Lighthouse Reef Atoll: Long Cay, Blue Hole, Half Moon Cay

PHOTO ALBUM above water :–>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/SVTEyy3yZ2bJTguZ6

Below water–>>. https://photos.app.goo.gl/xZFwhYJdpaptrAGaA

Off to Lighthouse Reef

Lighthouse Reef Atoll, is an atoll 70 km from the mainland of Belize. One of the four found in this part of the world.

We were ready for adventure after nearly 2 weeks of Northerly fronts….the warmer weather was returning, the easterlies were forecast and we were looking at least a good 10 days of settled weather.

A bucket list destination was the Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Cay.

From the Reserve we set off for SouthWater, arrived after an easy crossing and anchored up for the night. Along with us was another sailboat, La Favorita, with Kristie and Tom aboard. We had met them at the Reserve and they too thought Lighthouse Reef would be an interesting destination.

Our crossing from SouthWater Cay Cut to Lighthouse reef was not a comfortable one. It is always difficult to reach Lighthouse reef as from most vantage points it is a matter of having winds and seas against you. On this day the wind was supposed to stay easterly but it kept switching to northeasterly and so we were close hauled and having seas breaking on the bow too. Finally after 7 hours the 37 miles were behind us and we crossed the outer reef where the water is deep enough and anchored off Long Cay.

This area is totally exposed except on our eastern side where the cay sheltered us. The seas are clear, clear turquoise with the seas crashing on the distant shallow reef.

Snorkels along the reef:

In the 5 days we were there we snorkelled 5 times off of the outer reef in area, close by where we were anchored.

Each time we explored a different section and each time it was a wonderful and exciting snorkel. The corals were amazing and abundant. The seas often were breaking over the stag horn corals and with the sunlight shining through it is beautiful.

The fish life was very varied and abundant. Numerous colourful reef fish, Snappers, Yellow tail grunts, smaller turquoise fishes, Angel fish and so many more to be seen.

Flamingo Tongues were numerous on the sea fans and whips.

Practically every snorkel I saw a shark, now, I do not mind the Nurse sharks,

but the afternoon snorkel when I met with a Black tip reef shark I was not so happy.

First I saw a big Pompano then I saw this large reef shark approaching from just off my left side. Not quite believing what I saw I decided to alter my course and head further to my left, but sure enough about 5 minutes later I saw it circling up towards me from the reef ahead to my right.

It was quite large, and intimidating as it had altered its course and was edging towards me. I allowed myself to drift backwards while watching the shark. Soon it was out of sight again and I was feeling a wee bit nervous and thought it best to return to the dinghy. Meanwhile, I had no idea where John was, other than he was towards the deeper water where Tom and Kristie were also snorkelling.

Walks and dinghy rides around Long Cay:

We went ashore via the dock on our side of Long Cay and followed the shaded trail towards the resorts. The trail winds through mangroves and trees right across the cay.

The mosquitoes and no-see-ums are plentiful to say the least, even with bug repellent we served as lunch to many of them. There are a few small resorts, the 1st one we passed is purely a dive resort and very rustic. Set in the mangroves and trees I would not stay there, just too many biting insects. The next resort is now shut, and in need of repair.

The third resort is called Itza Resort. Itza is colourful, also rustic and charming. It offers snorkelling, diving, fly fishing, fishing and numerous other water sports.

When we arrived all the guests were away for the day and it was quiet. We met with the manager Elvis, had a chat and asked about the trips to Half Moon and the Blue Hole.

Making tentative arrangements, We also managed to hook onto the resort’s wifi for a weather forecast and emails.

There were a few trails which took us along raised platforms to the shoreline further along and a beach which I enjoyed walking along and seeing a native iguana sunning on a log. The cay is very beautiful.

Back at the dock we set off in the dinghy to explore the shoreline. Much of which was mangroves, with occasional coconut palms and tiny beaches.

At one are there was a longer beach where we saw a creek draining from a large inland lagoon.

There was a pair of nesting osprey who were quite anxious for us to leave the area.

After walking the beach we dinghied along to the end of Long Cay. Such a lovely wild cay.

John and I along with Tom and Kristie were very keen to visit both the Blue Hole and Half moon Cay. We negotiated with Elvis, the manager of Itza Resort, reaching an agreement of setting out at 6:30 from our boats, getting to the Blue Hole well ahead of all the commercial boats that arrive from the mainland.

Snorkelling there, the next stop being another snorkel site along the outer barrier reef, followed by a stop at Half moon Cay, a snack, a visit to the Red Footed Boobie and Frigate bird colony and the Lighthouse and ending up with a final snorkel, before returning around 1:00pm.

We were up very early that day, in fact before the sun so we got to see the sun rise.

Elvis picked us up from our boats which saved us having to take the dinghies all the way to the resort on the other side of Long Cay. The other 2 guests, Kristie and Cristie, yes, two more Kristies climbed aboard and off we went towards the Blue Hole.

Photo below borrowed from internet.

The Blue Hole Natural Monument comprises a gigantic underwater sinkhole surrounded by a ring of coral in the sparkling, shallow waters of the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The Great Blue Hole, the monument’s principal attraction, is roughly 1,000 feet (300 meters) across and over 400 feet (120 meters) deep. It is the largest geological formation of its kind in the world. This collapsed cave system was likely formed above ground 10,000 years ago. Great Blue Hole is so large it can even be seen from space. Made famous by world-renowned underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, this remarkable site is on the bucket list of virtually every scuba diver in the world.

The Blue Hole snorkel:

Arriving at the Blue Hole around 7:30am meant the sun wasn’t that high in the sky so it was pretty hard to distinguish the outer rim. However once in the water it was obvious where the hole was, as it was a deep blue expanse, a bottomless blue, quite beautiful.

The reef surrounding was amazing! Incredibly full of life, the water with pristine clarity.

There were every type of corals, hard and soft, some I had never seen before, all in pristine condition.

Very diverse, with lovely sponges, sea whips and fans, reef fish of all types, file fish, trumpet fish, cow fish, snappers, hine, Angel fish, just to name a few.

We swam around the entire rim which took just over a hour. It was wonderful but we were all cold, poor Kristie was just blue.

Off we whizzed to our next snorkelling site.

Snorkel along Lighthouse reef:

This was a completely different reef environment, being the inside of the barrier reef.

The water was amazingly clear, but on the shallow side with a stronger current running.

The reef wasn’t as covered with corals, but more the smaller anemones and soft corals were swaying in the swell. The fish were there but hiding out in the crevasses, surprisingly some were quite large.

I was amazed by a large grouper which a followed for a while also an enormous ray which had been hidden under the sands until I started watching and the ray glided off.

As we neared Half Moon Cay there were grass beds. These were again quite shallow, but as the ground undulated outward so we began to see large schools of fish, the size of sardines, thousands of them rushing by as we swam.

Beyond them we could spy very large barracudas — the guide Jeff pointed out a shark, a hammerhead, I never saw it but a few of the others did. As we approached the dock and beach there were again rays lounging in the sands and gliding over the grass beds.

Half Moon Cay:

Half Moon Cay was established as a wildlife protected site in 1924. The island got its name from it’s crescent like shape and together with the white sand, it looks like the moon in the clear turquoise waters. Half Moon Cay was established as a wildlife reserve and protected site in 1924. In 1981 it became the first Marine protected area in Central America under the Belize National Park system Act. The Southern part of the island serves as a nursery for the loggerhead, hawksbill, and green turtles which nest there between May and November. Half Moon Cay Natural Monument is also part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site which was established on December 4, 1996.

Half Moon is gorgeous, the perfect Sandy cay with palm trees and turquoise waters.

We had swam from the reef, across the grass beds and to the beach and dock where the boat, our gear and Elvis was waiting for us. Elvis had snacks ready: warm breakfast burritos, sliced cantaloupe, muffins and water. We all consumed the food in a hurry as we were famished after the few hours spent in the cool water.

Right after our snack John and I set off to walk to the Red Footed Boobie and Frigate Bird colony found at one side of the cay.

The most famous inhabitants of this Half Moon Cay are its Red-footed Boobies which nest in the Ziricote thicket at the western end of the cay. Also nesting are the magnificent Frigate Birds.

It was a wonderful walk there firstly through a grove of coconut palm trees and then through the Ziricote thicket. On the way we saw a poor, dead Frigate bird that was being consumed by hermit crabs, I never knew they feasted on dead animals.

Atop of the platform we were amazed by all the nesting birds spread out as far as the eye could see.

Swooping in the skies above, doing their mating dance and calls,

attending to young, and just so busy they didn’t give us so much as a glance.

We enjoyed watching them for a good while and then set off for Honeymoon beach at the end of the pathway and cay. It too was a very scenic beach

Returning along the same path we headed out for the old lighthouses at the other end of Half Moon cay.

The present one is just a tower, which had an osprey’s nest atop. The old one lies in the sea with the building just a ruin.

The cay was a wonderful place to visit, I did wish I had more time there.

Next destination was another snorkel, in completely different environment.

Snorkel on the outside reef

This snorkel was in deeper water as it was outside the barrier reef. The water was not as clear as the tide was returning. However we did see an enormous turtle with a remora on its back.

Also in the distance was reef shark, while gliding below us and around us some huge barracudas, in the sandy water and over the grass beds rays were gliding by.

This was John’s favourite snorkel, for me it was the least favourable, but still very good.

Returning to Itza Resort I enjoyed a refreshing club soda and started to warm up. It was a very successful day.

In the morning we set off, along with La Favorita to Turneffe for the night. The following day we headed to Cay Caulker having a wonderful, fast sail….