Lighthouse reef

After bidding goodbye to our friends we took off for lighthouse reef. Located about 50 miles offshore from the mainland of Belize, this is an atoll famous for its spectacular snorkeling and diving, and it did not disappoint.

The trip was going directly into a strong eastern breeze so we sailed with multiple long tacks. We broke it up into two days and spent the first night anchored at Turneffe atoll.

Like the Bahamas, you can tell you are approaching shallower water when the color of the water changes.

First we went snorkeling at the western barrier reef of Long Cay in about 10-15 feet of water. It was by far the best snorkeling I’ve ever seen. So many different fish and the color of the coral was brilliant.

We went on shore to the island where we found a lone person at the Itza dive resort who filled our dive tanks. One day we plan on returning here, what an amazing resort and area to spend time just diving and snorkeling! We dove the deeper reef at the western edge where the atoll drops down into 200 feet of water. At 40-60 feet we saw Spotted Eagle Rays, reef sharks, black tipped sharks, grouper, the largest spiny lobster I’ve ever seen, a Moray Eel, and a huge assortment of reef fish, large coral heads, and huge intricate sponges housing tiny fish. It was amazing! We dove that same reef 3 times and still found new things to see.

We had no cell phone or internet access. We spent our days snorkeling, diving, napping, baking bread and no bake cookies, playing Spades and Catan, and of course, reading books.

After several days at Long Cay we motored the two hour trip to Half Moon Cay, at the southern end of the atoll.

While there is no shore to break the predominate eastern breeze there is a large reef which protects from the swells. This is probably the only anchorage I’ve been in that the wind was whistling at 20 knots, the surf pounding, and the boat hardly even moved.

The cay itself is known for its Red Footed Boobies and Frigates. It is a national park, and was closed for COVID so we couldn’t go ashore. But Benjamin explored the island with the drone, much to the dismay of the Frigates.

We then left Half Moon Cay and traveled north weaving our way through the coral heads, to the Great Blue Hole. It is an underwater sinkhole in the middle of the reef, and being the largest of its kind is a wonder of the world. Kim and I both grew up watching Jacques Cousteau, and he was the one who used a submarine to map the Great Blue Hole and presented it to the world in his television program. It was a goal for us to one day see this in person.

It actually was tricky to find. While aerial views are amazing, horizontally it just appears as a dark blue stripe. It is only 1000 feet in diameter.

There are mooring buoys set up for dive boats. We dove the surrounding reef of the blue hole, which is 40-50 feet deep.

We then anchored on the west side of the Blue Hole, using its reefs as a wave break. We woke up the next morning reveling in our view.

We left the Blue Hole and anchored again behind Long Cay, and of course, did one last dive before we had to leave.

The trip back to Belize City was with following wind and seas. While Aislin and I napped, Kim was loving the sail, going 9-10 knots, even hit 10.5 knots of speed at one time.

For us this week was a dream come true. Buying a boat, learning to sail, adjusting to life on the boat, all of our challenges and successes and disappointments along the way, led us to this place. This is what we had dreamed of: spending time together, snorkeling, diving, traveling to amazing and beautiful places.