Where We Be
| Turning east out to sea, we passed over Turneffe Atoll, which is huge. If you're willing to make the long boat trip, this is another fabulous place to come for snorkeling or diving. |
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| Seeing the Great Blue Hole from above was spectacular, and we don't use that word lightly. Worth the splurge! |
| Great Blue Hole, Belize |
We walked to the San Pedro airport and bought
two tickets ($215 US pp) for a one-hour scenic
flyover of the Great Blue Hole leaving at 1 pm.
This is the largest sea hole in the world, almost
completely round, and has been ranked by
Discovery Channel as #1 on its list of "The 10
Most Amazing Places on Earth." It's ~1000 ft
(300 m) across and 400 ft (125 m) deep.
Our flight was with Maya Island Air on a sunny
day with just a few clouds -- perfect. Our plane
was a 12-seater and we had 9 passengers. The
plane took off and almost immediately we got
great views of Ambergris Caye and the Belize
Barrier Reef, second largest in the world. The
varying blues and greens of the ocean were
mesmerizing. We passed over Turneffe Atoll
along the way, covering a huge swath of ocean.
Then came the highlight: the Blue Hole itself.
Because it’s so deep, the sapphire blue at the
center really stands out from the surrounding
shallower waters. It really is perfectly round!
We loved how our pilot made multiple passes
over the Blue Hole, descending a little closer
with each circular pass. On the last pass we
could barely tell it was a circle any more, so we
both agreed the highest passes were the best.
two tickets ($215 US pp) for a one-hour scenic
flyover of the Great Blue Hole leaving at 1 pm.
This is the largest sea hole in the world, almost
completely round, and has been ranked by
Discovery Channel as #1 on its list of "The 10
Most Amazing Places on Earth." It's ~1000 ft
(300 m) across and 400 ft (125 m) deep.
Our flight was with Maya Island Air on a sunny
day with just a few clouds -- perfect. Our plane
was a 12-seater and we had 9 passengers. The
plane took off and almost immediately we got
great views of Ambergris Caye and the Belize
Barrier Reef, second largest in the world. The
varying blues and greens of the ocean were
mesmerizing. We passed over Turneffe Atoll
along the way, covering a huge swath of ocean.
Then came the highlight: the Blue Hole itself.
Because it’s so deep, the sapphire blue at the
center really stands out from the surrounding
shallower waters. It really is perfectly round!
We loved how our pilot made multiple passes
over the Blue Hole, descending a little closer
with each circular pass. On the last pass we
could barely tell it was a circle any more, so we
both agreed the highest passes were the best.
| After two or three passes in one direction, the pilot turned and made several passes in the other direction so everyone got a good view. (Hint: I switched to an empty seat at the back and got great views the whole time.) |
| After about half an hour we arrived at the main attraction -- the Great Blue Hole. Unreal! Its 400-foot depth is what gives it such definition from the shallower waters surrounding it. |
| This was our ride. Everyone is guaranteed a window view -- and one person can even ride shotgun in the copilot's seat for a little extra. Tropic Air is the competing airline with similar but slightly higher pricing. |
| The excitement was palpable as we took off. We sat towards the back on the pilot's side of the plane. Maybe it was just luck, but the first several circles the pilot made over the Blue Hole were all on our side, so we got great views from high above. |
| And we're off! Ambergris Caye is directly below us. |
| Sea grass has turned the water brown near the shore of Ambergris Caye |
| Looking back at Ambergris Caye, you can see the shallower green water inside the reef. A second "coastline" is visible to the right with waves breaking against the barrier reef's "shore." |
| Looking straight down, we could see boats gathered in an estuary |
| These turquoise streams of water off Turneffe Atoll looked magical. No idea what causes them. |
| Then we were home, full of smiles. We were both excited to have seen this stunning natural wonder and can check another item off our bucket list. |
| This derelict ship is washed up against a lonely stretch of reef |
| After our last pass we were almost skimming over the water. Say hello to the fishes! |
| Long ago this was an aboveground cavern that was inundated by rising ocean waters |
| We liked the different tail fin art on Maya Island Air's planes |
| Belize's extensive barrier reef sits ten to twenty miles off the mainland coast but is just off the coast of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker |
| We flew south for some time. Far behind is the crook shape of Caye Caulker. Ambergris Caye is out of sight to the north. Barrier islands are just below. |
| As we got lower it got harder to see the circular shape. If you go diving or snorkeling here, you can't really see it's a circle. |
| Heading north towards Ambergris Caye, we passed over several remote, beguiling islands with tiny airstrips |