best part of Belize to dive?

I'm heading to Belize in March and was wondering if anyone here can
recommend a good spot to dive the "2nd Largest Reef in the World" (tm) ?

Reef Fish...

I thought the 2nd largest was the Palancar in Cozumel.

Rosalie B....

The Great Barrier Reef is supposed to be the largest reef and the
Belize Barrier Reef is the largest in the Atlantic and the second
largest in the world. It is 620 miles long, and I think the north end
is contiguous with the reefs off Cozumel and the south end with
Honduras.

Take a liveaboard and dive the outer reefs (Lighthouse Reef), and dive
the biggest Blue Hole in the world, and other sites around. :-)

Stimp...

hmm... might jes do that... ya I dunno if it's the 2nd largest reef,
that's what I read in lonely planet :)

chilly...

It is and you can read that most anywhere. For example, just last night, I
read in my Paul Humann Coral Identification book.

And you can read it here:

paragraph)

All that said, it should be noted that the Belize Barrier Reef, is a part of
the Meso-American Barrier Reef system, the world's second-largest barrier
reef which stretches more than 450 miles from Cancun to Honduras (the
majority of which lies just off of the country of Belize).

Here's a map of the reef area:

Just finished crossing from the fjords of NZ to Hobart, Tasmania. No
diving, and the only souvenir I bought in Hobart was a monthly calendar
featuring some chubby, old wimmin of Tasmania. Several of the pix are

Michael...

Best part to dive: Tackle box canyons and related tunnels - north about
a mile from the canyons. Stay in Ambergris Caye. Take a day trip if

Reef Fish...

If that were true, the Belize liveaboards would have stopped there
EN ROUTE to the Lighthouse and Outer Reefs.

you must to the Blue Hole so you can say you have been there. It's a
one time trip - you won't repeat it. But you will repeat the canyons.
Fantastic.

Reef Fish...

The Blue Hole is hardly the only attraction in the Outer Reefs,
compared
to Ambergris Cayne. while it is true the Belize Blue Hole is mostly a
one-time thing, but that's mostly because the liveaboard restricts the
divers to 130 fsw which was where you can hardly see the stalactite
formation as you could at 150 fsw or deeper into the Hole. I dived
that
Blue Hole 4 times, for lack of anything else to do during that dive
from
a liveaboard (both the Aggressor and the Peter Hughe's).

Michael...

I have been to 150 +/- feet to see the stalactite's (and the sharks for
that matter) and the mini-caves. One time thing.

Sure there are other great spots in the outer reefs (Turneffe Islands,
etc.), but the reefs just off Ambergris Caye will give any first time
diver to the region a great feel for what Belize diving is about - and
you will return time and time again inexpensively.

Stimp...

looks good. I'll check them out.

Preferably less touristy!

chilly...

You want a goos spot to dive the "2nd Largest Reef in the World" (tm)"?
What do you mean? You want to know one good site on the reef? You want to
know where to stay?

Do you care how far you are by boat from that site on the reef? Do you care
about your acco or the price? Do you care about the dive op?

chilly...

You are welcome. Glad to help.