Painted Wall - Lighthouse Reef
Painted Wall, on Lighthouse Reef, offers a relaxed dive that's perfect for a second tank. The wall itself drops sharply, a canvas of deepwater sea fans and tall tube sponges, plus rope and finger sponges. Keep an eye out for black groupers and French angelfish patrolling the deeper sections, and turtles occasionally cruise by. If the wall is a bit deep, the reeftop offers plenty of action in the shallows – we’ve seen scrawled cowfish, whitespotted filefish, and horse-eye jacks, with barracuda often hanging around. It’s a nice mix for divers who appreciate both macro and larger reef fish, without needing significant depth.
- Location
- Lighthouse Reef, Belize, Central America
- Coordinates
- 17.298332, -87.758330
- Type
- wall
- Maximum Depth
- 5-40m
Marine Protected Area: Zone 2
Best Time to Dive in Lighthouse Reef
The warmest water temperatures in Lighthouse Reef occur in September, averaging 30.0°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 27.1°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.2°C
- February: 27.1°C
- March: 27.2°C
- April: 27.8°C
- May: 28.6°C
- June: 29.2°C
- July: 29.3°C
- August: 29.7°C
- September: 30.0°C
- October: 29.9°C
- November: 28.9°C
- December: 28.0°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Lighthouse Reef
- 3 Amigos
- Baker's Drop - 50 feet
- Calabush Cut - 5-20m (channel)
- Chain Wall - 15-40m (wall)
- Chris s Chimney - 15-35m (pinnacle)
- Coco Point
- Colusium
- Cut Throat - 5-20m (channel)
- Eagle Ray Wall - 15-145 feet (wall)
- Fabian s Roost
- Grand Bogue
- Great Blue Hole (cave)
- Great Blue Hole (reef)
- Half Moon Caye
- Half Moon Caye Wall - 21m (wall)
Nearest Dive Centres to Painted Wall
- Itza Resort - PADI
Marine Life in Lighthouse Reef
Home to 216 recorded species including 175 reef fish, 20 hard corals, 9 other, 6 sharks & rays, 2 jellyfish, 2 sea urchins.
Notable Species
- Redear Herring (Harengula humeralis) - Reef Fish
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Thin leaf lettuce coral (Agaricia tenuifolia) - Hard Corals
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Grunt (Haemulon plumierii) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Yellowtail Parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne) - Reef Fish
- Fray (Jenkinsia lamprotaenia) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma bifasciatum) - Reef Fish
- Kwab (Sparisoma radians) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
- Cola (Ocyurus chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Painted Wall
Based on average water temperature of 28.6°C, currents 22 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories