Liveaboard Diving in Lighthouse Reef
What to expect on a Lighthouse Reef Liveaboard
Liveaboards to Lighthouse Reef mean divers will visit the most easterly of atolls of the Belize Barrier Reef. The atoll is oblong around 35km long and 8 km wide. Offering fantastic walls, grooves and channels, caves and colorful reef topography, this atoll is home to a number of notable diving sites and the infamous Great Blue Hole. Considered to be the best diving in Belize, and possibly the Caribbean, a liveaboard to Lighthouse Reef is sure to please divers of all levels.
What you can see
On a liveaboard to Lighthouse reef atoll there are an array of dive sites to choose from. Divers will enjoy unspoiled diving and beautiful underwater reef topography. With most areas protected marine zones, marine and coral life are astounding. Massive hard, soft coral and sponge formations are a playground for the colourful angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish to the wide range of critter life such as spiny spotted crabs, nudibranch, blennies. Common larger pelagics include oceanic white tips, manta ray, spotted eagle ray and the ever elusive hammerhead.
Pristine, clear blue waters await you and Lighthouse Reef easily offers some of the best wall diving in the world at sites like Half Moon Caye Wall and Painted Wall. Ranging from 25 to 40 m drop offs, these reefs are home to many species of fish and laden with groove formations, coral ridges, caves, tunnels and swim-throughs. Current conditions around the atoll depend on the weather but can range from mild to strong dependent on the site.
Weather permitting, you may dive the Great Blue Hole, Belize's signature dive site. Made famous by Jacques Cousteau, it is an unforgettable deep dive more than 300 meters across and 135 meters deep.
Long Caye, Aquarium, and the Cathedral provide a stunning underwater landscape of coral formations amidst occasional turtle and eagle ray sightings. Dive QueBrada, or "broken reef", named for a cut in the reef. It has a fine ridge of corals rims and crescent-shaped wall, depth ranging 12m-25m with good visibility and minimal current.
Getting There
To get to Lighthouse Reef, Belize liveaboards depart from the Radisson Ft. George dock, located in the heart of downtown Belize City. International flights to Belize depart regularly from around the world, often with a transfer in Miami, Florida. If you are landing at Belize City International Airport (BZE), transfer is provided to and from the yachts. Dependent on the Liveaboard itinerary and sea conditions, the first part of your journey may start at Lighthouse Reef or Turneffe Atoll Reef.