AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Blue Hole ? restricting visits?

we were told of a news report from this past week that talked of the Blue Hole in Belize and that there are going to be restrictions placed on how many visitors may go there. How will this work and does anyone know anything about it?

Where did you read that?

we were told by family members that it was a tv special about Belize......that there was too much damage from all the visitors..........anyone else heard this?

That was said on the special by the 'Today Show' a few months ago..

I can't think what damage visitors could do to the Blue Hole. Etch their names on the stalagmites perhaps?! I haven't heard of anything like this and it doesn't seem very likely. More info would be welcome.

Check the archives on the 'Today Show' NBC website to see if you can still access the reports by Matt Lauer.

Maybe similar regulations to those discussed regarding Hol Chan some time back. Seems like they wanted to limit the size of the boat/tourists. If memory serves they were trying to keep the cruise ship tenders and associated minions away. Too many people in too small of an area. Not sure if it happened or not.

Hol Chan is a completely different case. Visitor pressure there can and does cause damage. I just don't see that applying to the BH.

Matt, what hast thou wrought?

Matt Lauer's report about the blue hole had a guide on board. What I got from the interview was that there is a concern that the blue hole is getting to be like the bahamas with the sharks associating people with food because of the chumming that goes on to attract the sharks. I believe that is what the naturalist/enviornmentalist wants stopped vs the visitors. The bahamas and even some parts of florida have a concern with shark feedings is that it attracts more sharks and some sharks are coming closer to land.