Photo: Agnes Lee / Unsplash
Lighthouse Reef
Lighthouse Reef is the outermost of Belize's three atolls, about 70km east of Belize City and roughly 80km from San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Its headline is the Great Blue Hole, a near-circular marine sinkhole 318m across and 124m deep. Be honest about the Blue Hole: it is a geological novelty, not a marine-life dive. Divers drop to about 40m to see ancient stalactites on an overhang, in dark water with sparse life apart from a few reef sharks and the occasional bull shark, then come straight back up. The real diving at Lighthouse Reef is the walls: Half Moon Caye Wall and the sites off Long Caye have healthy hard and soft coral, turtles, eagle rays, grouper, and reef sharks, usually in 25-40m visibility with mild current. Half Moon Caye itself is a protected natural monument with a red-footed booby colony. Access is the main friction: it is a long open-water run from the cayes (often two-plus hours each way), so most divers come by liveaboard or on a full-day trip. The season splits into the drier, calmer months (roughly November to April, with the clearest, flattest conditions often April to June) and the wet, hurricane-prone stretch of June to November, when trips are more weather-dependent and can be cancelled. The Blue Hole dive is deep and dark, so operators treat it as an advanced dive.
What makes it special
- The Great Blue Hole: a 318m-wide, 124m-deep marine sinkhole with 12,000+ year-old stalactites on a submerged overhang around 40m
- Half Moon Caye Wall, a sheer coral wall widely rated among Belize's best dives, with a red-footed booby colony on the caye above
- Long Caye's western sites (the Aquarium, Painted Wall, Silver Caves) with dense reef fish and drop-offs starting shallow
- A protected atoll under Belize Audubon Society management, part of the UNESCO Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
Price range
$$–$$$
Trip length
1–8 days
Diver level
Advanced open water
Trip type
Liveaboard, Day trip, Land based
Price is per person for a typical trip, excluding international flights ($$ $2,000–4,000 to $$$ over $4,000).
A full-day Blue Hole dive trip (three dives, gear, transfers, meals) from San Pedro or the coast commonly runs about $300-400 per person. Belize liveaboards (e.g. Belize Aggressor III/IV, formerly Sun Dancer II) run roughly $2,500-4,000 per person for a 7-night charter departing Belize City, nitrox and flights usually extra. Protected-area fees are additional and paid in cash, typically collected on the boat: the Belize Audubon Society lists a BZ$20 (about US$10) per-person, per-day non-national fee for both the Blue Hole Natural Monument and Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, and operators often collect around US$40 to cover the monument fees for a Lighthouse Reef day.
Best time to dive
- Current
- Mild
- Water temp
- 25.5–31.2°C (coldest Feb, warmest Oct)
- Visibility
- 15–40m — Commonly 25-40m (80-130ft) on the walls, clearest in the dry season. Sources note visibility can drop toward 20m or less around March-April plankton and in the wet summer months. Inside the Blue Hole the water is clear but dark below the stalactite overhang.
- Getting there
- Moderate — Reachable but with some friction: a 2.5h boat crossing.
- Experience
- The walls (Half Moon Caye, Long Caye Aquarium) are approachable for Open Water divers who stay shallow, with mild current. The Blue Hole is different: a ~40m (130ft) descent into dark water with a fast profile and short bottom time, so operators generally require Advanced Open Water, and some ask for logged deep-dive experience. It is a deep dive with real narcosis and gas-management considerations, not a beginner site.
Nearest airports
- BZE — Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (Belize City) (Main international airport; liveaboards depart Belize City, and day boats run from the coast)
- SPR — San Pedro Airport (Ambergris Caye) (Short domestic hop from Belize City; base for most full-day Blue Hole dive trips)
Permit required
The Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye are protected natural monuments co-managed by the Belize Audubon Society; rangers check that marine-park fees have been paid. Diving is via licensed operators.
Belize Audubon Society lists BZ$20 (about US$10) per person, per day for non-nationals at each of the Blue Hole Natural Monument and Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (BZ$2.50 for nationals). In practice day-boat and liveaboard operators collect a combined cash fee, often around US$40, covering the Lighthouse Reef monuments.
Marine life
Sightings are never guaranteed — the bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Occasional at the Great Blue Hole, where a few may join the reef sharks in the deep. Not reliably seen; encounters are opportunistic, not seasonal.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident on the atoll's reefs year-round; no seasonal peak. IUCN reassessed the species as Endangered in 2020, with steep declines documented off Belize and Cuba.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Seen year-round on the reef, often on the walls picking at sponges. Half Moon Caye is a documented nesting beach; nesting is in the summer season.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident on the reef year-round. Spawning aggregations form around the December-March full moons at specific promontories. Listed Critically Endangered by the IUCN since 2018 after declines exceeding 80%; Belize protects it with closed seasons and no-take zones.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident on the reef edges and walls year-round; commonly seen hanging along the drop-offs. No seasonal peak.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Seen on the reef through the year but less commonly than green and hawksbill turtles. Nesting on Half Moon Caye occurs in the summer season (roughly June-November). Assessed Vulnerable by the IUCN.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident year-round. The Atlantic nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) was assessed Vulnerable by the IUCN in 2021; it is a separate species from the Indo-Pacific tawny nurse shark.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Seen year-round cruising the walls and sand flats, notably at Half Moon Caye Wall; no documented seasonal peak at Lighthouse Reef.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Present year-round on shallow reefs; no seasonal peak. Not formally assessed on the IUCN Red List.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident year-round on the reef; no seasonal pattern. Assessed Least Concern by the IUCN.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Commonly seen on the Lighthouse Reef walls year-round. Half Moon Caye is a documented nesting site, with nesting in the summer season (roughly June-November).
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident year-round; no seasonal peak. Assessed Least Concern by the IUCN.
Dive sites
Worth knowing before you book
- The Blue Hole is a novelty dive, not a marine-life dive: it is deep, dark, and largely lifeless apart from a few reef sharks and the odd bull shark, with maybe 8-10 minutes on the stalactites before ascending.
- It is a long, exposed boat ride from the cayes, often two-plus hours each way, so a Blue Hole day is a full day and can be rough.
- The best diving here is the walls, not the hole; some divers come for the Blue Hole and leave underwhelmed by the deep dive itself.
- June to November is hurricane and wet season; trips are weather-dependent and cancellations happen, especially September-October.
- Cost adds up: a day trip runs $300-400 plus cash park fees, and reaching the outer atoll reliably often means paying for a liveaboard.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- Great Blue Hole — Wikipedia
- Blue Hole Natural Monument — Belize Audubon Society
- Half Moon Caye Natural Monument — Belize Audubon Society
- Lighthouse Reef Atoll Diving — Dive The World
- Sea water temperature Great Blue Hole — Seatemperature.info
- The Great Blue Hole & Lighthouse Reef Atoll Dives — Amigos del Mar Dive Shop
Note on the data: Region coordinates and bounding box are approximate atoll-level positions, not surveyed. Blue Hole dimensions are from Wikipedia (318m x 124m). Fees are cross-checked against the Belize Audubon Society pages (BZ$20 non-national/day per monument) and operator-reported cash collections (~US$40 combined); the exact bundle varies by operator, noted honestly. Season framing follows PADI and liveaboard sources; no single marine-life peak is claimed for Lighthouse Reef. Water temperature: Caribbean sea temperatures at this outer atoll show a real but modest swing, from roughly 26-27C in the coolest months (February-March) up to about 29-30C in late summer and early autumn. Access: Belize City (BZE) liveaboards board near the port (about 30 min from the airport) then run out to the atoll; day boats reach Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole via a roughly 2-2.5 hour open-water crossing each way, and day-trippers from San Pedro add a short domestic hop first. Independently verified 2026-07-20 (confidence high).