Of the three atoll reefs off the coast of Belize, Lighthouse Reef is the farthest offshore. It is far from neglected, however, since dive boats from San Pedro visit the atoll regularly and the larger live-aboard vessels are always found in the vicinity. Within the confines of the reef, the depth is generally about 9 feet (2.7 m) with sufficient room between the numerous patch reefs to maneuver any craft with shallow enough draft.
The seabed is sandy and this, at least, allows the skipper to see the darker-colored patches of coral. As long as the sun is over the shoulder, the patch reefs are clearly seen. However, as soon as you turn and face the sun, the glare from the surface obscures the coral and extreme caution is advised.
There are also six cayes. In the north, Sandbore Caye is one of the two cayes equipped with lighthouses occupied by a keeper and his family. Nearby is Northern Caye and these two cayes are known locally as Northern Two Cayes. On Northern Caye is one of the newest offshore diving resorts. Much of the caye has well-matured mangroves and there is an internal lagoon. The caye is noted for its saltwater crocodiles and snowy egrets.
Halfway down the west coast, there is a small caye called White Pelican Caye. The white pelican is not regarded as a species indigenous to Belize, so their being here is unusual. I first saw.a large flock of these splendid birds in 1988, and have heard that they frequently stop at this point when in transit. Further south, there is Long Caye, which is a veritable jungle and home for far too many mosquitoes for reasonable comfort. However, some of the best diving is found to the west of Long Caye. The nutrients are pushed westward by the prevailing winds and there are no lagoons of fresh or brackish water to destroy the reef. just below Long Caye is Hat Caye which is very small and inaccessible by boat.
The Great Blue Hole is a circular hole in the middle of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. About 1000 feet across and just a little over 400 feet deep. In it, the diver will find coral only at the very top, on the rim of the hole. The lack of sunlight prevents coral growth on the inclining walls of the hole. Lack of coral leads to few fish as well. At about 130 feet of depth, one can see huge stalactites hanging off the overhang. Some of them more then 20 feet in length. Also at this depth several reef sharks and an occasional bull shark greet the divers. At certain days more than 20 of them chill out in the cool depth of the Blue Hole. These sharks have just recently named the hole their home and make for a very exciting dive.
The dive exceeds the depth limit of an Open Water Certified Diver by a few feet. On each dive there, the guides very carefully survey the dive party as to whether they want to see sharks or not. Never heard a group vote turn down a chance to see some sharks, which are singularly absent at any other dive site, except for harmless nurse sharks.
After the whole group is safely placed behind the big stalactites which begin at 125 feet or so at the top of the opening into the caves, forcing one to go down 25 or so feet lower where there is room for a diver with a tank on their back to squeeze into, down into the opening to the caves.
The dive master or his helper swim out about 15 feet away from the wall and dump a load of chum bait into the water. And then they too swim over to the somewhat dubious safety of the wall. The sharks, especially if you're in an early group (which means they haven't all gorged yet) arrive en mass and have a feeding party. There are 15 foot Bulls, really huge Tigers, lots of Black tip reef and even a couple Hammers in schools exceeding 15 sharks at these events. Sometimes, divers accompanied by a guide swim INTO this party for a photo opportunity by their dive buddy with a really big double strobe flash attachment, and then swim out again... all parts intact!
