Lighthouse Reef, Belize
The seas were kind to us last night, and we were able to sail all the way to Lighthouse Reef, one of the most spectacular places for snorkeling and SCUBA diving that Belize has to offer.
This Central American country is home to the longest barrier reef in this hemisphere and the second longest in the world, a magnet to divers the world over. The real jewel in the crown of Belize are its atolls: offshore coral islands surrounding shallow lagoons, the origin of which is slightly mysterious. The well-documented Pacific atolls, whose formation was first satisfactorily explained by Charles Darwin, are formed around the rims of submerged volcanoes that later subsidized leaving behind just the ring of reefs. Belizean atolls, on the other hand, grew up on top of limestone fault blocks, the minute coral polyps building up layer over layer until reaching the surface. Lighthouse reef is one of three atolls found off the coasts of Belize, between about 48 and 96 kms from the mainland. The atoll itself is about 29km long and less than 2 km wide, and surrounded by 67 km of coral reef! We reached this great destination at about 7 am this morning, and our crew tied to a mooring buoy set up to protect the spectacular reefs of the area.
The southern end of the lagoon that we were moored at is named Half Moon Caye National Monument, and was designated Belize’s first national reserve in 1982. SCUBA divers were in for a real treat, as the reef wall at this site is unparalleled, and afforded us thrilling sightings and unbelievably panorama. In the photo we can see one of our groups of divers descending over the turtle grass meadows and making a beeline for the wall behind Vicky, one of our two divemasters this trip. Those who did not dive spent the day snorkeling off of a beautiful sandy beach and hiking trails to see magnificent frigate birds and the red-footed boobies.
The seas were kind to us last night, and we were able to sail all the way to Lighthouse Reef, one of the most spectacular places for snorkeling and SCUBA diving that Belize has to offer.
This Central American country is home to the longest barrier reef in this hemisphere and the second longest in the world, a magnet to divers the world over. The real jewel in the crown of Belize are its atolls: offshore coral islands surrounding shallow lagoons, the origin of which is slightly mysterious. The well-documented Pacific atolls, whose formation was first satisfactorily explained by Charles Darwin, are formed around the rims of submerged volcanoes that later subsidized leaving behind just the ring of reefs. Belizean atolls, on the other hand, grew up on top of limestone fault blocks, the minute coral polyps building up layer over layer until reaching the surface. Lighthouse reef is one of three atolls found off the coasts of Belize, between about 48 and 96 kms from the mainland. The atoll itself is about 29km long and less than 2 km wide, and surrounded by 67 km of coral reef! We reached this great destination at about 7 am this morning, and our crew tied to a mooring buoy set up to protect the spectacular reefs of the area.
The southern end of the lagoon that we were moored at is named Half Moon Caye National Monument, and was designated Belize’s first national reserve in 1982. SCUBA divers were in for a real treat, as the reef wall at this site is unparalleled, and afforded us thrilling sightings and unbelievably panorama. In the photo we can see one of our groups of divers descending over the turtle grass meadows and making a beeline for the wall behind Vicky, one of our two divemasters this trip. Those who did not dive spent the day snorkeling off of a beautiful sandy beach and hiking trails to see magnificent frigate birds and the red-footed boobies.
