2-23-20 - The Blue Hole scuba dive that wasn't

Today’s a big day.  Out to the world famous great big Blue Hole of Belize.  The Blue Hole is the largest underwater sink hole in the world measuring 1,000 feet across and over 400 feet deep.  Aerial pictures from above show a perfectly round circle with a deep dark blue color standing in contrast to the light blue Caribbean sea surrounding it. It is not one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World but it damn well should have been.   

The Blue Hole is on every scuba divers bucket list.  The dive entails dropping 130 feet down into the hole where you land on a shelf extending from the side of the cave and then swim through a cave full of stalagmites and stalactites.  We take a bouncy and very bumpy two hour ride and arrive at the Great Blue hole. 

Kyle had been really excited about doing the dive. Until yesterday when Leanne says, “you’re not doing that crazy Blue Hole dive, right? You’re going to snorkel with the rest of us, right?”  “Umm, well, umm, I kind of really wanted to do it,” Kyle says.  “Don’t people die doing that dive?” “Well, there have been a couple deaths but they were inexperienced divers who didn’t know what they were doing.”

Leanne is now crazily searching on Google. “Look, here, Ambergris Caye was reprimanded by PADI (the organization that provides scuba certification) for unsafe diving practices at the Blue Hole,” Leanne shows him.  “That was 2013, I’m sure they’ve cleaned up their act by now.”  “Plllllleeeeeeaaaaasssssseeeee don’t dive the Blue Hole, I DON”T WANT YOU TO DIE” Leanne wails begging and pleading with him.  Ever since Kobe’s helicopter crash, Leanne looks at anything even remotely adventure related as a potential life ending activity.  

So Kyle is sitting there on the boat looking forlornly at the 5 other scuba divers who are excitedly putting on their scuba gear.  “You mean you paid all that money, came all the way out here and you’re NOT going to do the ultimate Bucket List Dive???” one of the divers Kyle had been talking to says. “Yeah, thanks pal, way to rub it in,” thinks Kyle. “I’ve done a 110 foot wreck dive, over 50 total dives and 12 dives just in the last 8 months, it’s not exactly like I’m an inexperienced diver,” Kyle thinks dejectedly as he watches each diver plop into the water.   

The 7 of us snorkel the rim of this special 130 foot cave system straight down into a blue abyss. It was cool although we don’t think Kyle quite enjoyed it as much as he just kept staring down at the Blue Hole instead of looking at the fish. 

As we climb back on board, the divers are animatedly talking about the dive with adrenaline oozing off their skin and excitement rolling in waves through them.  Leanne asks them, “was it hard? Scary? Did anyone almost die?” “Nah, it was totally easy,” they all respond.  Leanne turns to Kyle as says, “I guess I probably should have let you do it, huh?” If we had a snapshot of Kyle at that moment, it would show him standing there with hands balled into fists, mouth clenched tight, steam blowing out of his ears with a cartoon caption bubble filled with a long string of  #!X!*#s which would not be suitable to put in the blog. 

We then head to two other dives sites where Leanne has given her blessing for Kyle, John, Justin, Ashlynn and Corey to dive.  The dive sites are on the Belize Barrier Reef which is the second longest barrier reef in the world (behind the Great Barrier Reef in Australia) as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

The first dive is Half Moon Caye. We descend into a spectacular underwater paradise filled with fish and colors.  We see sharks, turtles and all sorts of marine life.  The reef is just teaming with fish.  The second dive is at a place called The Aquarium which is similarly amazing. Definitely top 10 dives.

In between the two dives, we lunch on Half Moon Caye, a relatively uninhabited island with just a campground and a few other buildings on it.  There’s a unique red-footed booby colony at the end of the island.  On the observation deck, we truly feel like we are in a scene out of Jurassic Park as these huge birds with the five-foot wingspans that look like pterodactyls fly over our head swooping low enough that their bird calls some like they are talking right at you.  We’ve never seen so many birds in one place before with noted exception of los penguinos in Antarctica.  

We motor back after a long day on and in the water with the two hour super bumpy return ride back. The staff decides pineapple and rum drinks for the adults might on help the way back.  Too bad then that with every bump, the boat slammed down and half the drink went flying onto the person sitting next to us.   

We are staying about 2.5 miles south of the hustle and bustle of the main town of San Pedro. There are two restaurants within walking distance otherwise we have to take a taxi to downtown.  We set out and find the first restaurant is closed on Sundays and of course, it happens to be Sunday.

We walk to the next restaurant which looks awfully dark. A private security guard asks us where we are going. “To the Lone Star Restaurant,” we reply. “It’s closed tonight,” the guard tells us.  “We know, closed on Sundays, right?” we ask. “No, the owner is dead,” the guard deadpans.  “Is, someone else running the restaurant now?” Kyle asks.  “No, you don’t understand, the owner died here a couple hours ago so the closed it out of respect for him. “Oh no, how horrible,” Leanne responds. “Yeah, and another horrible thing is that we’ll have to eat that cardboard pizza again tonight,” Kyle mutters obviously not a fan of the pizza delivery.