temperature
85.0
Depth & Access
72.0
Operator Quality
78.0
Topside Experience
62.0
Getting There
55.0
Value & Cost
48.0
Crowding
60.0
Social Proof
95.0

Key Species

Caribbean reef sharkbull sharkgiant groupernurse sharkeagle raybarracuda

Dive Types

deepwallreefcave

Traveling with Non-Divers?

Your non-diving travel companions will find plenty to enjoy topside while you're underwater. Here are some activities to consider.

Activities for Non-Divers

snorkeling Half Moon Cayeblue-footed booby colony viewingkayakingaerial tour of the Blue Hole

Nearby Cultural Sites

  • Half Moon Caye Natural Monument

Non-Diver Partner Score

5/10

Limited topside — plan ahead for non-diving partners.

Family FriendlyYes
Restaurants & Nightlifebasic

Safety & Emergency

Dive Insurance

Dive insurance is essential. Standard travel insurance often excludes scuba diving. We recommend DAN (Divers Alert Network) for comprehensive dive accident coverage.

Learn More at DAN.org
Hyperbaric Chamber100 km — Sub-Aquatic Safety Services Chamber, San Pedro (Ambergris Caye)
Nearest Hospital100 km

Remote atoll — boat to Belize City (3-4 hrs) or charter flight; chamber on Ambergris Caye

Skill LevelAdvanced
Current Strengthmild

Top Operators

Ambergris Divers

PADI

4.7
410 reviewsNITROX

Belize Diving Adventures

PADI

4.5
320 reviews

Hugh Parkey's Belize Dive Connection

PADI

4.4
280 reviewsNITROX
Compare This Dive Site
Honest reality check

What your dive shop won't tell you

The minimum certification printed on a brochure is the legal floor, not the honest recommendation. Here's what we actually think you should bring to this site.

Recommended logged dives
55+

Below this we'd send you somewhere easier first.

Recommended certification
Cavern Diver minimum. Full Cave certification for anything past the daylight zone.
“The Blue Hole is a bucket-list dive that lasts 8 minutes at depth. The stalactites are otherworldly. Everything around Lighthouse Reef is better for actual diving.”

What will challenge you

  • →Recreational limit of 40 m is reachable here (max depth 125 m). Gas planning and NDL tracking matter.
  • →Overhead environment. Standard recreational training does not cover you past the entrance. People die here doing what they'd do on an open reef.
  • →Fast descent to 40m in open blue with no wall reference. Equalization matters more than anywhere.

What will surprise you

  • →The actual reef diving around Lighthouse Reef is better than the Blue Hole itself. Most people never find out.
Time of day

When to dive it

Every dive shop gives you this briefing at 7am. We just wrote it down.

Morning
  • Viz
    high
  • Current
    slack
  • Crowd
    moderate
  • descent into the void
  • stalactite cathedral
  • wide angle

The 6am boat gets you to the Blue Hole before the day-trip armada from San Pedro. Descend past the lip at 40m and the stalactites appear like a cathedral organ. One dive, one shot.

Afternoon
  • Viz
    high
  • Current
    mild
  • Crowd
    light
  • Half Moon Caye wall
  • reef sharks
  • eagle rays

Nobody dives the Blue Hole twice in a day. Afternoon is for Half Moon Caye wall — legitimate reef diving that most people skip.

Month-by-month

Dive forecast

Realistic conditions by month. Viz ranges are what you should actually expect, not best-case marketing numbers. Confidence % is the share of days that match this profile historically.

Month Viz (m) Temp (°C) CurrentSea RainConfidenceHighlights
Jan29–4228MildCalmDry55%dry season, best viz
Feb29–3928MildCalmDry65%peak dry, whale sharks possible
Mar29–3928MildCalmDry78%peak conditions
Apr29–4228MildCalmDry88%peak season
May30–4428MildCalmDry88%still good, warming
Jun30–4428MildChopLight88%rainy starting
Jul29–4227MildChopLight88%wet season
Aug29–3927MildChopWet88%hurricane risk
Sep29–3927MildChopWet78%peak hurricane
Oct29–4228MildChopWet65%hurricane tail
Nov30–4428MildCalmLight55%transition
Dec31–4628MildCalmDry55%dry returning
Shoot here

Photography brief

Subjects are only half the shot. A perfect macro site is useless in a three-knot drift, and a wide-angle dream is useless at 35 m with a murky ceiling. These are the conditions, not the hype.

Macro subjects58
Wide angle73
Viz stability88
Hover friendliness100
Natural light0

Recommended kit

  • →Wide-angle or fisheye (8-15mm range), dual strobes for close-focus wide angle
  • →Two independent light sources minimum; video lights beat strobes in caverns
Level up here

What this site will teach you

The dives that made you a better diver are the ones that made you uncomfortable for the right reasons. Here's what this site will quietly train you for.

What it costsEstimates — calibration pending

7-day trip, per person

Rough ranges anchored to existing regional data — not booking quotes. Land-based trip, standard breakdown.

Budget
$2,700–$3,800

Hostels, shore diving, cheap eats

Flights (RT from US)
$360–$440
Accommodation / day
$100–$180
Diving / day
$210–$250
Food / day
$15–$30
Transfers + misc
$50–$150
Mid-range
$4,200–$6,450

3-star hotels, standard boat ops, mix of restaurants

Flights (RT from US)
$590–$720
Accommodation / day
$220–$400
Diving / day
$250–$330
Food / day
$35–$70
Transfers + misc
$50–$150
Splurge
$7,300–$12,300

Top resorts or liveaboards, premium operators

Flights (RT from US)
$900–$1,100
Accommodation / day
$500–$1,000
Diving / day
$330–$430
Food / day
$80–$150
Transfers + misc
$50–$150

Flights priced round-trip from a major US hub. Figures are per person on a shared room. Solo travelers add ~30% to accommodation.

Pair with

Build a trip around it

Most divers fly across the world for one destination and don't realise another worth-it site is 90 minutes away. Here are the honest pairings.

Best dive types here