Travelling is an exciting prospect and there are certain places that you can visit in the world that will leave you completely breathless. While you can explore the seven wonders of the world, there are natural wonders that will leave you in awe at how beautiful our planet is, one of these being the Great Blue Hole in Belize.
Where can you find it?
The Great Blue Hole is a gigantic sinkhole that can be found underwater off the coast of Central America in Belize. It was named by Ned Middleton and it can be found 62 miles away from Belize City at the Lighthouse Reef; this forms part of the larger Barrier Reef Reserve System which has become a UNESCO heritage site.
The history behind the Great Blue Hole is fascinating as it is believed to have been an on-land cave until 100,000 years ago where it was flooded once the ocean levels rose. The formations of the former cave were developed during the Ice Age before the sea levels increased by 330 to 660 ft and divers who have ventured from some of the Diving Resorts Belize, have found that limestone was present in the underwater caves; this attests to the fact that the Great Blue Hole was in fact above sea level thousands of years ago.
How big is it?
The giant submerged sinkhole is a staggering 410ft deep and 984ft across bringing into second place behind the Dragon Hole which is a whopping 987ft deep. It was discovered in 1971 by Jacques Cousteau who brought it to the attention of the world, making it an instant tourist attraction. Fabien Cousteau, his grandson, carried on his grandfather’s legacy by bringing the world to the Great Blue Hole through a lens by teaming up with scientists, filmmakers and Sir Richard Branson. This expedition was famously broadcast in 2018 and it allowed Discovery Channel viewers to explore the underwater hole from the comfort of their homes. This show brought awareness to the site and it has more recently become a very popular place to dive with Belize Dive Packages becoming more and more popular with tourists visiting Central America.
Can you go diving in it?
The founder of the Great Blue Hole Jacques Cousteau stated that this natural wonder is in the top ten best diving areas in the world. If you are an avid diver, you will relish this spot as not only does it have incredibly clear water, but it is also home to an incredible amount of marine life such as the Caribbean reef shark, the Midnight Parrotfish, the Hammerhead shark and the Bull shark although the latter isn’t very common. If you are a beginner, the hole is incredibly deep and so it is advised to build your confidence before you venture in.
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