I didn't really have the time for this, and i couldn't really afford this...but there was no way i was missing out on this. The blue hole is a 122m wide, 305m deep, now completely submerged, collapsed cave. I had been looking forward to this for months - i can't believe the dive only lasted only 25 minutes!
I'd taken what should have been an early morning mini-van from Flores to Belize city. The bus was an hour late and full of gringos, who thought it was a great idea to drink beer and listen to trance music at full volume. What a shame it was on so loud that a fuse blew. Since when did i become so intolerant of my fellow western (civilised?) travellers. The driver obviously shared my sentiments, at the border crossing he parked 1/2 mile away and hid himself behind a truck - for 1/2 an hour we thought he might have left us stranded in Belize. This wouldn't have been such a bad thing, Belize has come as a surprise. A tiny, beautiful, but seemingly empty country of only 3.2 people, with a strong Caribbean flavour and a large English speaking element. Why did Britain 'give-it-up' in '81? 2 hours later than planned i catch a water taxi to Caye Caulker, another one of those dream islands that makes you want to check out the local property pages.
White sands and coconuts are everywhere, electric golf carts (but near no golf courses) 'zoom' up and down the 2 main streets, followed by a family all on bicycles. The spoken English has been distorted so much, it could class as a separate language, gospel choir music blasts out of someones tumbled down shack. It has been mixed with a reggae track and every few seconds some Caribbean guy in a thick lilt shouts REGGAE at the top of his lungs. I personally find it an improvement. I had a good chance to test my belief when one of the many church congregations set-up an electric keyboard playing, foot stomping, praise the lord session next to the building i was staying in. I sat on my balcony and drank to their good health every time they shouted hallelujah...amen and cheers guys.
At $190 for 3 dives, this is an expensive place. It's not everyday that you get to dive to 43m in a sinkhole, get circled by 9 Caribbean reef sharks - all bigger than you and enjoy the whole thing immensely through a slight nitrogen narcosis buzz. Why am i so susceptible? That's not a complaint :-) Lunch was on a near deserted island, with only a bird sanctuary and my friendly fellow divers for company. Pudding was a dive with eagle rays, sharks, giant barracudas and a hawks bill turtle - not bad that.
It's a shame my only real time in Belize is on a tourist island and that i got robbed while i was there. Someone, possibly the cleaner stole my little creative zen mp3 player from my room. It's pretty hard to make too much fuss when it only cost $50, you have no proof it was stolen and it would cost more in excess to make an insurance claim. The owners of the building were pretty good though, i half expected to get thrown out when i raised the problem.
Overall it was still a good few days, if i ever have enough money i would like see this area again.
