Explore Lighthouse Reef

Lighthouse Reef in Belize offers an unparalleled diving experience, renowned for its remarkable biodiversity and stunning underwater landscapes. This 35-kilometer-long reef is part of the Belize Great Barrier Reef and presents divers with an array of vivid hard and soft corals. The vibrant marine life includes various fish species, sea turtles, and even the occasional encounter with sharks. The Great Blue Hole, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must-visit, featuring mesmerizing stalactites and a variety of marine creatures that make every dive here unforgettable.

Diving in Lighthouse Reef caters to all preferences, with options ranging from exhilarating wall dives to intriguing wreck explorations. The atoll is best accessed by liveaboard, allowing divers to explore its remote beauty and myriad dive sites comfortably. Notably, Half Moon Caye offers crystal-clear waters and is a haven for the red-footed booby bird, adding a unique terrestrial dimension to the diving adventure. Whether you're exploring coral gardens or descending into the depths of the Great Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef promises a dive experience that is both thrilling and awe-inspiring.

Places to Explore

Great Blue Hole

1 Divesite

Imagine this, a huge area of light turquoise waters and there, in the middle, is a dark blue, almost perfectly round sinkhole of 125 metres deep, and 300 metres in diameter, this is the Great Blue Hole in Belize. Located off the coast of Belize in the Lighthouse Reef in the Belize Great Barrier Reef, this is a unique geographical phenomenon and a unique diving experience. Around the Blue Hole is some of the best coral reefs that Belize has to offer, but on the inside it is all about the unique wall topography including caves and interestingly shaped stalactites. It really gives an opportunity to more experienced divers to experience ‘floating in the abyss’ and essentially having a sensory deprivation experience. It has a UNESCO world heritage site status. 

Top Dive Sites Map

Scubapro

★★★★☆ Long Caye Wall

A beautiful wall dive on Glover’s Reef within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The wall does not disappoint with beautiful, healthy coral growth, giant sponges, and tons of marine life to see.

740
Logs
384
Divers
19.0 m
⌀ Depth
18.0 m
⌀ Visibility
Mares, Janez Kranjc

★★★★★ Long Caye Ridge

A beautiful site located in the Lighthouse Reef Atoll accessible only by boat. Beautiful, healthy coral formations with tons of marine life to see.

452
Logs
233
Divers
19.0 m
⌀ Depth
19.0 m
⌀ Visibility
Mares, Janez Kranjc

★★★★★ Half Moon Caye Wall

Many divers consider Half Moon Caye Wall to be the best dive site in all of Belize. With excellent visibility, consistent and diverse wildlife sightings, and beautiful coral this dive never disappoints. Many diver operators choose this dive as the second dive following the Blue Hole.

2,791
Logs
2,137
Divers
21.0 m
⌀ Depth
22.0 m
⌀ Visibility
Aqualung

★★★★★ Long Caye Aquarium

This is a great little wall dive with the reef starting in just 20 feet of water (good for snorkelers) but then drops off into hundreds of feet deep. The visibility is great, and there is much to see!

1,823
Logs
1,558
Divers
20.0 m
⌀ Depth
22.0 m
⌀ Visibility
Mares

★★★★★ Great Blue Hole - Belize

The Great Blue Hole sits just off Lighthouse Reef in Belize and is one of the most famous marine sinkholes in the world. It is 407 feet deep, with many stalactites to be seen. This is an advanced dive due to the depth and seemingly bottomless hole. It is easy to get too deep too fast, so watch your gauges!

2,463
Logs
2,272
Divers
40.0 m
⌀ Depth
19.0 m
⌀ Visibility

Top Wildlife Sightings in Lighthouse Reef

The variety in topography at the Lighthouse Reef means many different types of dives. There are shallow reef dives, impressive wall dives with thrilling drop offs, caves, and coral ridges. The Great Blue Hole provides the unique experience of floating in the blue abyss. All the dive sites are accessed either by liveaboards or by day trip boats from dive centres and dive resorts from San Pedro.

The best Months to Dive in Lighthouse Reef

The Caribbean has year-round pleasant diving conditions with water temperatures ranging between 24°C–29°C/75°F–84°F with similar outside temperatures, and visibility ranges between 15 meters/49 feet and 30 meters/98 feet. There may be windy days between November to January which may make some sites inaccessible, but there is always opportunity for diving. April to June is the best time to spot larger species.

Statistics

Historical data and trends

Dive Activity & Environmental Conditions

Centers Map

Itza Resort

Lon Caye, 00000 Light house Reef Atoll, BLZ