What is the Great Blue Hole?

The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole frequented by scuba divers for its numerous species of tropical fish and its clear blue waters. Measuring 984 feet across and 410 feet deep, it is located off the coast of Belize, about 62 miles away from Belize City.

It is the largest natural geological feature of its kind on the planet and was made internationally renowned through an investigation by Jacques Cousteau in the 1970s. Wildlife species frequenting the hole include giant groupers, nurse sharks and Blacktip sharks. The sinkhole is near the center of the Lighthouse Reef, a protected area of the Barrier Reef Reserve System and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.