Diving in Belize

The Great Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall and the world's second largest barrier reef

2 yachts for liveaboard diving, 3 resorts

Belize — the Great Blue Hole with its stalactites, Half Moon Caye Wall, Turneffe and Glover’s atolls. Liveaboard schedules and prices.

Why divers come here

The Great Blue Hole — a 300 m sinkhole with stalactites at 40 m
Half Moon Caye Wall — a sheer drift from 12 m into the blue, red-footed booby colony
Belize Barrier Reef — second largest in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Turneffe Atoll and the Elbow — current, schooling jacks and eagle rays
Glover's Reef — the country's most remote and healthiest coral
Whale sharks off Gladden Spit around the full moons of March–June

Caribbean reef sharks

Nurse sharks

Whale sharks (Gladden Spit, March–June)

Eagle rays

Green and hawksbill turtles

Nassau grouper (winter spawning aggregations)

Tarpon and horse-eye jacks

Manatees in the mangrove shallows

Photos: credits and licences

Best season: April–June (best visibility and whale sharks), November–May dry season overall
Water temperature: 26–29 °C
Visibility: 20–40 m
Wetsuit: 3 mm year-round, 5 mm in winter or for long multi-dive days
Experience level: Open Water for the reefs
Advanced (deep certification) for the Great Blue Hole
Getting there: Fly to Belize City (BZE) via Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta or Cancun.
Liveaboards board in Belize City.
Airports: Belize City (BZE)
Visa: Visa-free entry for many nationalities for up to 90 days
passport valid 6 months beyond departure and proof of onward travel required
Climate: Tropical, 24–31°C, dry season February–May, rains June–November
Currency: Belize dollar (BZD), pegged to the US dollar at 2:1
Language: English (official), Spanish, Belizean Kriol
Time zone: UTC-6