Objective
Scuba Dive the Great Blue Hole
Transportation
-Chicago (ORD) to Belize City (BZE) via Houston (IAH) round-trip on United Airlines.
-Belize City (BZE) to San Pedro (SPR) round-trip on Tropic Air.
Lodging
Three nights in a stateroom at the Victoria House Resort and Spa located two miles south of San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye for a total of $670 USD. Free wireless Internet and continental breakfast included.
Saturday
Activity: Hol Chan Marine Reserve—Belize’s oldest marine reserve where you can snorkel with sharks and stingrays.
Sunday
Activity: Great Blue Hole—giant marine sinkhole off the coast of Belize.
Scuba diving the Great Blue Hole had been on my bucket list for years. I was saving Belize just for that. After finally booking flights and making hotel reservations, I was devastated to learn that trips from Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker to the Great Blue Hole were not as popular as I had thought—mainly because of the distance and price. Getting to the Great Blue Hole from San Pedro takes about three hours by boat. One way. With gear rental and tax, it costs approximately $300 USD to dive and $220 USD to snorkel, plus park entry fees. I spent weeks trying to find a company to take my mom and me before I simply gave up. I contacted every single dive shop on the island. None had reached the minimum number of divers or snorkelers to operate. By some miracle, the week of our trip, Amigos del Mar Dive Shop announced that they would be operating a trip that weekend. On my birthday! What luck?
