Lighthouse Reef Atoll

Lighthouse reef is a 40-mile preserve and one of the most exotic dive spots in Belize, it is perfect for the seasoned scuba diver or snorkeler. One of Belize's signature dive site is the Great Blue Hole at Lighthouse Reef. Made famous by Jacques Cousteau's Calypso expeditions in the 1970's, it is said that its formation was during the last Ice Age, 10 to 12,000 years ago, when sea-level was nearly 300 feet lower than today, huge stalactites protrude from the surrounding inward slanting lip of the Blue Hole.

Other spectacular sites includes the Half Moon Caye Wall, at the southern end of the atoll. Here the wall begins in only 35 feet of water, dropping vertically over the spurs and fissures of mammoth corals. Another popular site is The Aquarium noted for, among other spectacles, the schools of Trunk-fish that often parades there. Lighthouse Reef and the Great Blue Hole is accessible from Ambergris Caye or Turneffe Atoll on a full day or overnight side trips, however, for those who are more interested in experiencing all that this spectacular atoll has to offer an All Inclusive Saturday to Saturday Package at Lighthouse Reef Resort is recommended.