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Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Diving with the biggest shark in the deepest hole

The Great Blue Hole is known to be one of the world's top ten dive sites, dubbed by the famous Jacques Cousteau, who discovered it in 1971. I along with many other divers would not disagree. It is here, even as a Dive Master, I have experienced one of the best days of diving ever.


Rarely can I dive no shirt without getting cold - Loved it!

Belize is a little country in Central America; it's located on the southeastern side of Central America, just below the most eastern part of Mexico and fronting the Caribbean Sea. I spent 5 days just off the coast on an Island called Ambergris Caye, which is just north of another amazing island named Caye Caulker, famous for its super chilled vibe. From either of these two Islands you can take tours out to dive or snorkel the famous Blue Hole.

The day tour that I took consisted of 3 dives, which I will never for the life of me forget. Our first dive was into the Great Blue Hole, where we swam through the amazing stalactites, which when exiting, we had a visit from a 6-8ft reef shark that circled by to check us out. I couldn't believe it, it was the biggest shark I had actually swam with. It was so refreshing to be under the water with it instead of sitting on my board (surfing) being scared shitless from the sight of a shape/fin. I was in total awe at its sheer gracefulness through the water, its true; sharks are king of the ocean.


Little Caribbean Island on the boat trip out

Upon climbing back aboard the boat my ear-to-ear grin could not be wiped from my face. Then it was on to the next dive site of Half Moon Caye. Not expecting it be as a good as the last dive, I was astounded at the clarity of the water when I jumped in. It was as though I was looking into a recently cleaned life size aquarium full of bright fluorescent sea life all around me. I asked my guide what the visibility was, to which he explained we were more than lucky as it was an unbelievable day at 120ft-130ft visibility, where as usually its 80-90ft which alone is quite incredible.


Docking for a lunch break

After two of the most amazing dives of my life, the boat took us to the island of Half Moon Caye for lunch, where we feasted and relaxed, letting the nitrogen release from our bodies. The Island we ate lunch on, mimicked a magazine center fold of a exquisite tropical getaway. It had pure white sand, with old abandoned buildings that had suffered from years of ocean sea breezes along with a quaint little forest inhabited by birds. You couldn't have asked for a more relaxing place to enjoy your lunch.


Half Moon Caye

If you are a keen diver, love the tropics and crave visiting the Caribbean to dive, free dive, snorkel or take a relaxing break, the islands off Belize are the place to do it. Oh did I mention it's cheap!

Myself and 2 mates stayed at Pedro's Inn for 5 days which is inexpensive, close walking distance to the shops and the docks and it's not right in the hustle and bustle of it all. They guy who runs the place is super nice and will help you out with whom to book tours through without getting scammed.

Source

Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Into the blue: The jawdropping 310 metre wide Great Blue Hole in Belize

The Great Blue Hole in Belize.

The Great Blue Hole in Belize. Source: Flickr

AT 310m wide and 125m deep, this azure submarine sinkhole is a paradise for divers in search of crystal-clear water that hides treasures in its depths.

Welcome to the Great Blue Hole near Belize, a spectacular sight which Lonely Planet has explored for the new book The World’s Great Wonders.

From above, it looks like an eye — a large, dark pupil surrounded by a sliver of turquoise iris, framed by the eyelids of the reef. But now that you’re within its embrace, it’s hard to get a sense of its circular shape.

A school of yellow angelfish linger by the reef. A lone parrotfish nibbles on the coral. Pressing on your scuba gear’s purge valve, you follow the stream of bubbles from fellow divers. As you sink lower, you are surprised by the absence of marine wildlife down here. You peer into the darkness, hoping for a glimpse of a turtle, or maybe a shark. But 40m down, there is an even more spectacular sight.

Stalactites. The long swords of limestone, some 10m in length, cling to the roofs of cave inlets. At this depth they appear dirty brown in colour. You approach them tentatively, aware that one flick of a wayward fin could shatter eons of history. After all, stalactites started to form in these caves over 150,000 years ago.

Into the blue

The Great Blue Hole sits in the centre of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70km off the coast of Belize. It’s a diving hotspot, described by Jacques Cousteau as one of the top 10 diving sites in the world. In 1971, Cousteau took his ship Calypso to the Great Blue Hole to chart its depths.

When it first formed thousands of years ago, the sinkhole was not underwater. Scientists know this because stalactites exist inside the sinkhole, and yet stalactites cannot form underwater, only in dry air.

Deep inside a jawdropping 310m sinkhole

The stunning sight. Source: ThinkStock

The different layers down the lengths of the stalactites act like a climate timeline. Around 150,000 years ago, when sea levels were 120m lower than today, subterranean caverns started to form. Then as the oceans began to rise, the caves gradually flooded.

Underwater photo of brain coral and trunk fish taken in the Great Blue Hole.

Underwater photo of brain coral and trunk fish taken in the Great Blue Hole. Source: Flickr

Getting to the Great Blue Hole

Fly into Belize City, or arrive overland from Guatemala or Mexico, or by boat from Guatemala or Honduras. Getting around Belize’s islands and reefs involves taking tours or diving and snorkelling trips, using boats organised by island accommodations or chartering a vessel.

A woman freediving in the ocean.

A woman freediving in the ocean. Source: ThinkStock

While you’re there

Float downriver from Orange Walk Town into the depths of the jungle and the ruins of Lamanai, whose High Temple was one of the largest structures in the Mayan world when it was built in 100BC. Then search for elusive jaguar in the world’s only jaguar reserve, the 518-sq-km Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. The jungle is home to all sorts of wildlife, including crocodiles, iguanas, peccaries, coatimundis, spider monkeys and howler monkeys, and countless species of birds. For a staggering array of marine wildlife, kayak Glover’s Reef, where the cays in the central lagoon all have white-coral beaches.

Temple in Lamanai.

Temple in Lamanai. Source: ThinkStock

Other great locations for blue holes

The Bahamas have more blue holes than any other country in the world and boast the deepest submarine sinkhole, Dean’s Blue Hole, which plunges 202m down in a bay west of Long Island. It’s also home to many inland caves, such as those on the Abaco Islands, which have been flooded by the sea via underground channels.

A woman free diving in a blue hole in the Bahamas.

A woman free diving in a blue hole in the Bahamas. Source: ThinkStock

As tides have less impact in these inland caves, a layer of fresh rainwater sits on top of the denser salt water, cutting it off from atmospheric oxygen. Thriving in this anoxic lower layer are unique bacteria, whose metabolism heats the water up to as much as 40 degrees celcius.

This is an extract from The World’s Great Wonders by Jheni Osman © Lonely Planet 2014. In stores now, RRP: $34.99

The World's Great Wonders.

The World's Great Wonders. Source: Supplied


Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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The Playground at Half Moon Wall

10 yr old Jr. Open Water Diver celebrates his first shark dive.


Half Moon Caye - Half Moon Wall - Long caye Aquarium August 3 2014


Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Video: Half Moon Caye trip

By Oceana Belize

Stunning aerial views and interviews, including the wife of the Prime Minister Kim Simplis Barrow and their daughter, Salima.

Every year, approximately ten thousand tourists visit the Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monuments. Unfortunately, of that number, very few are Belizeans. As part of ongoing efforts to have Belizeans enjoy Belizean resources, this weekend, Oceana, in collaboration with the Belize Audubon Society, organized a visit to the these World Heritage Sites for two Belizeans who had never been to the Lighthouse Reef Atoll: wife of the Prime Minister Kim Simplis Barrow and their daughter, Salima. And while it may have been their first visit, as the following video highlights, it definitely won't be their last.

The Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments are among the oldest protected sites in Belize. There are no entrance fees for visits to the Great Blue Hole for Belizeans while the entrance fee for Belizeans to Half Moon Caye is two dollars and fifty cents.


Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Belize 2013

A dive trip to Belize aboard the Sun Dancer !! in October of 2013.

Sun Dancer II, Lighthouse Reef: Long Caye, Ridge, Sand Box, Chain Wall, Long Caye Wall, Site Y, Uno Coco, Silver Caves, Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, Dinner,

Turneffe: Sandy Slope, Party, Credits.


Joined: Nov 2000
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Good controlled camera shots but way too long. Could be edited down to a snappy ten minutes instead of over a half an hour.


Harriette
Take only pictures leave only bubbles
Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Belize, Half Moon Caye Wall


Joined: Oct 1999
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An aerial view of the coral reef and deep cave that make up the famous diving spot of the Blue Hole in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Belize.

Belize's Famous 'Blue Hole' Reveals Clues to the Maya's Demise

The ancient Mayan civilization collapsed due to a century-long drought, new research suggests.

Minerals taken from Belize's famous underwater cave, known as the Blue Hole, as well as lagoons nearby, show that an extreme drought occurred between A.D. 800 and A.D. 900, right when the Mayan civilization disintegrated. After the rains returned, the Mayans moved north - but they disappeared again a few centuries later, and that disappearance occurred at the same time as another dry spell, the sediments reveal. [In Photos: Stunning Sinkholes]

Although the findings aren't the first to tie a drought to the Mayan culture's demise, the new results strengthen the case that dry periods were indeed the culprit. That's because the data come from several spots in a region central to the Mayan heartland, said study co-author Andr� Droxler, an Earth scientist at Rice University.

Rise and decline From A.D. 300 to A.D. 700, the Mayan civilization flourished in the Yucatan peninsula. These ancient Mesoamericans built stunning pyramids, mastered astronomy, and developed both a hieroglyphic writing system and a calendar system, which is famous for allegedly predicting that the world would end in 2012.

But in the centuries after A.D. 700, the civilization's building activities slowed and the culture descended into warfare and anarchy. Historians have speculatively linked that decline with everything from the ancient society's fear of malevolent spirits to deforestation completed to make way for cropland to the loss of favored foods, such as the Tikal deer.

The evidence for a drought has been growing in recent years: Since at least 1995, scientists have been looking more closely at the effects of drought. A 2012 study in the journal Science analyzed a 2,000-year-old stalagmite from a cave in southern Belize and found that sharp decreases in rainfall coincided with periods of decline in the culture. But that data came from just one cave, which meant it was difficult to make predictions for the area as a whole, Droxler said.

The main driver of this drought is thought to have been a shift in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a weather system that generally dumps water on tropical regions of the world while drying out the subtropics. During summers, the ITCZ pelts the Yucatan peninsula with rain, but the system travels farther south in the winter. Many scientists have suggested that during the Mayan decline, this monsoon system may have missed the Yucatan peninsula altogether.

Deep history To look for signs of drought, the team drilled cores from the sediments in the Blue Hole of Lighthouse lagoon, as well one in the Rhomboid reef. The lagoons surrounded on all sides by thick walls of coral reef. During storms or wetter periods, excess water runs off from rivers and streams, overtops the retaining walls, and is deposited in a thin layer at the top of the lagoon. From there, all the sediments from these streams settle to the bottom of the lagoon, piling on top of each other and leaving a chronological record of the historical climate.

"It's like a big bucket. It's a sediment trap," Droxler told Live Science.

Droxler and his colleagues analyzed the chemical composition of the cores, in particular the ratio of titanium to aluminum. When the rains fall, it eats away at the volcanic rocks of the region, which contain titanium. The free titanium then sweeps into streams that reach the ocean. So relatively low ratios of titanium to aluminum correspond to periods with less rainfall, Droxler said.

The team found that during the period between A.D. 800 and A.D. 1000, when the Maya civilization collapsed, there were just one or two tropical cyclones every two decades, as opposed to the usual five or six. After that, the Maya moved north, building at sites such as Chichen Itza, in what is now Mexico.

But the new results also found that between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1100, during the height of the Little Ice Age, another major drought struck. This period coincides with the fall of Chichen Itza.

The findings strengthen the case that drought helped usher in the long decline of the Mayan culture.

"When you have major droughts, you start to get famines and unrest," Droxler said.

Live Science

Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Spotted Eagle Ray, Half Moon Caye

by Simon Backley....


Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Dolphins Off the Coast of Belize

A pod of about 50 dolphins plays around our boat on a return trip from Half Moon Caye. Shot near Lighthouse Reef, about 2.5 hours off the coast.


May 6th, 2014 - Half Moon Caye, Belize (#14)

Amazing corals, very cool landscape, barracuda, garden eels, spotted eagle ray (very faint, just before the...), Caribbean reef shark, and a turtle while we were doing out safety stop. Best dive so far!



ADRENALIN JUNKIE? THEN BELIZE'S GREAT BLUE HOLE IS FOR YOU

by Rachel Oakley in Cool Travel

I know, I know, the name doesn't do it justice but the Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize is a must if you're travelling through Central America. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1996, the Great Blue Hole was originally a limestone cave that started to form about 150,000 years ago. Today, it's one of the greatest places for experienced divers to explore.

The deepest point of the Great Blue Hole lies at 124 metres, but if that doesn't exhilarate you enough, then perhaps spotting nurse sharks, giant groupers, and other reef sharks might! Yup, they're all here in this stunning part of the world.

If diving isn't your thing, you can take to the skies on a Blue Hole tour that flies you over the Belize Barrier Reef and the Great Blue Hole. Or, if you've got $15,000 handy, there's a Blue Hole skydiving experience you're sure to remember!


The Great Blue Hole in Belize
The Great Blue Hole in Belize
The Great Blue Hole in Belize


Half Moon Caye, Belize by aerial drone

Filmed during our Great Blue Hole diving trip.



Wall Diving the Caribbean!

Caribbean wall diving with graceful spotted eagle rays, curious caribbean reef sharks, nosey nurse sharks, slithering giant green morey eels, large grouper, southern stingrays, lazy lobster, and much more all up close and personal. This week of diving included my wife 100th dive logged in just over two years after certification. Her buoyancy control is amazing! Dive sites included Half Moon Caye, Glovers Reef, Blue Hole, and all the surrounding areas. Warm Caribbean diving never disappoints. Belize is our favorite in those waters.



Belize Lighthouse Reef Drone Shot


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