Great Blue Hole
Great Blue Hole
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksCaverns & CavesGeologic Formations
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The most famous dive site in Belize was discovered by Jacques Cousteau.
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4.5
540 reviews
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109
Average
49
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18
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7
CEO
Haleiwa, HI2,830 contributions
Mar 2021 • Couples
Seeing the stalagmites and stalactites 140 feet down is an awesome experience. And you can't see the bottom from there. Our dive lasted about 8 minutes at the Arch. Not much to see- a few fish and perhaps a shark.
The boat trip from San Pedro takes about 2.5 hours. Open seas can get rough. Park fee is $40 per person. It's a worthwhile experience.
The tour includes two additional dive sites where you'll see lots of colorful fish, corals, sharks, rays, turtles, giant groupers, etc. A full day trip that starts at 6:00am and gets back to San Pedro around 5:30pm
The boat trip from San Pedro takes about 2.5 hours. Open seas can get rough. Park fee is $40 per person. It's a worthwhile experience.
The tour includes two additional dive sites where you'll see lots of colorful fish, corals, sharks, rays, turtles, giant groupers, etc. A full day trip that starts at 6:00am and gets back to San Pedro around 5:30pm
Written 26 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dianna K
New Orleans, LA140 contributions
Dec 2019
Our family chose to do the flyover rather than a boat tour. We considered the Blue Hole a must do. We also knew that the dive/ snorkel was supposed to not be as good an experience as diving/snorkeling elsewhere in Belize.
The tour was via MAYA airlines from San Pedro. The flight was an hour and you got views of the Blue Hole from both sides of the plane so no one missed out. My son got to sit in co-pilot's seat which he really enjoyed.
The site itself was amazing and worth seeing.
The tour was via MAYA airlines from San Pedro. The flight was an hour and you got views of the Blue Hole from both sides of the plane so no one missed out. My son got to sit in co-pilot's seat which he really enjoyed.
The site itself was amazing and worth seeing.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hennadesigns
Newark, NJ2 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
GBH is quite an experience. Like others said, you won't see much marine life but the snorkeling/diving is a unique experience. I am so glad we did not fly but actually experienced the place. The varied colors of water is breath taking. You can use a drone to experience the aerial view. Amigos del Mar is very organized and really took care of every detail. I would not suggest going with anyone else. Half moon caye is beautiful.
Written 31 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NormT956
Clifton, NJ139 contributions
Feb 2022
This "bucket list" item is a "ONE AND DONE". To go diving in Belize and not see it, would be dumb. We went from Ambergris Caye, it was a 2 and 1/2 hour boat ride and was VERY rough. 5 days later, I am still sore from the 5 hour rt boat ride. 25 minute dive, 5 minutes bottom time at 122 feet. Stalagmites/tites were a cool thing. I am glad I went, but will not go there again. The two dives after that - Half Moon Caye, and the Aquarium, were OUTSTANDING - sharks, turtles, grouper. Lunch on Half Moon Caye island made the long boat ride worth it, but this is the last over 30 minutes boat ride I will ever take on a dive venture.
Written 6 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Uri
Puerto Ayora, Ecuador475 contributions
Nov 2022 • Solo
I dive the Great Blue Hole with Amigos del Mar dive shop.
I liked it but it takes a two-hour rough boat ride to arrive.
The Great Blue Hole dive was only a 25-minute dive, with 5 minutes bottom time at 40 m / 130 feet. Stalagmites and stalactites were cool things but too dark for my taste. I am glad I went, but will not go there again.
The two dives after that - Half Moon Caye, and the Aquarium, were quite good. Also, lunch on Half Moon Caye island and the walk around it made the long boat ride worth it.
I liked it but it takes a two-hour rough boat ride to arrive.
The Great Blue Hole dive was only a 25-minute dive, with 5 minutes bottom time at 40 m / 130 feet. Stalagmites and stalactites were cool things but too dark for my taste. I am glad I went, but will not go there again.
The two dives after that - Half Moon Caye, and the Aquarium, were quite good. Also, lunch on Half Moon Caye island and the walk around it made the long boat ride worth it.
Written 11 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ellen Musk
3 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
This was the main objective of our trip. Dive the blue hole. We decided to take a flight over the hole as you can’t get a sense of it from the boat. We loved the flight.
We chose to hire a private dive master and see the hole our own way. We didn’t go 130’ with the group to see the cave. We dove half way around the rim.
This is not a pretty dive! Don’t expect colour full coral or tropical fish. This is about the experience. This was a bucket list item for us and we enjoyed it.
We chose to hire a private dive master and see the hole our own way. We didn’t go 130’ with the group to see the cave. We dove half way around the rim.
This is not a pretty dive! Don’t expect colour full coral or tropical fish. This is about the experience. This was a bucket list item for us and we enjoyed it.
Written 2 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoeDiver
Houston, TX4 contributions
Dove the Blue Hole yesterday with Amigos Del Mar here in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. The dive was spectacular! The boat moored to a bouy about 25 yards from the hole - we entered, tested our bouyancy (1st dive of the day) and swam to the hole. Descended to 45' and met on the sandy ledge - then ascended together into the hole. Our group was 12 divers, including three dive masters. The hole itself is very large - we could not see the other side during the dive - the water was a bit murky but viz was still about 50'. Descended to 130' and investigated the stalagtites and stalagmites left from this collapsed cave - really amazing! Bottom time was limited to eight minutes to avoid a decompression situation - but was plenty to see what we wanted to see. Above us during the entire dive were bull and reef shark - around 5-15 ft. in length - they were beautiful, and seemed as curious about us as we were about them - they never got closer than 40' to us. After our eight (8) minutes of bottom time elapsed we made a slow diagonal ascent along the wall, continuing to "take it all in." We hovered at 45' for about five minutes (a little extra safety margin) while watching the fish and sharks - During the 15' safety stop (for about 10 minutes - a bit extra for extra safety) the boat chummed the waters with fish (this is an OPTION - if everyone on the dive does not want to do this they won't chum) which attracted around 25 sharks of similar size to those mentioned above - they were SPECTACULAR - at NO time did anyone feel in danger - these were not JAWS sharks people :-) Everyone on the dive was PUMPED to have seen the beauty of the blue hole and the magnificent sea life... we boarded, motored to the Half Moon Caye area, and did a wall dive (SIT 1 hr) - then took a two (2) hour break on Half Moon Caye (saw the Boobie birds - neat!) and then did a dive at a sight called "The Aquarium" which had the nicest coral and fish yet... Overall an excellent experience! Will definately make the trip again on our next trip down to Belize.. The Blue Hole is a must-see.. it is an advanced dive due to it's depth, so you'll want a good number of dives under your belt before attempting (I have been waiting two years to make it - wanted some experience before making the dive) - the dive shop operated the trip in a safe and FUN manner (Amigos Del Mar) - their boat is AWESOME and the dive masters / captain were extremely friendly - the fruity rum drinks and snickers on the trip back to San Pedro didn't hurt either! :-) Gear was in very good shape and tanks all started above 3000 psi... Might need to make a stop at Wines DeVine (a MUST-VISIT while on the island) to pickup a bottle for the crew before leaving town- they earned it! :-)
Written 16 October 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tommy
Calgary, Canada149 contributions
Nov 2013 • Friends
Not for the faint of heart! The Great Blue Hole does live up to it hype - it is eerie, ominous, not your typical dive, but a tremendous experience! I absolutely loved having all those mixed emotions while descending to a depth of 130 feet where things just got darker and calmer. You finally reach the breathtaking stalactites that envelope the first ledge and you may be fortunate enough to see several bull and reef sharks circling about. There is also an elusive hammerhead, that we weren't lucky enough to see.
I concur with the rest of the reviewers that this is one of those lifetime experiences. We did this dive with Ecologic Divers, who are an amazing dive outfitter - I'd recommend going with them to get the best experience out of the visit to the Great Blue Hole.
I concur with the rest of the reviewers that this is one of those lifetime experiences. We did this dive with Ecologic Divers, who are an amazing dive outfitter - I'd recommend going with them to get the best experience out of the visit to the Great Blue Hole.
Written 26 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
michaelcanada
Rome, Italy344 contributions
Jul 2012 • Solo
Great Blue Hole - Here’s a great landmark, or should I say watermark, south of Cancun about 5 hours. In 1971 this site was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world.
It’s a great ride by car down the coast from Cancun and well past Tulum.
The ony way to fathon a sight like this is to first expecience a small aircraft flight over this historic blue hole. Charters are avaiaible form Belize City and it takes just over an hour to reach it. Unless you plane on diving, the sight is not that noticeable on the water's surface. But take a flight over it and get your HD camcorders rolling.The Great Blue Hole is a large submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 km (43 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 m (984 ft) across and 124 m (407 ft) deep. (We are talking deep!) When sea levels were much lower the hole was formed during several episodes of Quaternary glaciation.
As the ocean began to rise again, the caves were flooded. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
It’s a great ride by car down the coast from Cancun and well past Tulum.
The ony way to fathon a sight like this is to first expecience a small aircraft flight over this historic blue hole. Charters are avaiaible form Belize City and it takes just over an hour to reach it. Unless you plane on diving, the sight is not that noticeable on the water's surface. But take a flight over it and get your HD camcorders rolling.The Great Blue Hole is a large submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 km (43 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 m (984 ft) across and 124 m (407 ft) deep. (We are talking deep!) When sea levels were much lower the hole was formed during several episodes of Quaternary glaciation.
As the ocean began to rise again, the caves were flooded. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Written 15 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bsmedmedphd
Pennsylvania1,539 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
Definitely a bucket list trip! Hubby and I went at the end of July 2018 as part of a day trip from Turneffe atoll to the Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, and aquarium. We enjoyed the snorkeling experience and saw neat coral and fish. Take an underwater camera. The water was warm and calm with good visibility. There were a few other boats when our group arrived, but it wasn’t crowded at all. We stayed about 45 minutes and explored one area. You’d need an entire day to explore the entire perimeter. It isn’t the best snorkeling experience, but definitely worth going, especially if it’s part of a day trip to visit multiple places.
*If my review was helpful to you, please click the “thumbs-up” below - thanks!
*If my review was helpful to you, please click the “thumbs-up” below - thanks!
Written 21 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can you drive from lighthouse to the blue hole in a normal car?
Written 24 April 2022
Ciao a tutti, sapete consigliarmi un Diving per fare l'immersione al blue hole? Grazie
Written 14 June 2020
Hi, I am visiting Belize City on 27/28 Dec. Is there any dive centres that has daily dives to the Great Blue Hole regardless of the number of divers?
Thanks!
Written 5 December 2019
Bonjour, je vais au Belize dans 10 jours, quelle était la compagnie avec laquelle vous avez volé ? je cherche une expérience similaire. Merci !
Written 19 March 2019
Hi Kim -
I'm trying to see about booking this trip for my husband. We will be in Belize in June and wanted to know which company you used, and the cost.
Thanks,
Nathalie
Written 19 March 2019
Hi Natalie. Sorry I just saw this. We used Amigos Del Mar. I hope he was able to experience it and loved it as much as we did! Kim
Written 6 August 2019
bonjour*
avez vous les coordonnées de la compagnie pour faire l'excursion en avion?
merci
Written 20 July 2018
kbritt4
Cherryville, North Carolina
If you do not mind, could you please tell me the company that you used to visit the Blue hole for snorkeling? My wife and I are interested in seeing this and your review seemed to fit the type of excursion we had in mind. Thanks!
Written 18 July 2018
173beckyi
Oskaloosa, Iowa
I am terrified of heights and not a great swimmer. My husband and I are going with another couple in September. Can I still walk with them and not do any diving. Also, are there any shallow area where I can just relax and wait for my group to finish?
Written 12 July 2018
What are some hotels near the Blue Hole on the mainland?
Written 2 May 2019
First time scuba diving - I want to dive the Blue Hole, but I have never dived before. Is it possible? Do they allow inexperienced divers.. like the “Discover Scuba” tours offered in Key West, Florida? Please advise!
Written 7 March 2018
Sorry just saw this. You cannot do a first dive at the Blue Hole. You have to have a few dives under your belt. We were certified months before our trip, and hired a private guide to do 6 dives around AC before we attempted Blue Hole. We did just fine, although my husband ran out of air so that was a little scary. So do other dives before even looking at the Blue Hole.
Written 9 May 2018
Are there day charters/boats to the Blue Hole? If so what is the name of the company?
Thank you
Written 8 January 2018
The only boats there are the ones on the scuba/snorkel trip and you still need to pay the fees (if you look at the photos, the view is just of dark water).
If you want to simply see the Hole, the best thing is to take a flight there. A helicopter will be $$$$$$$$$$$ but a flight on Tropic Air will average around $250 USD. It was worth seeing it from the air, despite being afraid to fly.
Written 15 January 2018
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