DIVING BELIZE

Sitting in the middle of Central America, Belize is paralleled by the only barrier reef in the Caribbean. The reef edge and off-shore atolls have some extremely good dive sites with a mix of gentle, open mounds and steeper drop offs. These are characterised by sharp channels that cut through the reef rim.

This region isn't as colourful as the Pacific or Asia but it is fascinating for the number of fish, there are over 430 species, many of which you won't see anywhere else.

The most famous dive here, the one that attracts all sorts of divers, is the Blue Hole on Lighthouse Reef. It gained some notoriety through a Jacques Cousteau documentary and is now heavily hyped. The hole is over 300 metres across and drops to around 150 metres deep. It was believed to have been a cave whose roof fell in at the end of the Ice Age. At around 40 metres there is a shelf with ancient stalagmites which prove this theory. Apart from this geological feature, the dive is surprisingly lifeless, however, operators have picked up on the fact that the area was visited by grey reef sharks and now use bait to attract them. As you ascend for a safety stop they circle divers hoping for further handouts. It's all quite an adrenaline rush but divemasters limit time and shepherd divers in bunches which spoils the ambience somewhat.

Outside the Blue Hole, the reefs at Lighthouse and Turneffe Atolls are far more enjoyable, prettier and with plenty of life. Pastel hued flat-bladed sea whips, rods and plumes decorate the surfaces, sponges can be enormous and often reveal brighter shades if you shine a torch on them. Pelagic fish like tarpon and barracuda are common while some smaller fish add splashes of colour. Turtles, reef sharks and large rays make occasional appearances.