The outermost atoll: the Blue Hole, a booby colony, and the longest boat ride.
Lighthouse Reef is the furthest of the atolls and the one with the famous circle: the Great Blue Hole, a deep marine sinkhole that looks extraordinary from the air. Half Moon Caye, at the south of the atoll, is a protected island with a red-footed booby colony and a wall dive a short swim from the beach.
Most people see it on a long day trip from Ambergris or Caulker. For divers who want more than one day out there, we look at the few overnight options and at liveaboards.
The Blue Hole, honestly
A deep, dark dive valued for its shape and its stalactites, not for coral or fish. Many people prefer to see it from the air.Check before you travel
Half Moon Caye
A protected island with a red-footed booby colony and a walkway to an observation platform.Check before you travel
The wall dives
Half Moon Caye Wall and the Aquarium are the dives that make the day worth it.
UNESCO reef system
The Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye are both part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.Check before you travel
Boat and flight times are ranges and depend on the weather and the operator. How we get around
We choose places to stay for the setting, the people running them, and how they fit your plans.
The day trip is long and the open-water crossing can be rough. Weather cancels it more often than brochures admit, so we never put it on the last day of a trip.
If you're a newer diver, the Blue Hole dive is short, deep and dark. We'll tell you plainly whether it's worth it for you, and often the answer is to fly over it and dive the walls instead.
The biggest caye: restaurants, a golf-cart town, and the reef a few minutes offshore.
A small caye with sand streets, wooden docks and no hurry at all.
