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Blue Hole & Lighthouse Caye

Lighthouse Reef

Our Belizean adventures continued today with an hour-and-a-half boat ride further east, to Lighthouse Caye and the famous Blue Hole; a dive site popularized by marine explorer Jacques Cousteau. The Blue Hole and Lighthouse Caye are designated as World Heritage sites, both established and run by the Audubon Society of Belize. This conservation effort is largely due to the abundant population of Red-Footed Boobies and Frigate birds nesting on the island.

The Blue Hole Stalactites

We had the pleasure of sharing the turquoise water once again with Dr. Sylvia Earle as we descended into the Blue Hole. This dive site is just that, a circle of blue water measuring ~2.4 km (~1.5 miles) across at the surface, placed in the center of a submerged atoll, maxing out at 125 m (410 ft) in depth. …

Posted in Belize, deep search, Frigate Birds, Lighthouse Caye, marine conservation, oceanic society, Red Footed Booby, sylvia earle |

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Turneffe Atoll with Her Deepness

The changing of the guard went smoothly with the arrival of Sadie and the departure of John. Needless to say we were sorry to see John go. In the last 48 hours Kip and Sadie have been busy with interviews, capturing the hustle and bust of life in Belize City, and exploring the diverse critters of Turneffe Atoll.

On Saturday afternoon Sylvia Earle, Kip and Sadie headed out to Turneffe Atoll, about 45min east of Belize City by boat. We were accompanied by a group of divers visiting the Oceanic Society and Blackbird Caye Resort; all masterminded by Birgit Winning, the Oceanic Society’s fearless leader, president and one of Turneffe’s biggest advocates. Through the Oceanic Society, guests are invited to spend their vacation learning about Turneffe Atoll and assisting with current research projects.…

Posted in Belize, deep search, marine conservation, oceanic society, sylvia earle, Turneffe Atoll |

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Belmopan Adventure

Leaving Ambergris Caye on Wednesday, we hung up our dive gear for a few days and dedicated Thursday and Friday to meeting with the people here who set policy, do the science and ultimately will decide the fate of Belize’s natural areas. Our first order of business, though, was to pick up our fearless leader, Dr. Sylvia Earle, who had just flown in from Paris and the premiere of the new film by renowned filmmaker Jacques Perrin, Ocean.

We were ably hosted by the Nature Conservancy’s Alejandro Martinez, who drove us to the landlocked capitol of Belmopan for the launch of the University of Belize’s new Environmental Research Institute (ERI). Dr. Earle joined Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega and ERI’s dynamic duo—Institute Science Directors Dr.…

Posted in Belize, Marine Protection, nature conservancy, oceanic society, sylvia earle, university of belize |

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