Turneffe Flats, Turneffe Atoll, Lighthouse Reef and Great Blue Hole

Turneffe Atoll and Lighthouse Reef are arguably Belize’s best known diving destinations, and the location of the country’s most easterly offshore sites. Turtles, eagle rays and large reef fish are the most common marine life, but almost anything can make an appearance here - including Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks and hammerheads, as well as dolphins and even manatees.

Turneffe Atoll diving

Turneffe Atoll is  considered to offer some of the best resort-based diving in Belize. The atoll’s thick mangrove forests, shallow sheltered lagoons and nutrient-rich waters play host to all manner of marine life, from reef and nurse sharks to dolphins, manatees, and the endemic whitespotted toadfish. And, many of the dive sites are favoured by spawning reef fish, meaning the biodiversity and overall spectacle can be genuinely astonishing. The atoll’s western edge offers many shallow reefs for novice divers, but the east and southern sides are where the real action lies.

Located at the southernmost tip of the atoll, The Elbow is an absolute must for any serious diver. Dramatic drop-offs and turbulent topography provide the perfect backdrop for schooling grey and mahogany snapper, permits, and jacks of all varieties, as well as groups of eagle rays and huge goliath groupers. Chinaman’s Wall is one of the best wall dives in the region, adorned with yellow tube sponges, sea fans, and goldentail morays watching on from the crevices. Dogtooth and red snapper, Nassau and black grouper can also be found gathering within the recesses, while eagle rays and blacktip sharks slide past in the depths. Ascend to the top of the wall and over the lip onto the reef for a chance to find the endemic whitespotted toadfish.

Diving the Great Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef

The marquee dive site of Lighthouse Reef is the Great Blue Hole, a huge spherical sinkhole in the centre of the reef that reaches a depth of 125-metres. While marine life here is scarce, the Great Blue Hole is considered a bucket-list dive for many, offering dramatic scenery and a unique feeling of sensory deprivation. In the south of Lighthouse Reef, the Half Moon Caye Natural Monument offers yet more spectacular underwater scenery, with garden eels, sea hares, torpedo rays, blue parrotfish and fantail blennies. Tarpon Caves is one of Half Moon Caye’s most popular dive sites, featuring a vertical tunnel that runs from 12-metres down to almost 30-metres deep. Explore the many swim-throughs and holes covered in hard corals that punctuate the wall while barracuda, grouper and the namesake tarpon glide beside you.