Located on the Lighthouse Reef just off the coast of Belize, the Half moon Caye forms one of the three main atolls of lighthouse reef. The Half Moon Caye Wall dive site is located on the south side of Half Moon Caye and is easily one of the best dive destinations of the world. Though often overshadowed by the nearby Belize Blue Hole, also located on Lighthouse reef, which tends to get more publicity and reviews than the Half moon Caye, most diver who have dived both sites tend to agree that the Wall is definitely one of the best dives sites on earth.
The reef crest is crowned with a thick forest of staghorn coral that almost acts as a barrier to the sharp wall drop-off that drops steeply to a shelf at a depth of about 15 feet (5 m). This shelf is a sandy expanse which is home to a large community of garden eels that pop out of sight as a diver approaches. The sandy shelf slopes downward to around 40-50 feet (14-15m) before one comes across another barrier of staghorn coral along the very edge of the reef wall. It is this barricade of living coral is what makes this wall so unique. Divers can find narrow gaps/tunnels between the coral outcrops to reach the seaward side of the wall, or opt to swim above the barrier to around 20ft from the surface. However the challenge lies in finding a gap through the barrier and carefully making your way to the other side of the sheer wall drop-off which seems to cut away to nothingness below. The top of the wall is teeming with sea life and corals, sea fans and brain coral all competing for space and light. Large grouper, angelfish and butterflyfish congregate at the top of the wall, while deeper down are the larger pelagic such as white tip sharks, jewfish, and bullsharks, that tend to dive well beyond the recreational scuba diving limits of the wall. Other attractions include the occasional sighting of manta rays, or stingrays at the sandy flats, and also sea turtles that drift idly by.
The depth range of this site ranges from 19-137ft ( 6-42m) and the wall drops-off to an undetermined depth. Currents are usually minimal to none, and visibility is 100ft (30m) or more. Half Moon Caye wall is rated for scuba diving difficulty as an intermediate dive site. To truly experience this dive site, one should plan to do at least a few dives here to appreciate the diversity of terrain.
While back on the surface, divers can off-gas on the Half Moon Caye itself which is a small, tropical designated as a National Park and bird sanctuary. There are bird-watching platforms from which visitors to the island can sight the boobie bird colony, frigates and other bird species and iguanas. There is also a solar powered lighthouse located on the atoll which is inhabited by the lighthouse keeper who acts as the custodian of the island as well.
