Snorkeling Lighthouse Reef Atoll - Belize
A Crazy Adventure
Our experience snorkeling Lighthouse Reef Atoll has covered the whole gambit, from nail-biting terrified, to bored, to disgusted, to fascinated and loving it, to never wanting to see the place again.
Snorkeling Lighthouse Reef Atoll in Belize is an adventure for sure. Lighthouse Reef is the farthest offshore atoll, over 50 miles out past the barrier reef into the ocean. And just getting out there can be either a two-hour pleasant ocean trip by boat, or as in our case, a three-hour, nail-biting, boat pounding, trip from hell through big waves.
Lighthouse Reef Atoll is made famous by the Blue Hole that sits in the middle of it. The Blue Hole is nearly perfectly round, about a thousand feet across and goes down 400 feet. It used to be a cave that the roof collapsed on.
There are also six little island cayes north and south within Lighthouse Reef, but only three really stand out. The two in the very north are known as Northern Two Cayes. In the south is Long Caye, and most notable is Half Moon Caye. It is a wonderful little island run by the Belize Audubon Society, and is an area for the colony of rare Red Footed Boobies. There is a great observation tower within easy walking distance on Half Moon Caye that gives great views of the roosting birds.
Lighthouse Reef Atoll is really a snorkeling mecca, but not because of the Blue Hole. Instead, it is because of all the shallow water within the atoll (only about 8 to 10 feet deep), and all the coral heads within.
How To Snorkel Lighthouse Reef Atoll
There are two major boat companies that take day trips out to Lighthouse Reef for snorkelers and divers from Ambergris Caye. Amigos del Mar (who we used) and Aqua Dives. See reviews of Amigos del Mar on TripAdvisor here. And here are some for Aqua Dives.
There are a variety of liveaboard dive boats that stay out in the area for days to weeks at a time.
There are also a few companies that provide eco adventure trips out to the atoll, combining camping, with kayaking and snorkeling, like these guys:
www.islandexpeditions.com
How good is snorkeling Lighthouse Reef? Is it worth the expense and potential danger?
The snorkeling is very good. The reefs are super healthy and you will see more soft corals and sponges in better condition than most anywhere else in Belize. But is it worth it? Well, it is a potentially dangerous trip that costs a lot. When thinking about snorkeling Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole just know that you will most likely be taking a fairly small boat across fifty miles of open ocean. This experience can range from pretty smooth motoring along if the seas are calm, or as in our case to a scary trip that beat us up pretty good. OK. Here is what happened to us. It had been fairly windy the night before, maybe blowing 10-15 knots steady. We left early in the morning. We did not put on sunscreen because we figured we could later (mistake). The boat was around 30 feet, open, with some very worn out cushions. So pretty much we sat on hard seats. We knew we were in for a ride when our boat guides (three of them) started putting on foul weather gear. What followed was three hours of hell. It started with going through the reef cut. We were going through such tall waves that the boat would free fall on the other side, until it slammed home with a huge crashing noise, over and over. My wife got tossed completely off her seat into the middle of the boat over the first one of these. And it did not get much better for the rest of the trip except for when we got close to the atolls (we went through Turneffe Atoll on the way out to Lighthouse). We literally could not let go with two hands the entire time, and we got our butts pounded for hours on end. We got blisters on our hands from holding on. People got sick on the boat. Coming from a boating background all I can say was that doing this in those wave conditions was very dangerous. By the way, that was just the trip out. We also had a two hour trip back, which was better (we were going with the wind and waves instead of in to them), but it was still tall seas and not much fun. If you have the slightest back problem, and there is chance of any wind or wave size, do not even think about it. You could very easily be hurt. We did travel most of the distance along with another boat from the Aqua Divers company. And in retrospect I would much prefer to be on that boat. It had a sharper V hull, which is much more appropriate for the conditions, and the passengers get to sit in the back within a covered area. Sitting as far back on either boat is the best place to be, because you just get pounded farther forward. The Aqua Divers boat did not pound nearly as much as our more flat bottomed Amigos boat. But the Aqua Divers boat is still small. Now I am not saying it will always be like this. If has not been windy, and winds are not expected, it may be a great trip. But our boat company did not even suggest that we may encounter such conditions. So you probably have to make your own mind about the conditions. My suggestion is to not go if there has been wind overnight over 10 knots or there is much wind during the morning of your departure. For a snorkeler it is just not worth it. For the unique opportunities for divers that Lighthouse Reef offers, it might be worth the trouble. One small perk is that once you get inside the atolls, the water is very calm, because it is protected by the reef. So what did we get to see snorkeling for all of that trauma? We stopped at three spots when snorkeling Lighthouse Reef Atoll: Click on each of this locations above to see pictures and learn more. But in a nutshell, the Blue Hole had some very nice corals, sponges and other sea life, but very few fish. But there was a residue of gas from the boats on the water that made snorkeling horrible. Half Moon Caye was actually the best. The boat dropped us snorkelers off with a guide while the divers went to a different location. We snorkeled for a good long time in the shallows near the tip of Half Moon Caye and saw lots of neat stuff. Long Caye is actually a pretty deep, and so we would not really call it a good snorkel spot. It started about 20 feet deep and got deeper. It was pretty but not great. So all and all, for snorkeling Lighthouse Reef Atoll, I would say don't bother. It is expensive, potentially dangerous, often uncomfortable, and you can see things just as nice close to Ambergris. Maybe go if you just want to say you have snorkeled the Blue Hole!
Recommendation - if you are going to take this trip, try to sit as far back in the boat as possible, and I would also bring my own comfortable seat cushion (something that can get wet and remain soft).
Return from Snorkeling Lighthouse Reef to Ambergris Snorkeling
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