Belize
Belize is unlike any country in the
Western Caribbean. Self-governed since 1964, Belize is
an independent British Commonwealth country. (formerly
British Honduras) The official language is
English, but Spanish is commonly spoken by the
natives, a warm, friendly and intriguing mix of Mayan,
African, Hispanic, Caribbean and European cultures.
Most of the 200,000 citizens live on the green and
tropical mainland in Belize City.
If you've thought about the Bahamas, Caymans or
Cozumel as a spot for an adventurous vacation but
prefer less crowded diving and fishing sites, come to
Belize.
One of the highlights of travel in Belize is it's
Great Blue Hole, formed by the collapse of what was
once a subterranean cave which is now filled with
hundreds of feet of water. The Blue Hole is
located about 55 miles off the coast of mainland
Belize.
Jacques Cousteau thoroughly explored the Blue Hole
with his mini-subs in the late 1960's and released one
of his television documentaries about blue holes.
He sounded its depths and recovered one of the fallen
stalactites at the bottom of the hole. Stalactites are
found at depths of 110-115 feet and deeper, some of
them 30-40' long and 5-10' in diameter.
Captain Jacques Cousteau called the
Great Blue Hole "... one of the four 'Must-Dive'
locations on this blue planet."
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