The Belize Academy of Diving host the Full Circle Expedition
18 November 2002
The Belize Academy of Diving were privileged to have been selected to host the
Full Circle Expedition when they recently visited Belize to dive the Blue
Hole on their round the world itinerary.
Jacques Cousteau's 1970 Calypso expedition made the Blue Hole famous. It was formed in an ice age about 15,000 years ago, when the sea level dropped by hundreds of feet as seawater froze. Fresh water flowed through the exposed limestone to form huge caverns. Much later, when the ice age was over, the roof collapsed to form a sinkhole.
The
Blue Hole has a diameter of 1000 feet at the rim, and drops to a
maximum depth of 412 feet. At a depth of between 90 - 100 feet the
sheer wall recedes at about a 55° angle and this overhang
environment is where the famous stalactites start. At around 150
feet these grow to be about 3 feet in diameter and 20 feet in
length.
Monty Halls, expedition leader said "After two months of traveling and diving some of the best that 'The Blue Planet' has to offer, it was amazing to see the level of excitement generated in the team after completing the dive in The Great Blue Hole".
After
experiencing the deep stalactites and the expedition's first bull
shark sighting in the Blue Hole, the team had two wall dives: at
Half Moon Caye National Monument and Long Caye Wall. Both have
abundant sponge and coral formations. Some members of the expedition
thought Long Caye Wall the most stunning dive site they had
experienced so far. One said "It was as if an underwater gardener
had arranged the sponges and corals to extraordinary effect".
If you would like to experience the excitement of diving the Blue Hole too, then contact the Belize Academy of Diving by emailing info@belize-academy-of-diving.com or phoning +501 226 3170.
The full circle team stayed at Caribe Island Resort, a beachfront resort near San Pedro. They offer a restaurant, cocktail lounge, swimming pool, sandy beaches, a pier with swimming and snorkeling and a variety of suites sleeping from 2 to 9 people.
The Belize Academy of Diving is a PADI International Resort based 6
miles north of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. It opened in 2001 with
brand new boats and equipment. It is set in beautiful surroundings
by the Caribbean Sea, only 5-minutes from the barrier reef that runs
along the full length of the country and beyond.
The Full Circle Expedition is the diving trip of a lifetime covering five continents and four oceans in three months. British dive journalist Monty Halls conceived it to visit the top ten dive sites on Earth. An ex Royal Marines Officer, Monty has been leading diving projects around the world for many years, working for conservation groups, scientific organizations, and the media.