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Experience the Blue Hole

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Scuba dive in the Caribbean waters of the Belizean Cayes, which shelter a vast barrier reef, coral atolls and the famous Blue Hole.

Little laid-back Belize hides a bustling underwater world, from coral reefs replete with colourful fish to divers exploring the otherworldly depths of the Blue Hole.

Tracing the coastline in a continuous stripe of coral, a 300km barrier reef provides a habitat for at least 500 species of fish. It’s the greatest reef of its kind in the western hemisphere, and when combined with the three huge coral atolls to be found farther offshore it’s no wonder that these teeming seas attract divers from all over the world.

Sightings of rays, sharks, turtles, moray eels, grouper, barracuda and king mackerel are common all along the Southern Barrier Reef, while in the atolls beyond, snappers, jacks and spadefish swim in shoals often numbering in the thousands.

As if that wasn’t enough, experienced divers can also explore the Blue Hole, a perfectly circular cave plunging vertically into the sea bed. Seen from above this cavernous sinkhole is a dark disk in a bright aquamarine ocean, seemingly swallowing the light into its underwater reaches. There are extraordinary underwater stalactites to be seen on the sheer walls, which descend to a depth of 125m, while a number of shark species roam around inside.

Activity Rating: easy

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    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

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    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

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    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

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    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

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    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

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    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

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