Diving Reports
November 19 - 26, 2011
November 5 - 12, 2011
Weather: Weather during the week was sunny with no rain.
Air Temp: Mid to high 80’s
Water Temp: 80 to 84 at most dive sites.
Visibility: 60 to 100 feet
This week’s diving was interesting and educational. We started their week on the West side of the atoll at Crickozeen, where visibility was around 100 feet, and were immediately greeted by a school of eagle rays with their beauty and elegance. Black groupers, lion fish, mutton snapper, and yellow tail snappers were also present on this dive. Our second dive took place at Amber Head where we had the pleasure of seeing spiny lobsters, queen angel fish, grey angel fish, French angel fish, black groupers, 2 and more eagle rays. Our last dive for the day was at Crickozeen North. Here we were amazed by the beauty of a white spotted moray, 3 eagle rays, peacock flounder, and snapping shrimp.
Monday we went to the Northeastern side of the atoll to The Terrace. It was a great day; everyone loved the wall and the ledge at 115 feet. We saw beautiful black and wire corals, a green moray, barracudas, and a king mackerel. At Elkin’s Bay, we saw large spiny lobster, southern sting rays, spiny head blenny and a garden eel. Chasbo’s Corner was our third dive of the day with excellent visibility once again. On this dive we saw black groupers, a Hawksbill Turtle, 2 eagle rays, ocean trigger, black durgeons and various reef fish.
Tuesday, the day of the majestic Blue Hole, the visibility was great at 100 feet. We enjoyed close encounters with reef sharks, black groupers, and midnight parrot fish. The second dive was at Half Moon Caye Wall where we had an unforgettable dive with tarpon, hogfish, a nice number of conch, southern sting rays, 2 green turtles, and a garden eel. At Eagle Ray wall, the third dive we were amazed at the beauty of the wall and we saw lobsters, white spotted moray eels, mutton, huge snappers and a school of tarpon.
Wednesday, we dove on the Southeastern side of the Atoll, Joe Joe’s Split, Chris Sea, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. The visibility was at 50 to 60 feet. On the first we saw a large green moray, horse eye jacks, school master, and a blue parrot fish. On the second dive t we were excited to see a spotted moray, a large channel cling crab, lobsters, neck crab, white spotted toad fish and juvenile trunk fish; and at Lee Ellen’s Melons we saw Hawkbill Turtles, spotted eagle rays and six lobsters in a coral.
Thursday, we explored the southern area of the atoll diving The Elbow, Black Beauty, and Front Porch. The visibility was good at 80+ feet. The Elbow was magical and we swam with a pod of dolphins for most of the dive. Apart form enjoying their time with the dolphins the divers saw black grouper, a big school of permit, cubera snapper, chubs, and Atlantic spade fish. Everyone loved this dive. Black beauty was where the divers witnessed a Nausau grouper devour a lion fish. We also saw lettuce sea slugs, flamingo tongues, and 8 lobsters under a coral. At Front Porch we were delighted by a Hawkbill Turtle, lion fish and lettuce sea slug.
Friday, we dove close to the lodge at Lindsey’s Back Porch and Devil’s Deep. At Lindsey’s Back Porch we saw a Hawksbill Turtle, many creole wrasse, black groupers, giant anemone, green moray, ocean trigger fish and channel cling crabs. At Devil’s Deep we were welcomed by a big mutton snapper, mackerel, barracudas and white spotted toad fish. Overall the week was magical, educational and full of excitement.
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November 5 - 12, 2011
Weather: Weather during the week was mostly sunny.
Air Temp: Mid to high 80’s
Water Temp: 80 to 83 at most dive sites.
Visibility: 70 to 90 feet
We hosted a small dive group this week which gave everyone the advantage of great and independent underwater experience. The divers started their diving expedition at the Southeastern part of the atoll
at Chrissea. The visibility was good and the dive week could not have started better as the divers were welcomed by a couple of 2 Hawksbill Turtles, a spotted moray eel, and a white spotted toad fish. The divers were also exited to see a black grouper devouring a Lion fish. Following this, the divers spotted a yellow-line arrow crab, a banded coral shrimp, mutton snapper and a Pederson Cleaning Shimp. The first dive of the week was phenomenal. The second dive was at April Fool where divers saw large spiny lobster, tiger tail, donkey dong, sea cucumber, French and gray Angels, a juvenile sharp nose puffer. The third diving spot was Little Calabash and divers were entertained by a queen trigger, black surgeon, a large channel clinging crab, a barracuda, queen conch and a lettuce sea slug.
at Chrissea. The visibility was good and the dive week could not have started better as the divers were welcomed by a couple of 2 Hawksbill Turtles, a spotted moray eel, and a white spotted toad fish. The divers were also exited to see a black grouper devouring a Lion fish. Following this, the divers spotted a yellow-line arrow crab, a banded coral shrimp, mutton snapper and a Pederson Cleaning Shimp. The first dive of the week was phenomenal. The second dive was at April Fool where divers saw large spiny lobster, tiger tail, donkey dong, sea cucumber, French and gray Angels, a juvenile sharp nose puffer. The third diving spot was Little Calabash and divers were entertained by a queen trigger, black surgeon, a large channel clinging crab, a barracuda, queen conch and a lettuce sea slug.
Monday, the divers went to the Northeastern part of the atoll and dove the Terrace where visibility was around 80 feet. It was a great day with beautiful black and wire corals, a white spotted moray, a green moray, black cap basslets, barracudas, a king mackerel, and a flamingo tongue. Chasbo’s Corner was the second dive. Here the divers also had good visibility and saw a black grouper, a school of horse-eye jacks, unwanted lion fish, and a scrawled cow fish. At Elkin’s Bay, the third dive, divers saw large spiny lobster, green moray, neck crabs, indigo hamlet, black grouper, garden eels, razor fish, and cero mackerel.
Tuesday was Blue Hole Day. As usual the divers swam with reef sharks, black groupers, midnight parrot fish in the Blue Hole as well as Burmuda chub, bar jacks, fire worm, and spaghetti worms. The second dive, at Half Moon Caye Wall, was memorable with tarpon, hogfish, four southern sting rays, a green turtle, barracudas, and a razor fish. At Cathedral, the third dive, the visibility was great. Ivan, our youngest diver of the week loved the swim-thrus. The divers saw southern sting rays, lobsters, moray eels, and a Sergeant Major.
Wednesday, the divers went west of the atoll, the to Crikozeen area. They saw a garden eel, spiny lobster and green and a spotted morays. On the second dive at Black Pearl they spotted a golden tail moray, green moray, lobster, neck grabs, Hawksbill turtle and an eagle ray.
Thursday, the divers dove close to the lodge at The Terrace, they saw a green moray, barracudas, and various reef fish. They then headed to Lobster Bay, for our second dive, they saw a black grouper, Hawksbill turtle, a green moray, neck crab and a large nurse shark. On the third dive of the day, Devil’s Deep, the visibility was good and some highlights were lion fish, toad fish a large spiny lobster.
On the final day of diving, divers went to Turneffe’s Northeast side where hey dove Lindsey’s Back Porch and at Alfredo’s. At Lindsey’s Back Porch the divers the highlights were a free-swimming moray, scrawal file ish, white spotted toad fish flamingo groupers and barracudas. At Alfredo’s the divers were entertained by a southern sting ray, green moray, sand dollar and various reef fish. The dive week was very educational and entertaining and everyone had a great time.
_______________________________________________________________________________________October 22 – October 29, 2011
Weather: Weather during the week varied from sunny to cloudy and sea from moderate to rough, Hurricane Rina in the atmosphere.
Air Temp: Mid to high 80’s
Water Temp: 80 to 84 at most dive sites.
Visibility: 40 to 70 feet
This week we began our diving week on the Northeast side of the atoll at Lindsey, followed by Bleckish and Grassy. On our 1st and 2nd dive the visibility was at 50 feet. Divers were enthusiastic and saw black groupers, green moray, conch, spiny lobster, sea godess and spotted nudi branch on their first dive. At Bleckish divers were entertained by many colorful reef fish, lettuce sea slug and sting rays. On our third dive for the day our visibility reduced slightly but we had a chance to enjoy some large snappers, many lobsters and shrimps.
Monday, the divers again dove on the Northeast side as that location had the best conditions due to wind direction. This time they dove at Cockroach, Nelson, and Front Door. The dives were very educational and on our first dive they saw black corals, spotted drum, white spotted moray, and wire coral shrimp. At Nelson’s they had great dive with southern stingray, a black cap basslet, tiger tail sea cucumbers, and several lettuce sea slugs. The dive day ended with a great dive an Front Door with with large barracudas, lots of reef fish, and big snappers.
Tuesday, it was the the magnificent Blue Hole including Half Moon Caye Wall, and the Aquarium at Long Caye. At the Blue Hole everyone enjoyed seeing 4-6 gray reef sharks; as well as black groupers, and midnight parrot fish. At Half Moon Caye Wall everyone was astonished by the diversity of its sea life and they all concurred that it was their best dive. They enjoyed seeing hog fish, black grouper, tarpon, several southern sting rays, a green turtle, and a spotted eagle ray. At the aquarium the divers saw large schools of snapper as well as the elusive tarpon, channel cling crabs, and spiny lobster.
Wednesday, our diver group traveled to the Southeastern part of the Atoll to dive Joe Joe’s Split, Chris Sea, and Little Calabash and visibility was at good. The first dive of the day couldn’t have a better. It was a marvelous dive with white spotted toad fish, school master, spotted drum, juvenile trunk fish, and garden eels. At the end of our first dive, the divers had the magical adventure of swimming with a pod of dolphins. Everyone got their snorkeling gear and were able to play with the pod of dolphins for several minutes – what an experience. On the second dive, the divers saw a large green moray, southern sting rays and a lettuce sea slug. On the third dive lobster, mutton snapper, and snapping shrimp were some highlights.
Thursday, the dive group dove at the Southern tip of Turneffe. The Elbow, Black Beauty, and Dead Man Wall were the three dives and visibility was from 50 to 70 feet. The Elbow stood up to its reputation with black grouper, spotted eagle rays, a Hawksbill Turtle to enjoy. At Black Beauty we witnessed a Nausau Grouper devouring a beautiful but most unwanted lion fish. We also got to see golden tailed moray, green moray, and a large channel clinging crab. At the Dead Man Wall divers were delighted by a graceful spotted eagle ray, colorful reef fish, and a spotted moray.
Due to the weather conditions on the last day, we decided to stay close to the lodge and dove Conference Room, Devil’s Deep, and Barracuda Bay. The Hawksbill Turtles seemed to be everywhere this week and Friday was no exception as we saw Hawksbills on every dive. Also seen on the first dive were spotted drums, and a spotted moray. At Devil’s Deep divers were welcomed by an upside-down jelly fish, a large spiny lobster, a lettuce sea slug, and a furry sea cucumber. On the last dive for the week, various reef fish gave the dive group a spectacular farewell. Overall the week was spectacular and full of excitement.
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Weather: Partly cloudy with scattered showers. Winds higher than average at 10 – 20 knots.
Air Temp: High 80’s – Low 90’s
Water Temp: 83 F
Visibility: 50-90 ft
Ten divers joined us this week from all over the states and a couple from as far as Europe. It was a windy week but the diving was great none the less. The week started on the northwester side of Turneffe Atoll at Elkin’s Bay dive site. The divers enjoyed seeing a green moray Eel, black groupers, and some queen angel fish. The dive master also found a sea cucumber to show everyone. Many divers got to see a flamingo tongue and a hogfish. The highlight of the dive was seeing an eagle ray and a turtle. The second dive took place at Chasbo’s Corner where divers first explored the northern stretch of the shelf. One of the divers spotted a juvenile yellow tail damsel fish amongst the scattered corals. Others pointed out wire coral shrimp and another big green moray eel. The tropical reef fish were in abundance here, with divers seeing sergeant majors, several small puffer fish, a pair of four-eyed butterfly fish, and a school of creole wrasse. The highlight for two of our divers was seeing their very first scorpion fish. After lunch, the divers were eager to be back in the water and to tour the southern section of Chasbo’s Corner. Throughout the dive, many reef fish were seen including schools of french grunts, several types of triggerfish, and some large grey angelfish. The dive master had pointed out a big yellow trumpet fish, but the divers agreed the best part was finding a nurse shark hiding underneath a rock.
Monday the divers dove right in front of the lodge, spending their surface intervals here at the lodge. The first site was Devil’s Deep and it stunned the divers that such great diving was so close. The dive master located an arrowhead crab to show everyone, who excitedly took pictures. Other great finds included a large barracuda and the colorful queen angel fish. The second dive was at Alfredo’s. A couple of divers had their curiosities satisfied by the dive master whom happily showed and identified to them various sponges and different algae, while later explaining the significance of their relationships with the coral. The final dive of the day was at the Front Door. It was a nice dive with great visibility. Among the corals and sponges, one of the divers was very excited to discover some drum fissh.
The boat headed out to the Western side of the Turneffe Atoll on Tuesday. The first dive was at Crickozeen Cut North. Early into the dive, a large eagle ray swam close by and completed several loops in the area before departing. Many different shrimp were found hiding in the coral and a school of french grunts swam low through the area. Several grey angelfish, a black grouper, and a trumpet fish were also spotted, but the highlight was a large green moray eel found by one of the divers. For the second dive, everyone explored Crickozeen Cut South. The coral was healthy and colorful and the divers saw three drum fish circling throughout the area. Many of the guests got to see their first spotted moray eel. The dive master was the first to see a giant stingray nestled in the sand that, when startled, left its resting spot and dashed past the guests. One of the divers found a scorpion fish in the sand and showed everyone. The day’s final dive was at Elgene’s Inn. Early in the dive, the sharp eyes of two divers spotted some tiny pipefish lying in the sand. After finding a large lobster hiding in a barrel sponge, several divers were able to see a spotted moray and a golden tail moray eel fighting over prime real estate on the reef.
Wednesday started at Lobster Bay. The highlight of this first dive was observing a grey angelfish attempting to eat the diver’s bubbles. The angelfish stuck around for some time before swimming off. Many other tropical reef fish were seen including many large angelfish. The Amber Head dive site was the second adventure for the day. Various sponges and bright corals made for a beautiful dive with the native reef fish. The afternoon was taken off and spent lounging around the pool area. This evening the divers embarked on a night dive at the Northern Bogue. The full moon made for a brighter evening. Early into the dive, one of the divers found a large octopus on top of a rock. Soon after another smaller octopus was spotted in a different patch of coral. The dive master found a lettuce slug while other divers got to see a purple mouth moray eel. There were also many sea urchins scrambling across the sands.
The weather was great on Thursday and the boat headed out to the Lighthouse Atoll. All the divers were eager to explore the Blue Hole. The conditions were perfect, with excellent visibility, a sunny sky, and clam waters. Many reef sharks circled the divers throughout the exploration, with one of the smaller sharks coming closer for a curious look. The guests loved the stalactites and cave formations. During the ascent, divers saw several big black groupers, some chubs, and a giant midnight parrotfish. The second dive was at Half Moon Caye Wall. The grand swim-throughs entertained the divers who were greeted by a large barracuda upon exiting the first tunnel. On the wall’s ledge, divers got a close up view of a gorgeous eagle ray. Lunch was enjoyed on Half Moon Caye where the guests walked along the beaches and ventured through the Red-Footed Boobie sanctuary. The third dive took place at Tres Cocos, which was full of marine life. The dive master showed everyone two types of black coral used for making jewelry. One of the guests found an interesting sea cucumber while another found a secretary blenny to show the others. It was a beautiful day at the Lighthouse Atoll and everyone was sad to say goodbye.
The final day of the week, divers headed out to the southeastern side of Turneffe Atoll to dive Lee Ellen’s Melons. The dive had plentiful amounts of large tropical reef fish, including groupers, snappers, and angelfish. Perched on the corals, divers found many lizard fish. A stingray was found digging in the sand while an eagle ray passed by later in the dive. Three turtles were seen during the dive with one of the smaller ones coming right up underneath the divers. The second dive was at Lil’ Calabash. Two large scrawled file fish excited some of the divers who’d never seen them before. The corals and sponges intertwined to create beautiful coral patches. In addition to the more common reef fish, divers also had the treat of seeing a remora. The final dive was Chinaman’s Wall where divers found many small hermit crabs inside sponges. Several squat anemone shrimp were seen along with some large hermit crabs in conch shells scurrying along a sand chute. They finished off the dive observing the garden eels in the sand. It was a good closer to a great week. We enjoyed your good spirits and great dinner conversation and hope we see many of you again.
_______________________________________________________________________________________July 3 - 10, 2011
Weather: Partly cloudy. Some thunderstorms mid-week. Winds at 10 – 20 knots
Air Temp: High 80’s – Low 90’s
Water Temp: 83 F
Visibility: 50-80 ft
Six wonderful divers were with us this week and beginning with the first dive at Crickozeen Cut North, on the western side of Turneffe Atoll, everyone knew it was going to be a fantastic vacation. Upon descending a huge stingray could be seen feeding in the sand. Close by, yellow head jaw fish were popping in and out of the sand. Our diver, Melissa, was very enthusiastic to point out some garden eels. Proceeding north along the coral wall, a huge eagle ray glided by and three juvenile spotted drum fish were found living amongst the coral. At the turning point of the wall, the divers were mesmerized by a giant barrel sponge that was big enough to fit someone inside. After the excitement of the first dive, everyone was thrilled to be diving the southern stretch of the wall next. Crickozeen Cut South proved to be just as exciting an experience. The dive starts with a sandy slope with patches of coral and progresses towards a point in the reef along a wall of corals descending to a 150ft. Early into the dive, everyone was observing some banded coral shrimp when the dive master spotted a sandy mist up ahead. Gathering around to see what the commotion was, a mega stingray, 5 ½ft in diameter, revealed itself. Throughout the dive, schools of grunts, snappers, groupers, and creole wrasse swam by. Just when the divers thought that the mega ray had been the highlight, a massive eagle ray, close to 6ft in diameter with an almost 8ft tail, circled the divers before disappearing into the deep blue. After lunch, the divers headed south to the Amber Head dive site. Many lobsters were found, as well as a variety of native tropical reef fish. Two more eagle rays were spotted on this dive. One of the divers came up from the dive very proud after finding a couple of trumpet fish all by herself.
On Monday, the divers set off to the southwest side of Turneffe Atoll and began the day with a deep dive at Tarpon Bay. The healthy corals and productivity of this section of the reef impressed the divers who loved the variety of colors. This week the eagle rays seemed to be attracted to the divers as two more came up close and swam past the divers. The other star of the dive was a little webbed burr puffer fish with pretty green eyes. A 10 minute boat ride north brought our divers to the Sponge Shop. A large variety of reef fish were spotted with the dive master identifying a bunch of different species for the guests. In the shallows the divers discovered a bunch of lobsters hiding in a big crevice. The dive master impressed the guests by whispering out one of the lobsters. The final dive of the day was at Elgene’s Inn. It was a great dive to finish the day. The divers enjoyed how relaxed and comfortable it was while they observed many different reef fish, bright corals, and interesting sponges.
Tuesday began with a thunderstorm in the morning. Watching the lightning, everyone was unsure if they’d be in the water today. Around mid-day the storm broke and the divers squeezed in two dives right in front of the resort, here on the eastern side of Turneffe Atoll. On the first dive, visibility was amazing and the divers were stunned by the beauty of the sites right in front of the lodge. The first site consisted of huge spur and groove formations. The divers identified many fish, corals, and sponges as they could. The highlight of the day was seeing a white spotted toad fish, which is only found here in Belize. After a surface interval on the beach, the second dive was as good as the first. Great visibility and similar topography, home to many beautiful species of fish and corals. The divers were stunned that on a rainy day the diving could still be so good, even the water was a surprising 83 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wednesday’s weather was a little better than the day prior with partly cloudy skies and scattered showers. Today the divers explored the northeastern side of Turneffe Atoll, beginning with Lindsay’s Back Porch. It was a deep wall dive in preparation for the upcoming trip to the Blue Hole. The guests all loved the wall but this dive was particularly special for our diver, Christine. While finishing her safety-stop underneath the boat, the dive master called her over urgently for a surprise. Taking her hand to calm her, the dive master pointed towards a beautiful manatee only 20ft away. The peaceful giant slowly approached them before passing by and disappearing into the blue. Christine described it as looking like a giant puppy and had said that in all her life’s diving adventures, never had she experienced such a phenomenal moment. Although the other divers were disappointed to have missed such an amazing creature, our dive master Alex soon made up for it during the surface interval by finding a small pod of dolphins. The divers swam with the dolphins for close to 40 minutes. The rest of the interval was spent on the shores of the crocodile pond and while only a head could be seen slipping lazily through the water, the divers were able to explore the nesting grounds and evidence of a recent hatching. The second dive took place at Alfredo’s. While diving, the guests were interested to observe a hard shower take place while the sun was still out. The highlight of the dive was yet another massive eagle ray. Finishing the day right outside the lodge, the divers explored the Front Door site. Among the tropical reef fish, ocean trigger fish and lots of jaw fish could be found as well as black and Nassau grouper.
The weather improved and the dive boat headed out to the Lighthouse Atoll to explore the great Blue Hole. The massive stalactites transfixed the divers. Visibility was great and the reef sharks could be seen circling the hole. Looking up, the silhouettes of two eagle rays passed by as everyone was thrilled to have experienced the beautiful views of the Blue Hole. The second dive was at Half Moon Caye Wall. Most enjoyable were the great swim-throughs and amazing topography. Visibility was excellent and many graceful reef fish were observed. Lunch was spent on Half Moon Caye, where the guests enjoyed walking through the Red-footed Bobbie sanctuary. The third dive, The Aquarium, lived up to its name. This section of the reef is home to copious amounts of reef fish and is always a beautiful site with many different species of corals and sponges.
On Friday, the divers headed to the southern tip of Turneffe Atoll to explore the Elbow dive site. The current was strong but the divers were able to see a couple of turtles and some eagle rays amongst the reef. Heading to the southeastern portion of Turneffe Atoll to find better conditions, the divers entered Jo Jo’s Split. Two big black groupers followed the divers for a bit and Rob pointed out a huge stingray. Another four stingrays were seen throughout the dive. While the dive master was showing the others a furry sea cucumber, a turtle swam up behind him to the enjoyment of the divers. Everyone was intrigued to finally learn what black coral looked like. The final dive was a fitting end to a spectacular week. The divers saw eagle rays and a free-swimming moray eel. The moray stayed by the dive master just like a pet while the dive master pointed out a channel clinging crab next to it. While the divers swam over to see the crab, the moray wasn’t disturbed at all and stayed right there. The divers also found a scrawled file fish that stayed in place for everyone to see. Later in the dive, the dive master took everyone to the home of a white spotted toadfish. It was a marvelous dive to finish off an even better week. We truly enjoyed the great company and friendship of the divers. It will always be a pleasure to have you back!
_______________________________________________________________________________________June 18 - 25, 2011
Weather: Moderate to high winds, partly cloudy skies
Air Temp: Low to high 80’s
Water Temp: 82 degrees
Visibility: 60-90ft.
This week was truly fantastic! The lodge was full, bustling with good company and even better stories of each day’s thrills. This week, we enjoyed the companionship of the Underwater Phantaseas Dive Team from Denver, Colorado. A group of fourteen friends, of many ages and different backgrounds, all brought together for the adventure of Turneffe Atoll. Most came for the sole purpose of exploring the depths, but a few had other things on their mind as well. It’s like they say, “when at Turneffe Flats”. Four best friends, as well as the group leader Ryan and a couple other comrades, took advantage of our Combo Package and on several days enjoyed the world-renowned fishing. Sometimes slipping in some of that excellent fly-fishing after two morning dives.
The start of the week was off with a bang. Shorty after the dive orientation on Sunday morning, the divers were put into two groups and jumped from a full Ms. Ellie (this week 13 Divers), into the famous Caribbean waters of the Turneffe Atoll. Our first check out dives took place in the calmer waters of the Northwest dive sites: Elkin’s Bay North and Elkins Bay South. Visibility was 60ft and the views were spectacular. On the first dive, black groupers swam by while watching the razor fish in the sand. Lobsters, lion fish, and a green moray also joined the excitement. On the South side of the atoll, the reef fish were plentiful and the eels were out. Divers spotted green moray, spotted moray, and golden tail eels; as well as spotted drum fish, a tiger tail sea cucumber, and a beautiful hawks bill turtle. We finished off a great first day at Chasbo’s Corner where visibility was again 60ft and the sights almost couldn’t have been better. Curious barracuda and black grouper watched the divers photographing the lobsters and channel clinging crab. Black durgeons were present along with another hawks bill turtle. The real prize of the day was a manta ray seen by the first group of divers. What a first day
The Terrace was the site of the first dive on Monday. Visibility was at 70ft, and schools of creole wrasse and mutton snapper are in the area. Lobsters are found among the black corals while the wire coral looks like it’s reaching out to the passerby’s. A green moray eel topped off the dive. Next they were diving into Chasbo’s Corner South where vis. was 60ft. A hawk’s bill turtle was found in between the various reef fish, such as parrot fish, angel fish, and squirrelfish. Also a spotted moray was found slithering between the cracks of the coral heads. After lunch the divers hit the Northeast side of the Atoll, jumping into Lindsey’s Back Porch. Vis. was 80ft and along with the familiar reef fish, black groupers, lion fish, and the interesting file fish could be found. A southern sting ray was nestled in the sand. Other critters seen include a spotted moray, spotted lobster, and a big ole’ hermit crab.
It’s Tuesday and the dive masters are taking advantage of the better conditions of the Western side of Turneffe. The first dive was at Crickozeen Cut North (vis. 60ft). More spotted morays were seen as well as the lobsters. This time it was some dog snappers who joined the familiar reef fish. Looking closely the divers saw garden eels and snapping shrimp. The best find was the rare and very well hidden scorpion fish! Next stop was the South side of Crickozeen Cut. Vis. was the same and schools of yellow tail snapper and mutton snapper joined the divers. Again the black grouper were out and a spotted moray could be seen. Standing out from the usual reef fish was a peacock flounder scurrying along the bottom. Today’s third dive was at Lobster Bay where vis. was 70ft. Lobsters were found as well as a southern sting ray. A puffer fish was stumbled upon and the diver’s sharp eyes spotted wire coral shrimp.
Blue Hole Day is here and while we have some with us this week who’d already experienced the magic are none-the-less thrilled to be making the voyage again. Albeit it was rough trip over to the Lighthouse Atoll, we were rewarded by being the very first dive boat at the Blue Hole. Huge midnight parrotfish swim with black groupers and chubs in the water column. Three Caribbean reef sharks swim lazily through the deep blue waters. Down at depth, the magnificence of the enormous stalactites captivates the mind as you try to imagine what this cave looked like hundreds of thousands of years ago. It’s truly a sight to behold, which leaves you feeling like you’re on the famous expedition with Jacques Cousteau. All great dives must end sooner or later (until we invent gills) and shortly the divers are back in the water at Half Moon Caye Wall with visibility of 60ft. There is a beautiful wall to explore with many “swim-throughs”. Lots of conch was found along with a southern sting ray in the sand. Swimming by was a super-sized barracuda and many black and Nassau groupers. After a fantastic picnic at the Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, the divers explored the Red Footed Boobie sanctuary on the West side of the caye. Our final dive of the day was at Quebrada where visibility was 50ft. Between the chubs and black groupers; sergeant major fish swim freely between coral heads. It was another outstanding trip to the Blue Hole with a smooth ride home.
Tarpon Bay starts the day with a pleasant dive on the Western side of the Atoll. Visibility at 50ft. Again the corals and sponges were full of life with the familiar angelfish and parrotfish as well as a green moray eel. Moving North to the Amber Head dive site, the visibility increased to 80ft plus. Here, divers saw several green moray eels and a golden tail eel. The highlight of the dive was a Spotted Eagle Ray. The divers were back in for lunch and spent the afternoon lounging on the island and in the pool as we all prepared for the evening’s night dive. The site was North Bogue, only about 3 minutes away from the lodge. A truly fantastic dive, the divers saw spiny lobster, slipper lobster, a lettuce sea slug, and tiger tail sea cucumbers. Sea urchins scurried across the sand and an octopus was coaxed out of the corals to put on a dazzling show of colors when lit up with the diver’s flashlights. Cowries crawled about and trunkfish were seen as well as a porcupine puffer fish. After the dive a fantastic dinner was served amid heartwarming company and great laughs.
We finished off the week at Tunnels and Barrel’s and a return to Chasbo’s Corner to take advantage of the better diving conditions. Visibility was 80ft at both sites. A hawk’s bill turtle was seen at the first sight as well as a southern stingray. Two hawk’s bill turtles were seen at the Corner as well as a lager head turtle! Black groupers and horse eye jacks swam by as the sea gave its final farewell with a spotted eagle ray. It’s sad to see such a great week come to a close but we’re always looking forward to the next adventure and surely hope the Underwater Phantaseas Dive Team will join us again in the future for more laughs and great times. It was wonderful meeting you all! We hope you enjoyed your stay as much as we enjoyed having you!
______________________________________________________________________________________May 28 - June 5, 2011
Weather: Bright sunny clear skies, some scattered cloud coverage.
Air Temp: High 80’s to Low 90’s
Water Temp: Mid 80’s to lower 80’s at depth
Visibility: 50ft – 100ft
Sunshine in the Caribbean
Once again the week was off to a great start with our traditional check out dives, this Sunday on the Western at the Lobster Bay and Fishie Wishie dive sites. Amongst the flourishing coral heads, the diver’s depths ranged within several yards of 40ft to ensure a good measure of everyone’s past experience in the water was taken. Sightings at these sites include the ever-present Stoplight Parrotfish and the more reclusive Spiny Lobsters. Also joining the divers on their exploration, were Creole Wrasse and Banded Butterfly Fish as well as the beautiful, but unwelcome, Lionfish. With good eyes the divers found Neck Crabs on both dives. Finishing off a fantastic day, the divers jumped into the warm waters on the North side of Crickozeen Cut. Highlights from the third dive include a huge Spiny Lobster, a fascinating Bristol Star, and a massive Roughtail Stingray.
Eager to begin their day, the guests dove to the deeper depths of The Terrace; having the pleasure of being visited by a Loggerhead Turtle on their journey beneath the sea. Amongst the corals, Black and Wire corals were observed as well as a Spotted Eagle Ray cruising by. Excitement was high as the divers were all doing well with their deep dive checkouts and thoughts couldn’t help but be pulled toward the excitement of diving the fabled Blue Hole tomorrow. At Chasbo’s Corner, the divers swam with a school of Creole Wrasse. Horse Eye Jacks and Black Grouper could be seen in and around the corals and divers. The observation of a Channel Clinging Crab in his element took the prize on the second dive. After lunch on another beautiful day, the divers finished at Elkin’s Bay where Razor Fish and Yellowline Arrow Crabs joined the more familiar residents of the reef.
Tuesday arrives and the guests can’t wait to get out on the Ms. Ellie and head out towards the Lighhouse Reef Atoll. A little less than an hour’s boat ride has us taking in the beautiful views of the Atoll and its light green waters punctuated with dark coral heads. Riding up to the Blue Hole, the contrast of the nearly circular, deep navy blue waters surrounded by light aqua green was made even more stunning by the illumination of a bright sun in clear skies. Following in the footsteps of Jacques Cousteau, the divers descend down to the depths. The fascination of swimming amongst the Midnight Parrotfish, Jacks, and Black Groupers while viewing the passing Caribbean Reef Sharks is surpassed by the shear magnitude of the giant stalactites. Swimming amongst the stalactites is a truly impressive experience leaving the divers with amazing memories. As hard as it is to beat the Blue Hole the second and third dives of the day are in no way out of the running. Diving off the Half Moon Caye, the guests were thrilled by the coral formations and “swim-throughs”. A Southern Stingray was sighted as was a curious 4ft Baracuda. Before surfacing, attention was given to the Garden Eels living in the sand beds. Out of the water and onto Half Moon Caye. Lunch was enjoyed in the shade of palm trees on picnic tables covered with tablecloths. After eating, it was a short walk to the Red-footed Booby sanctuary, full of activity. Shortly thereafter the divers were finishing up the day off of Long Caye, where Wire Coral Shrimp and Lion Fish were found. More Barracudas were spotted along with several humongous Tarpon. It was a short and sweet boat ride back to the lodge ending a day full of unforgettable moments.
Midweek and it’s another sunny day on the Atoll, but not every dive this Wednesday will be in the light. Scheduled this evening is the night dive; which makes for an easier day with two dives in the morning, a little rest and relaxation in the afternoon, and the finale nighttime scuba trip before dinner. Tarpon Bay starts the day with Channel Clinging Crabs and Lion Fish. Crickozeen Cut South yields Neck Crabs and Bristol Stars with its colorful displays of coral and reef fish. Lunch was taken at the lodge and the diver him the pool, beaches, and air conditioning before preparing and departing for the third dive of the day as the sun begins to hang low in the sky. We watch the sun setting as we prepare our gear and lights for the upcoming expedition into a whole new world. Night falls fast and we don our gear and hit the warm waters, our lights illuminated. A young girl of college age is joining us having been certified the beginning of the week by our expert instructors. Within minutes of being in the water she has located a Spanish slipper lobster and soon there after is taping franticly on her tank as she’s spotted an octopus. Coaxed out by the dive master’s, the octopus illuminates itself and continually changes through a whole rainbow of colors and camouflages, trying to make sense of the light shining in the dark. Squids and Giant Hermit Crabs can been found with some Lobsters scattered about the corals. Several Tigertail Sea Cucumbers extend from the corals and a puffed up Puffer Fish is seen at the end of the dive. Coming up out of the water, the night sky is putting on an amazing display of the stars. We load the divers up and head back to the lodge for a much-anticipated dinner.
Thursday and we are diving on the eastern side of the Atoll. In the Conference Room a Queen Trigger Fish and a pair of Green Moray Eels dazzle us. Lion Fish are crashing the meeting but today another giant Southern Stingray joins us. Lindsey’s Back porch proves to be yet another great dive where we watched a big Grouper being cleaned by the smaller fish. Our Third dive at Devil’s Deep puts us on the fore reef right close to the lodge, making the trip home from a fantastic dive speedy and effortless. Highlights of Devil’s Deep include the Spiny Lobsters and a huge Remora.
It’s a sad day for the divers as they’ll be returning to the mainland tomorrow, but the day none the less turns out to be a great one. Diving at the southern tip of the Atoll, we first explore The Elbow. The sea life is abundant as schools of Permit swim by and Horse Eye Jacks are zipping around the corals accompanied by Dog Snappers. Another big Remora swims by looking for something or someone to suction onto and an Eagle Ray passed close by. The Second dive of the day and the last of the trip is at Jo Jo’s Split. A Furry Sea Cucumber is found on the corals and we are lucky to sea another Spotted Eagle Ray as well as a Southern Stingray. It has been another fantastic week with good weather and great diving. The divers rave about the sights and the privilege of all week being the only dive boat at the dive spots visited here on the Turneffe Atoll. It was a pleasure having the divers this week as they were all amazing and made it an unforgettable week.
______________________________________________________________________________________May 8 – 14
Weather: Sunny skies and moderate winds
Air Temp: Low to mid 90’s
Water Temp: 80-84 degrees
Visibility: 50ft. – 100+ft.
This week at Turneffe Flats, we have combination fisherman/divers and several Discover Scuba diving participants. We began diving on Tuesday on the northwest side of the atoll at Elkins Bay North and South. The visibility today was good at 70 feet. The divers saw razor fish, spotted moray eels, lobster, ocean trigger fish, channel clinging crabs, golden tail morays, black groupers, black durgeons, and brittle stars.
Wednesday, we went back to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace and Chasbo’s Corner due to the wind direction. Highlights of the day included indigo hamlets, barred hamlet, green moray, spiny lobsters, gray angelfish, schools of creole wrasse, dog snappers, horse eye jacks, barracuda, white spotted file fish, and french angelfish.
Thursday, the dive group spent the day east of the atoll at The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Eagle Ray Wall. The visibility today varied from 75-100 feet. The dive group loved the Blue Hole as we saw huge black groupers, midnight parrot fish, Caribbean reef sharks, barred hamlet, and Bermuda chubs. Half Moon Caye Wall was an excellent dive. The group loved the swim throughs and we saw southern sting rays, barracudas, snapping shrimp, razor fish, queen angelfish, permit, and hog fish. We enjoyed a wonderful picnic lunch at Half Moon Natural Monument before heading to Eagle Ray Wall for the last dive. Highlights of the dive included three huge tarpon, sergeant majors, scorpion fish, and spiny lobster.
_______________________________________________________________________________________APRIL 24th- 30th
Weather: Warm temperatures, hazy skies, moderate winds
Air Temp: High 80’s
Water Temp: 80-82 degrees
Visibility: 50ft–80ft
The week began on the west side of the atoll for checkout dives at Crickozeen North & South, as well as Lobster Bay. The visibility at Crickozeen was 50 ft. We saw pipe fish, garden eels, various shrimp, black grouper, slender file fish, lobster, juvenile spotted drum, king mackerel, spiny head blenny, neck crabs, and cleaner shrimp. Lobster Bay visibility was better at 70 ft with several lobster sightings, green morays, lion fish, and various reef fish.
Monday we went to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace, Chasbo’s Corner, and Elkin’s Bay South. The visibility was 80ft. and we saw lots of beautiful black coral and wire coral at this site. Highlights of the dive included channel clinging crab, southern sting rays. The group loved the wall and the formations. Chasbo’s Corner also had good visibility at 80ft. Highlights of the dive included a hawks bill turtle, spotted file fish, smooth trunk fish, three spotted eagle rays, and schooling creole wrasse. Highlights of Elkin’s Bay, included razor fish, spotted drum, cowry, spotted moray, three types of hamlet, and big black groupers.
The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Manta Ray Wall, east of the atoll were on the agenda for the day. The visibility today was not great at 50-60ft. but the divers still had a great day. We saw four reef sharks, black grouper, and jacks in the Blue Hole. The dive group loved the sharks and the formations in the Blue Hole. Highlights of Half Moon Caye Wall included Nassau grouper, hog fish, southern sting rays, lots of conch, and unfortunately lots of thimble jellies. We took a little break for lunch and picnicked on Belizean fried chicken and took a little tour to see the red footed booby birds on Half Moon Caye. After lunch, we went to Manta Ray Wall. The dive group loved the formations and the beautiful wall. Highlights of the dive included tunicates, free swimming morays, and a huge spotted eagle ray.
Wednesday, we went to the west of the atoll to Tarpon Bay, Elgene’s Inn, and we did a night dive at Northern Bogue. The visibility at Tarpon Bay was 60ft. and we saw black grouper, neck crab, channel clinging crab, indigo hamlet, black hamlet, and butter hamlet. The visibility at Elgene’s Inn was the same and we saw green moray and white spotted toad fish. The night dive at Northern Bogue was excellent. We saw tiger tail sea cucumber, various shrimp, blood worms, lobster, lettuce sea slugs, conch, burr puffer, white spotted moray, and spotted drums.
Today we went to the southern tip of the atoll to The Elbow, Black Beauty, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. The visibility was 60ft. at The Elbow with nice current today. The dive group saw hawks bill turtle, black grouper at a cleaning station, schooling permits, white spotted toad fish, channel clinging crabs, and various reef fish. The visibility at Black Beauty and Lee Ellen’s Melons was the same. Highlights included Nassau grouper, free swimming moray eels, grouper, spotted eagle ray, hawksbill turtle, spotted drum, and a nurse shark.
Friday, the dive group went to the east side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch, Wishbone, and Alfredo’s. The visibility today was 50- 60ft. We saw green moray eels, spotted moray eels, black grouper cleaning stations, and a huge 4 foot lager head turtle. Highlights of Wishbone and Alfredo’s, included southern sting rays, barracudas, lobster, white spotted toad fish and a burr puffer fish. We saw another lager head turtle at Alfredo’s but he was not near the size of the big guy at Lindsey’s.
_______________________________________________________________________________________APRIL 2nd- 9th
Weather: Sunny skies and moderate winds
Air Temp: High 80’s to Low 90’s
Water Temp: 76-80degrees
Visibility: 50ft–90+ft
Sunday the dive group began the week with check out dives on the west side of Turneffe Atoll at Crickozeen North and South, then to Amber Head. The dive group consisted of four certified divers and two new diver’s doing their first open water dives. Highlights of the first dive included spiny lobsters, neck crabs, yellow head jaw fish, yellow line arrow crabs, Christmas tree worms, feather duster worms, spotted morays, and several types of shrimp. The highlight of the second dive at Crickozeen was singing “Happy Birthday” to one of the divers underwater. The group loved it. At Amber Head, we saw peacock flounder, huge hermit crabs, spotted moray, and the dive master charmed a lobster out of hiding to put on a little show for us.
The divers went to the east side of the atoll today to The Terrace and Elkin’s Bay. This was the first deep dive for our students. We saw green moray eels, channel clinging crabs, wahoo, barracudas, and lots of beautiful black corals. Highlights of Elkin’s Bay included razor fish, neck crabs, spiny lobster, spotted eagle rays, and of course we did a little lion fish hunting.
Tuesday the dive group went to the northwest side of the atoll to Chasbo’s Corner, Mandy’s Dandy, and Tunnels & Barrels. At Mandy’s Dandy, the group was able to dive with eight dolphins and we saw a hawks bill turtle. Other highlights included channel clinging crabs and drum fish.
Today, we went to the east side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch and Cockroach Caye, with a night dive before dinner at Northern Bogue. We saw a beautiful logger head sea turtle at Linsey’s Back Porch. At Cockroach Caye, we saw green morays, barracuda, and queen trigger fish. The night dive was excellent with highlights including lettuce leaf sea slugs, sea hares, spiny lobsters, slipper lobsters, and long spine sea urchins.
Thursday the divers went east to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Aquarium. The Blue Hole was incredible today with 15 reef sharks spotted in addition to black groupers, chubs, and midnight parrot fish. The divers loved the stalactites. Half Moon Caye Wall was a nice dive today. We saw southern sting rays, barracudas, and more sharks. We stopped for a picnic lunch and saw the red footed booby birds at Half Moon Monument. The Aquarium was the final dive of the day and highlights included chubs, sergeant majors, neck crabs, tarpon, and dog snappers.
The dive group went to the southern tip of the atoll today to The Elbow and Lee Ellen’s Melons. We saw a massive school of horse eye jacks, atlantic spades, school of permit, black grouper, wahoos, and snapper. Between the two dives we spotted a group of dolphins so the divers went snorkeling with them. They were very up close and personal with us. The divers really wanted to see turtles and Lee Ellen’s Melons did not disappoint. We saw a huge 7 foot lager head sea turtle and another smaller one toward the end of the dive. We finished the day with some lion fish hunting!
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Weather: Partly sunny skies and moderate winds
Air Temp: High 80’s to Low 90’s
Water Temp: 76-80degrees
Visibility: 50ft–90+ft
Sunday the dive group began the week with check out dives on the west side of Turneffe Atoll at Crickozeen North, Crickozeen South, and Lobster Bay. Crickozeen North visibility was a little green from the surface to 15ft and then the visibility improved. We saw lobster, flamingo tongue, wire coral shrimp, pederson shrimp, arrow crab, Nassau grouper, black grouper, several types of snapper, and a green moray. The visibility was similar at Crickozeen South. Highlights of the dive included razor fish, spotted toad fish, white spotted moray, lion fish, snappers, and green morays. The visibility was much better at Lobster Bay. We saw two spotted drums, spotted nudi branch, southern stingrays, and lobsters.
The divers went to the east side of the atoll today to Lindsey’s Back Porch and Elkin’s Bay. The visibility was 70ft. at Lindsey’s Back Porch. We had some swells on top and a little surge underwater. We saw free swimming moray, black grouper, mutton snapper, and juvenile spotted drums. The visibility at Elkin’s Bay was excellent at 90+ feet. Highlights included razor fish, garden eels, hawks bill turtle, juvenile spotted drum, creole wrasse, spotted morays, and white spotted toad fish.
Tuesday the dive group went east to the magnificent Blue Hole. The Blue Hole was an incredible dive this week. The divers had good visibility at 50ft. We saw midnight parrot fish, huge black groupers, bermuda chubs, and nine reef sharks. Half Moon Caye Wall was a little disappointing this week with poor visibility and swells. However, we saw hog fish, razor fish, conch, garden eels, two southern sting rays, and white spotted moray. After the dive, we enjoyed a picnic lunch with the atoll adventurers at Half Moon Natural Monument. We finished our day at Quebrada where we saw a plethora of reef fish.
We went to the northwest side of the atoll to Mandy’s Dandy and The Terrace. The visibility today was 70ft. Highlights of the day included channel clinging crabs, green morays, lobster, snappers, spotted drums, and white spotted moray.
Thursday the divers went to the southern tip of the atoll to The Elbow and Jo Jo’s Split. The visibility today was 60ft. We saw schooling snapper, permit, horse eye jacks, atlantic spades, black grouper, mackerel, hawksbill turtle, and southern sting rays.
The dive group went to the southeast side of the atoll today to April Fools and Chrissea. The visibility was 60ft. and we saw green morays, huge snappers, black groupers, a hawks bill turtle, and two nurse sharks. The highlight of the week came at the end of the day. As we were coming back to the lodge, we saw a pod of 50 short fin pilot whales. We geared up and swam with them before returning. It was amazing!
_______________________________________________________________________________________MARCH 19th- 26th
Weather: Sunny skies and light winds
Air Temp: High 80’s to Low 90’s
Water Temp: 76-80degrees
Visibility: 40ft. – 90+ft.
Sunday the dive group began the week with check out dives on the west side of Turneffe Atoll at Crickozeen North, Crickozeen South, and Amber Head. Highlights of Crickozeen included southern sting rays, spiny lobster, green moray eels, spotted eagle rays, neck crabs, butterfly fish, garden eels, and smooth trunk fish. Amber Head was a great dive today and the group saw spotted moray eels, spotted drum fish, and cow fish.
The divers went to the northwest side of the atoll today to dive The Terrace, Chasbo’s Corner, and Elkin’s Bay. We saw a huge green moray eel, dog snapper, barracuda, black cap basslet, and a long snout butterfly fish at The Terrace. Chasbo’s Corner was full of black groupers, channel clinging crabs, snappers, and creole wrasse. At Elkin’s Bay, we watched the razor fish dive into the sand, saw southern sting rays, peacock flounder, and flamingo tongue.
Tuesday the dive group went east to the magnificent Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is one of Belize’s most popular dive sites and is very accessible from Turneffe Flats. We saw all the big ones today including Caribbean reef sharks, midnight parrot fish, huge black groupers, and Bermuda chubs. After the Blue Hole, we went to Half Moon Caye for a dive on the wall. It was fantastic! We saw a spotted eagle ray, green moray ells, southern sting rays, barracuda, and groupers. The clarity was excellent and the wall was full of life. We stopped at Half Moon Natural Monument for a picnic lunch of Belizean fried chicken and pasta salad before we checked out the red footed booby birds which live on the island. The day ended at The Aquarium, obviously named for the plethora of fish that we saw there. In addition to the fish, we also saw a hawksbill sea turtle.
We went to the southwest side of the atoll today to Tarpon Bay and Elgene’s Inn before taking an afternoon break. The night dive tonight is at Northern Bogue in front of the lodge. Highlights of the day included southern sting rays, spotted eagle rays, creole wrasse, tiger tail sea cucumber, and black groupers. The night dive was great. We saw slipper lobsters, batwing crab, spiny lobster, lion fish, and a sleeping parrot fish.
Thursday the divers went to the northwest to Elkin’s North and Tunnels & Barrels. Highlights of the day were a juvenile spotted drum, free swimming green moray eel, and three huge channel clinging crabs.
The dive group went to Molly’s Folly’s and Mandy’s Dandy for their final dives of the week. The visibility was excellent today and conditions were perfect. Highlights of the day included spotted moray eels, spiny lobsters, creole wrasse, spotted eagle rays, barracudas, and a hawksbill sea turtle.
_____________________________________________________________________________________MARCH 12th- 19th
Weather: Partly sunny skies, scattered showers, moderate winds
Air Temp: High 80’s to Low 90’s
Water Temp: 76-78 degrees
Visibility: 50ft. – 100+ft.
The dive group began the week on the west side of the Turneffe Atoll at Crickozeen North and South, and at Amber Head. Highlights of Crickozeen included yellow head jaw fish, eagle rays, conch, and the beautiful formations at the Northern site were crowd pleasers. We also saw a huge barrel sponge with a gigantic lobster inside. Amber Head was a great dive as well with lobsters, green morays, drums, and the ladies loved the indigo hamlets.
Monday, we went to the northwest side to The Terrace, Chasbo’s Corner, and Elkin’s Bay. The visibility today was excellent at 100+ feet. The divers loved the wall of black coral and this was a deep dive for several of the divers. Conditions were perfect for a beginning deep dive. Chasbo’s Corner is a magnificent site for fish identification. The group enjoyed the deep water sea fans and scattered corals. Elkin’s Bay was a great dive as well with highlights including eagle rays, razor fish, upside down jelly fish, snapping shrimp, and beautiful formations. The dives today could not have been better with perfect weather and visibility.
Today we went to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Manta Ray Wall. The Blue Hole was impressive as usual and all the divers loved the stalactite formations at depth. Half Moon Caye Wall was very entertaining as the dive group had a blast in the swim throughs. We took a little break for Belizean fried chicken and pasta salad at Half Moon Natural Monument before moving on to Manta Ray Wall. This site was gorgeous with eagle rays, several fish reef, baby turtles, morays, and the show stopper, Bubba, the oversized logger head turtle.
Wednesday, the winds were high so we went to the west side of the atoll to Tarpon Bay and Sponge Shop. The divers were very interested in finding all five types of hamlet while they were in Belize. Tarpon Bay offered four of the five including a hybrid hamlet. We also saw toad fish, drums, lobster, baby trunk fish, and shrimp. Sponge Shop was our opportunity to find the missing hamlet and we did it! The divers were thrilled that we found all five types in one day. The butter hamlet and the shy hamlet showed themselves. The night dive at Northern Bogue was full of life tonight! We saw sea slugs, lettuce, lobsters, two octopus, several slipper lobsters, web burr fish, a sleepy parrot fish, and two sea hares.
The winds were strong today and visibility was low. We went to the southern tip of the Turneffe Atoll to The Elbow, Triple Anchor, and Permit Paradise. Visibility was poor at Triple Anchor and Permit Paradise. We saw permit, lobster, and a couple of amberjacks. The highlight of the day was The Elbow. We had excellent current a saw plenty of schooling fish, eagle rays, and three turtles. Even with some swells, it was the best dive of the day.
The conditions improved on Friday with visibility between 50ft-70ft. We went to Lindsey’s Back Porch, Elkin’s Bay, and Wish Bone. Highlights of Lindsey’s Back Porch included a lager head turtle, three hawksbill turtle, black groupers, spotted moray eels, and various reef fish. There were some swells on the east side so we went to the west side for the last two dives and conditions improved. Elkin’s South was calmer and highlights included a hawksbill turtle, juvenile spotted drum, and the dive group loved the swim through. Wish Bone was a good dive with highlights including barracuda, grouper, snappers, channel clinging crab, and several types of shrimp.
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FEBRUARY 26th- MARCH 5th
Weather: Sunny skies, calm winds
Air Temp: High 80’s to Low 90’s
Water Temp: 78-80 degrees
Visibility: 70ft. – 100+ft.
The dive group began the week at Lobster Bay on the west side of the atoll. The first thing we saw while descending was a big black grouper getting cleaned. The divers saw yellow head jaw fish, snapping shrimp, a massive eagle ray, puffer fish, spotted drum, and southern sting rays.
Monday, we went to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace and Mandy’s Dandy. Ulf K. could not stop cheering after swimming for five minutes with an eagle ray at the beginning of the dive at The Terrace. We also saw a moray eat a lion fish and the wall at The Terrace was very impressive. The divers loved this site. Andrea D. loved the dive at Mandy’s Dandy. The visibility was crystal clear here and the flourishing sea fans and black deep water was beautiful. The colors were magnificent and we saw several types of Caribbean reef fish.
Our dive group went east to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and The Aquarium on Tuesday. The divers thought the stalactites at the Blue Hole were very interesting and enjoyed the dive. John S. captured excellent video of this once in a lifetime experience. Half Moon Caye Wall was impressive as usual. The divers loved the swim throughs, topography of the site. We saw a Caribbean reef shark, southern sting rays, and snapping shrimp. Highlights of The Aquarium included three eagle rays, a curious hawksbill turtle, and hundreds of reef fish. We also enjoyed a picnic lunch at Half Moon Caye Monument.
Wednesday, we went to Front Door and Lindsey’s Back Porch just east of the resort. Highlights of the day included channel clinging crab, dolphins, and two mega sting rays. The Night Dive at Northern Bogue was great. We spotted three octopuses, a puffer fish, and several lobsters.
Today, the dive group went south on the atoll to The Elbow, Black Beauty, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. There was little current today at The Elbow so there was little schooling fish. We did see a small school of dog snappers and a school of permit. The dive master and captain entertained the group with some underwater kung fu and then we enjoyed the beautiful wall. Highlights included Nassau and black grouper. Lee Ellen’s Melons was a favorite as one guest described it as “a garden”. The topography at this site is perfect for nurse sharks and we saw three! We also saw two eagle rays and a turtle.
Friday, we went to the west side of the atoll to Tarpon Bay, Crickozeen, and Amber Head. Highlights of the day included turtles, eagle rays, arrow crabs, spotted drums and a large crab in a barrel sponge. Amber Head was Ulf’s 100th dive and the staff and divers made it a memorable dive.
_______________________________________________________________________________________FEBRUARY 19 - 23, 2011
Weather: Sunny skies, high winds
Air Temp: Mid 80’s
Water Temp: 76-78 degrees
Visibility: 50ft. – 100+ft.
The dive group began the week by heading west to Crickozeen North, Crickozeen South, and Tarpon Bay. The visibility today was excellent at 100+ feet. At Crickozeen North, we saw black grouper, barracudas, conch, pederson shrimp, yellow line arrow crab, garden eels, green moray, juvenile spotted drum, lobster, hawksbill turtles, yellow head jaw fish, and it was the first time for Dwight W., of Colorado, seeing a snapping shrimp. The corals on the south side of Crickozeen were much healthier and we saw lion fish, black grouper, razor fish, green moray, grouper, and trunk fish. Tarpon Bay visibility was excellent as well with highlights including channel cling crabs, spotted eagle ray, spotted drum, white spotted moray, flamingo tongue, and wire coral shrimp.
On Monday, the divers went to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace, Elkin’s Bay, and Chasbo’s Corner. Visibility at The Terrace was 80 ft. Highlights of the dive included lots of healthy black coral, black grouper, spotted drum, lobster, green moray, creole wrasse, and five large channel clinging crabs. Elkin’s Bay was beautiful today and we saw barracuda, king mackerel, spotted drum, spiny head blenny, and another first for Dwight W. , an upside down jellyfish. Highlights of Chasbo’s Corner included black grouper, black durgeons, lobster, channel clinging crab, porcupine puffer, and a hawksbill turtle.
Tuesday, we went back to the northwest side due to the high winds from the east. Visibility had decreased to 70ft. Highlights of the day included razor fish, ocean trigger fish, hog fish, peacock flounder, creole wrasse, hawksbill turtle, tiger grouper, and several types of reef fish.
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February 6 - 11, 2011
Weather: Sunny skies, calm winds
Air Temp: Low 90’s
Water Temp: 78-80 degrees
Visibility: 70ft. – 100+ft.
Peter and Susan C., of Maryland, were the only divers this week and they enjoyed the personal attention very much. The weather conditions were perfect and the visibility was even better. On the first day, we went northeast to Lindsey’s Back porch, Alfredo’s, and Cockroach Caye Shallows. The first thing we saw at Lindsey’s was an enormous sting ray, followed by lobster, green morays, and the first squids for the dive pair. Alfredo’s was the next dive and we saw a sight that few divers will ever see. We witnessed diamond squids hatching from an egg sack. It was amazing! The dive at Cockroach was just as impressive spotting tiny drums, flounder, a basket star, and a green moray swam right up to us, checking us out.
Monday, the dive group went to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace, Black Coral Wall, and Elkin’s Bay. Highlights of the day included lizard fish, eagle ray, file fish, razor fish diving into the sand at Elkin’s Bay, and the beautiful black coral on the wall.
Today the divers went east to The Blue Hole, Conch Bay, and Half Moon Caye Wall. The Blue Hole, one of Belize’s most popular sites was incredible today. It was so nice that Susan wanted to do it again, but instead we headed to Conch bay. Conch bay was full of surprises as Peter saw the biggest barracuda he has ever seen and Susan loved the garden eels. The topography here was amazing and both divers said it was the best dive they had done to date. We took a little break for a picnic lunch at Half Moon Monument and then we went to Half Moon Caye Wall for our final dive of the day. The dive began with a large swim through to see a huge black grouper and a massive snapper. Susan spotted a grey Caribbean reef shark and we saw several sting rays and two tarpon.
Wednesday, we went back to the west side for diving at Crickozeen North and South, and returned early to prepare for a night dive at Northern Bogue. At Crickozeen North, Susan heard the snapping shrimps for the first time and we saw file fish, decorator crabs, several types of reef fish, lobsters, and spotted morays. South at Crickozeen highlights included several green morays, drums, and file fish. The night dive was excellent. Highlights of the night dive included a puffer fish, trunk fish, lobsters, crabs, tiger tail sea cucumber, lettuce sea slugs, and the best was the octopus just sitting in the open for all to see.
The Elbow, Triple Anchor, and Lee Ellen’s Melons, south on the atoll is on the agenda for the day. The Elbow is a beautiful dive full of schooling fish and corals but the highlight today was the hawksbill turtle just hanging out with us and the queen angel fish that seemed to be fanning a green moray regardless of how the moray tried to escape. Both of the divers saw the anchors at Triple Anchor and a wide variety of reef fish, lobsters, and we saw a grouper and snapper dining on a lion fish. Highlights of Lee Ellen’s Melons were lobsters, reef fish, and juvenile spotted drums.
Friday, the group went southwest on the atoll to Jo Jo’s Split, Chris Sea, and Secret Garden. The divers were blown away by Jo Jo’s Split. The topography was amazing today and we saw sting rays, a huge school of horse eye jacks, big black groupers, and blue and rainbow parrot fish. Chris Sea was full of channel clinging crabs and drums. Secret Garden was flourishing with soft corals and reef fish. There was an amazing coral head at this site where we spent a large amount of time observing all of the sea life.
Peter and Susan had the time of their lives this week. The combination of fantastic weather, excellent visibility, and being the only dive boat on Turneffe made for a once in a lifetime experience.
________________________________________________________________________________________January 22 - 29, 2011
Weather: Mostly sunny, some overcast skies
Air Temp: Low to Mid 80’s
Water Temp: 78 degrees
Visibility: 60ft. - 100ft.
The dive group went to the west side of the atoll on Sunday for their check out dives at Crickozeen North, Crickozeen South, and Lobster Bay. Highlights of the first dive at Crickozeen include yellow head jaw fish, garden eels, decorator crabs, and a channel clinging crab. John and Pat B., of Massachusetts, found several spotted morays, and pat loved the razor fish diving into the sandy bottom. We also saw a school of little bar jack’s swimming under the dive boat. On the third dive, we found another school of jaw fish and we were able to observe cleaner shrimp, banded coral shrimp, and snapping shrimp.
Monday, we went to the northeast side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch, Alfredo’s, and Wish Bone. The dive group was amazed by the topography and the abundance of soft corals on top of the ledge at the first site. There was also a large variety of reef fish at this site. On the second dive, we saw several types of angel fish, flamingo tongue, and a hawksbill turtle. We found plenty of lobster, crabs, and spotted drum, Pat’s favorite a spotted drum, and a pair of white spotted file fish. We also saw a giant tunicate, several types of grunts, parrot fish, and butterfly fish.
The dive group went east today to Lighthouse Reef to dive The Blue Hole, Half Moon CayeWall, and Aquarium. The visibility at The Blue Hole was excellent today and we found five Caribbean reef sharks as we came up from swimming through the massive stalactites at 130 ft. Half Moon Caye Wall is always a stunner and today was no exception. The divers commented on the swim throughs and the beauty of the wall. A few highlights included a huge cobra snapper, southern sting rays laying on the shelf, and a green sea turtle feeding in the grass. The turtle had a vibrant shell and paid no attention to us so it was a great photo opportunity. There were also large varieties of schooling fish and two octopuses on this dive. We took a break after this dive and enjoyed a picnic lunch at Half Moon Natural Monument and observed the red footed booby bird. The third dive at Aquarium was full of schooling fish.
Today, Pat and John went on our Atoll Adventure boat to search for dolphins and manatee and our two newcomers, Alex and Andrea, of Salt Lake City, went to Lindsey’s Back Porch and Wish Bone. This was Andrea’s first open water dive and she loved it! Highlights of the first dive included jaw fish, conch, and Alex enjoyed spearing a few lion fish. The second dive at Wishbone was even better. Highlights of the dive include lobster, queen angel fish, indigo hamlet, squirrel fish, princess parrot fish. The spotted eagle ray at the end of the dive stole the show! Pat and John joined us this evening for a night dive at Northern Bogue, It was a great night and the divers saw octopus, porcupine puffer, lobster, shrimp, sea cucumbers, lettuce sea slugs, and a tiny spotted trunk fish.
The dive group went to the southeast side of the atoll today to Jo Jo’s Split, Chris Sea, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. We added three divers to the group today. A huge logger head turtle that the group dubbed “Barnacle Bill” was the highlight of the day. He even showed up at two dive sites but we think his home was at Jo Jo’s.
Friday, we went to the southeast tip of the atoll to The Elbow, Black Beauty, and April Fools. The Elbow was amazing today with very little current so the group was able to see the stunning colors of the coral, and the eagle rays in the perfectly clear water stole the show. Highlights of Black Beauty included several types of reef fish, morays, and the dive master, John, fed lion fish to a grouper. On the third dive we found several spotted toad fish, turtles, tiger grouper, and several morays.
______________________________________________________________________________________January 15 - 22, 2011
Weather: Warm, moderate winds, partly cloudy skies
Air Temp: Low to Mid 80’s
Water Temp: 78 degrees
Visibility: 50ft. - 100ft.
Sunday, the dive group began the week on the north east side of the atoll at Lindsey’s Back Porch, Front Door, and Wish Bone. The winds today were out of the north and visibility was good at 60-70 feet. Highlights of the day included hawksbill sea turtles, green moray eels, huge black groupers, creole wrasse, ocean trigger fish, banded coral shrimp, spiny lobster, and channel clinging crabs.
Monday, the divers went to the southeastern side of the atoll to Jo Jo’s Split, Lee Ellen’s Melon’s, and Chris Sea. The visibility today was better at 80-100 feet. The divers saw a large barracuda, several lion fish, horse eye jacks, southern sting rays, and queen angel fish at Jo Jo’s Split. Lee Ellen’s Melons was an excellent dive as well. Highlights of the dive included hawksbill and lager head sea turtles, yellow line arrow crabs, tiger tail sea cucumbers, and queen trigger fish. The dive group saw two very impressive eagle rays, sting rays, and spiny lobster at Chris Sea.
Today the dive group traveled east of the atoll to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Wall, and Aquarium. The visibility today was excellent and the group loved the stalactites at depth in The Blue Hole. We also saw Bermuda chub, black grouper, and yellow snapper while descending. The group loved the swim throughs and caves at Half Moon Wall. Highlights of the dive included sting rays, garden eels, several types of crabs, and nurse sharks. The Aquarium lived up to the name today! The group was surrounded by several types of fish including Bermuda chub, creole wrasse, ocean trigger fish, spotted moray eels, and a few donkey dung sea cucumbers.
________________________________________________________________________________________JANUARY 1 - 8, 2011
Weather: Warmer, moderate winds, partly cloudy skies
Air Temp: Low to Mid 80’s
Water Temp: 78 – 80 degrees
Visibility: 40ft. - 100ft.
The dive group this week consisted of four open water referrals and two experienced divers. Winds on the first day were out of the southeast so we went to the northwest side of the atoll to Lobster Bay, Crickozeen Cut, and North Crickozeen. The visibility at Lobster Bay, the first check out dive site, was 70+ feet and the divers saw lion fish, spotted moray, spotted nudi branch, octopus, and a hawksbill turtle. The visibility at Crickozeen Cut was not great because of the tide. However, we were able to see lobster, white spotted moray, white spotted toad fish, and a huge eagle ray. This was the closest Cindy M., a return diver from Tennessee, had ever been to an eagle ray. North Crickozeen was covered with green water and visibility was low at 40 ft. Regardless of the poor conditions, the divers saw flamingo tongue, brittle star, tiger tail sea cucumber, southern sting rays, and channel clinging crabs.
Monday, wind direction shifted from the east, so we went to the northwest tip to The Terrace, Elkin’s Bay, and Chasbo’s Corner. The visibility today was excellent at 80+ feet. Highlights of the day included spotted lobster, grouper, scorpion fish, razor fish, channel clinging crabs, spiny head blenny, trigger fish, trunk fish, hawksbill turtles, green moray, and a moray dining on a lion fish.
Tuesday, the dive group went east to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Aquarium. The visibility at The Blue Hole was 60 feet. The divers enjoyed the deep dive and the impressive stalactites. We saw black grouper, chubs, horse eye jacks, moray ell, and three reef sharks. Half Moon Caye Wall visibility was even better at 80 feet. This site is always a favorite and today did not disappoint. We saw garden eels, black grouper, several southern sting rays, permit, snapper, and octopus. After this dive we were joined by the atoll adventurers for a picnic and bird watching at Half Moon Natural Monument. The last dive of the day was The Aquarium and the visibility here was excellent. The dive group saw spotted eagle rays, sergeant major, channel clinging crabs, cow fish, and a huge tarpon.
Wednesday, the divers took a break for some fishing during the day and then we did a night dive at Northern Bogue. The visibility was good but it was a little chilly tonight. We saw conch, tiger tail sea cucumber, a couple of octopuses, lettuce sea slugs, burr puffers, porcupine puffers, upside down jellies, and green moray.
The conditions on Thursday were excellent with no wind, flat seas, and water visibility at up to 100 feet. We went to the southern tip of the atoll today to The Elbow, Black Beauty, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. The Elbow visibility was 100+ feet and we saw green moray, king fish, trunk fish, mutton snapper, and queen parrot fish. The visibility at Black Beauty was just as impressive and the dive group saw Nassau grouper, white spotted toad fish, porcupine fish, and several types of reef fish. Highlights of Lee Ellen’s Melons included southern sting rays, three nurse sharks, permit, and barracudas.
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December 23 - 28, 2010
Weather: Cooler, moderate to high winds, partly cloudy skies
Air Temp: High 70’s to Low 80’s
Water Temp: 78 degrees
Visibility: 50ft. – 80ft.
The dive group went to the west side of the atoll on the first day to Crickozeen and Amber Head. This was the first open water dive for Leif B. and Petra B., of New Jersey, since their certification. Crickozeen was clear and made for a perfect introduction for the new divers. The group saw lobsters, a huge barrel sponge, green moray, and a crab in a sponge. Diane A., of Minnesota, was also happy to see her favorite, a spotted drum. Amber Head was a beautiful dive with gorgeous sponges, coral, and full of reef fish. Diane and Glenn A. decided to do this one again. We saw several spotted morays, adult drums, and two small juvenile drums.
Today the group went back to the west side of the atoll due to the winds. We went to Sponge Shop, Tarpon Bay, and Crickozzen South. Sponge Shop was the first deep dive for our new divers so after proper instructions we plunged into the appropriately named Sponge Shop. The group was amazed at the beautiful colors of the sponges and Leif and Petra B. saw their first eagle ray, a “wow moment.” The second dive at Tarpon Bay was a favorite for the group. Leif B. found an octopus and spotted a large lager head turtle. Diane A. was thrilled to find several drums and a group of lobster on this dive. Crickozeen South continued to impress with plenty of cow fish, trunk fish, and beautiful corals.
Christmas Day and we are headed east to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, and Conch Bay. The Blue Hole is one of the most popular dive sites in Belize. Descending into The Blue Hole, we saw reef sharks and once we reached the stalactites at 130ft the visibility was good. We saw several large black groupers at depth. It was a great day at The Blue Hole. As usual, Half Moon Caye Wall was one of the best dives with the swim throughs and the impressive topography. We saw two turtles, sting rays, and octopus. This was the 300th dive for Glenn A. After the dive, we enjoyed a lovely picnic at Half Moon Natural Monument and went to observe the Red Footed Booby Birds. The third dive at Conch Bay was excellent as well. It was high tide on this dive and we saw morays, flounder, eagle rays, southern sting rays, and the group enjoyed the swim throughs.
Sunday, the dive group went to the southeast side of the atoll to dive The Notch, Jo Jo’s Split, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. The Notch was excellent and as we came on top of the shelf we saw an eagle ray feeding in the sand and a hawksbill turtle resting in a patch of coral. Jo Jo’s Split had poor visibility today, but Diane and Glenn A. found an interested barracuda as they did their safety stop. The best dive today was at Lee Ellen’s Melons. The divers found a mega sting ray and a nurse shark.
The dive group went to the east side of the atoll today due to high winds and overcast skies. The visibility was between 50ft.-60ft. April Fools was a good dive. Diane A. found a green moray and a large channel clinging crab. We also saw a couple of barracuda at this site. The second dive at Calabash was also full of channel clinging crabs, must be the season.
We continued to dive the east side today at Lindsey’s Back Porch, Wish Bone, and Cockroach. The visibility was excellent today. We saw more crabs, lobster, and some sea cucumbers. The divers loved this site because of the flourishing soft corals of the shelf. The corals at Wish Bone were also very impressive as well as the amount of reef fish at this site. The last dive at Cockroach was very active as the group found juvenile drum fish, two eagle rays, octopus, and a southern sting ray feeding in the sand.
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DECEMBER 19th - 21st
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Weather: Warmer, moderate winds, clear skies
Air Temp: Low 80’s
Water Temp: 78 degrees
Visibility: 80 Ft. +
Sunday, the dive group went to the Northeast side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch, Front Door, and we ended the day with a night dive at Northern Bogue. We had two return guests this week, Brian V. and Michael V., of Asheville, NC, a father and son pair, and first time guests Tammy N. and Robert M., of Ontario. Lindsey’s was a great dive and we saw lots of lobster and some large black groupers. Brian V. found a large green moray with a tiny drum fish next to it. Michael V. also spotted a beautiful ray in the distance and an enormous barracuda. The second dive, Front Door, offered a wide variety of reef fish and several large lobsters. The highlight of the day was definitely the night dive at Northern Bogue. The dive group saw a sea hare, a harmless sea creature that looks like a large slug, which will ink as a defense mechanism. This is an amazing sight to see. We also saw a couple of octopuses and several types of nocturnal shrimp.
Today the dive group went to the Southern tip of the atoll to The Elbow, Jo Jo’s Split, and Chris Sea. There was outgoing current at The Elbow, so we did not see the large groups of schooling fish that are typical for the site. The highlight of the dive was the two green morays in one hole and a large black grouper in the next hole just hanging out for all of us to savor the moment. We also saw a while line toad fish, hawksbill turtle, and a one armed clinging crab. On the second dive at Jo Jo’s Split, we saw an eagle ray feeding and a large sting ray in the sand. A huge eagle ray stole the show at Chris Sea as it came up behind Michael V. and took its time swimming past the group.
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December, 11th - 18th ,2010
Weather: Cooler, moderate winds, mostly clear skies with some over cast
Air temperature: 70s
Water temperature: 78 degrees
Visibility: 100ft plus all dives
This week’s weather conditions started with some moderate north west winds and cool air temperatures around 77 degrees and the week ended with warm easterly winds which warmed things up. Throughout the week the water conditions were about 78 degrees with visibility of more than a 100ft.
On Sunday, the divers visited the Northeast side of Turneffe, diving at Lindsey’s back porch, Alfredo’s and Cockroach shallows. Return guests David and Nancy enjoyed the shape of the reef at Lindsey’s where they saw some large black groupers as well as lobster among all the tropical fish. At Alfredo’s, Nancy found a furry sea cucumber - a sea creature which looks like a giant fur ball slug when moving. At Cockroach, a large eagle ray hovered above the divers while they checked out the beautiful lily white sand with patches of corals. Sand dollars and a peacock flounder were also spotted.
Monday, the divers headed to the East side of Turneffe, diving at Chris Sea, Shoots, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. Today, Chad who came to Turneffe Flats to fly fish, decided to try diving for the very first time. He saw a big green moray, a big channel clinging crab and an octopus in the open! It was a great first dive! The other divers saw an eagle ray and a turtle swimming by without concern to divers. And, after ascending from the last dive Dave said, “That was the biggest nurse shark I’ve ever seen.” It was about seven feet!
Tuesday’s dive sites were again on the East side of Turneffe and included: Chinaman Wall, Little Calabash and Front door. Chinaman Wall reef is in good shape but where it ends in the sandy slope some of the patches were damaged from the hurricane. At little Calabash we found several channel clinging crab and Brad got a great picture of a moray eel feeding on a lion fish. At Front Door we saw a southern sting ray and a good sized mantis shrimp buried in the sand. On this dive John caught a lion fish that got away at the same time a resident nurse shark came out and looked at him and looked at Nancy before slowly swimming away.
Wednesday’s dive sites were at the southern tip of Turneffe, which included: Elbow, Black Beauty and Front Porch. The Elbow was calm with no current but we saw a school of jacks, a big permit and some Atlantic spade fish. The highlight of this dive was a hawksbill turtle feeding on a sponge with no concern for divers nor the queen angel fishes surrounding him waiting to pick up the pieces. At the next site, we had a Nassau grouper following us and it even pointing out couple of lion fish to us, one of which a moray ate. During the last dive, a school of yellow jacks came and swirled around Nancy. This was truly a Kodak moment…unfortunately the battery died in the camera!
On Thursday we visited North West side Turneffe, which included dive sites: Molly’s Folly, Chasbo’s Corner and Elkin’s Bay. Nothing out of the ordinary for the first dive, just lots of variety of corals, sponges and fish. The divers loved the sunshine and the way it made all of the colors vibrant. The second and third dives were at Chasbo’s Corner and were flourishing with all of the reef fish, deep water sea fans and scattered corals. As for Elkin’s Bay, there were lots of razor fish diving into the sand. Just as a turtle swam past, the Dive Master found a big crab, then Dave found an even bigger one and Nancy found the tinniest drum fish. Just as we got back under the boat we spotted scorpion fish and a big green moray getting clean by shrimps and gobbies.
Friday’s dive sites were located on the West side of Turneffe, including dive site Crickozeene. These two dives were pleasant with scattered corals and sponges. We found a lot of spotted morays under almost all barrel sponges. The guests commented on how much they loved these dives and the diversity of fish, colorful sponges and variety of corals.
Our guests this week really loved the fact that we were the only dive boat at these sites. They were also glad they choose Turneffe Flats since we dive the entire Atoll and always have dive sites that are calmer and protected by the weather.
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DECEMBER 4 - 11, 2010
Weather: Cooler, moderate winds, clear skies
Air Temp: High 70’s to Low 80’s
Water Temp: 78 degrees
Visibility: 50ft. – 100ft.
Sunday, the dive group began the day with a checkout dive at Calabash on the southeast side of the Turneffe atoll. The visibility at Calabash was 60ft. Charlie H, of Germany, and Rick D., of Michigan, both saw a hawk’s bill turtle as they entered the water. We also saw southern sting rays, two spotted morays, a green moray, lobster, and various reef fish. The visibility was the same at Red Roof. Highlights of the dive included bat wing crab, huge channel cling crab, a huge southern sting ray, lion fish, grouper, and a large school of Creole wrasse. Front Door did not have the clarity of the prior dives, but we saw trunk fish, trigger fish, and spotted drum.
We went to the northeast side of the atoll today to dive Lindsey’s Back Porch, Alfredo’s, and Barracuda Bay. The visibility today was excellent at 60-80+ feet. Lindsey’s Back Porch was a great dive. We saw black grouper, king fish, blue parrot fish, spike sea cucumber, flamingo tongue, and various shrimp. The highlights of this dive were the huge 8+ feet nurse shark and when the dive master, John, fed a lion fish to a white spotted moray. On the way to Alfredo’s, we saw a lager head turtle skimming the surface of the water. At Alfredo’s, we saw hog fish, broad leaf conch, small nurse shark, slipper lobster, and spotted drum. Barracuda Bay lived up to its name today with several barracuda sightings as well as trigger fish, flamingo tongue, and juvenile spotted drum.
Tuesday, the dive group went to the southeast side of Turneffe to Jo Jo’s Split, Chrissea, and Red Roof. The visibility was excellent at Jo Jo’s Split, more than 80 ft. The dive group saw black groupers, horse eye jacks, creole wrasse, ocean trigger fish, school masters, snapper, sting ray, king fish, and barracuda. Chrissea visibility was good as well and we saw green moray, lobster, white spotted toad fish, a huge nurse shark, and a spotted eagle ray. We went back to Red Roof today in search of a missing weight pocket, found it, and saw lobster, white spotted moray, and a chain moray eel.
The dive group went to the northwest side of the atoll today for two dives and ended the day on the east side for a night dive. The visibility at The Terrace was 100ft. The divers saw a lot of horse eye jacks and creole wrasse. We also saw channel cling crab, wire coral shrimp, tunicate, brittle star, peacock flounder, barracuda, and a spotted moray. Elkin’s Bay was a fantastic dive with visibility of 80ft. We saw peacock flounder, razor fish, upside down jellyfish, scorpion fish, spotted eagle ray, two baby spotted drum fish, channel cling crab, and a hawk’s bill turtle upon surfacing. We ended the day with a night dive in front of the Turneffe Flats Lodge at Northern Bogue.
Thursday, Charlie H., enjoyed a solo trip out to Belize’s most popular sites The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Rusty’s. The visibility at The Blue Hole was 60 feet and we saw black grouper, horse eye jacks, and midnight parrot fish. Half Moon Caye was even better at 70 feet. There was an unusual current along the wall that kept pushing us off the wall. We were still able to see hog fish, red snapper, garden eels, southern sting rays, and a green turtle. Highlight’s of Rusty’s included green moray, neck crab, and southern sting rays.
Friday, the dive group went to the southern tip of the atoll to the Elbow, Black Beauty, and Lee Ellen’s Melons. The visibility was very poor today at the Elbow and the water was stirred up so this was a disappointment. We made up for that at both Black Beauty and Lee Ellen’s Melons. The visibility at both sites was excellent at 80ft. There was very little current at Black Beauty and we saw channel clinging crab, green moray, golden tail eel, and a white spotted toad fish. The divers saw two spotted moray, a southern sting ray, a huge barracuda, and four nurse sharks at Lee Ellen’s Melons. It was another excellent week at Turneffe Flats!
______________________________________________________________________________________NOVEMBER 21 - 26, 2010
Weather: Cooler, moderate winds, clear skies
Air Temp: Low 70’s to Low 80’s
Water Temp: 80 degrees
Visibility: 50ft. – 80ft.
Sunday, the dive group went to the west side of the atoll to Crickozeen North, Crickozeen North, and Amber Head. Crickozeen North was the checkout dive for the group and the visibility here was good at 50ft. We saw lion fish, garden eels, lobster, grouper, arrow crab, banned crab, and flamingo tongue. The visibility at Crickozeen South was the same and highlights of the dive included hermit crabs, neck crabs, milk conch, a white spotted toad fish, and various types of reef fish. Amber Head had similar visibility today and we saw tiger tail cucumber, channel clinging crab, and several types of shrimp.
We went to the northwest side today to dive The Terrace, Molly’s Folly, and Elkin’s Bay. The Terrace was the first deep dive in preparation for the Blue Hole trip on Tuesday. Everyone loved the wall at wall at this site and we saw a lot of black coral, lobster, black grouper, and a green moray. The Ohlmacher family, of Colorado, especially liked the white spotted moray dining on a lion fish that they dubbed “Roger”. The visibility today was at 60 ft. Highlights of Molly’s Folly and Elkin’s Bay included a hawksbill turtle, burr puffer, brittle star, creole wrasse, hog fish, razor fish, peacock flounder, and spiny head blenny.
Tuesday, the dive group went to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Quebrada. The Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye are both popular dive sites in Belize. The group enjoyed the stalactites and the six Caribbean reef sharks the most. We also saw huge black groupers, midnight parrot fish, and horse jacks. Half Moon Caye Wall had the best visibility at 80+ ft. The swim throughs and rock formations were favorites for the group. We saw peacock flounder, southern sting rays, a school of blue parrot fish, and a spotted eagle ray. Quebrada was a great dive as well with good visibility of 60 ft. Highlights of the dive included a school of permit, hawks bill turtle, green moray, barracuda, and a large channel clinging crab.
The dive group went to the west side of the atoll today for two dives and ended the day on the east side for a night dive. The visibility today was 50 ft. Tarpon Bay and Sponge Shop were the first dives, ending with Northern Bogue. Highlights of Tarpon Bay included white spotted toad fish, black grouper, spotted drum fish, and Tony O. saw two spotted eagle rays at the end of the dive. Highlights of Sponge Shop were creole wrasse, green moray, spotted drum, and everyone saw two spotted eagle rays. The night dive was excellent. We saw a plethora of life including sea hair, electric ray, peacock flounder, lobster, squid, horse conch, lettuce sea slug, puffer fish, and a sleeping parrot fish.
Thursday, the dive group went to the southern tip of the atoll to The Elbow and back up the east side to Lindsey’s Back Porch and Front Door. The visibility today was between 40 ft. and 60ft. Highlights of the day included a hawks bill turtle, schooling permit, horse eye jacks, atlantic spade fish, white spotted toad fish, and channel clinging crabs.
Friday, the dive group went to the northwest side of the atoll to Tunnels & Barrels and Lobster Bay. It was “turtle day” at Tunnels & Barrels as we saw a huge lager head turtle, four hawks bill turtles, as well as green morays and two spotted eagle rays. Lobster was also a nice dive with highlights including spotted morays, balloon puffers, giant sea anemone, and wire shrimp.
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NOVEMBER 6 - 12, 2010
Weather: Cooler, moderate to high winds, and scattered showers
Air Temp: Low 70’s to Low 80’s
Water Temp: 80 degrees
Visibility: 30ft. – 80ft.
Sunday, the dive group went to the southeast side of the atoll to Rusty’s, Fat John’s, and Little Calabash. The visibility today was 30 ft. to 60ft. Rusty’s visibility was 60ft. and it was the check out dive for the group. We saw two southern sting rays, black grouper, creole wrasse, lion fish, and trunk fish. Fat John’s visibility was a little better at 40 ft. and we saw sea slugs, tiger tail cucumbers, sting rays, and two eagle rays. Little Calabash visibility was at 30ft. We saw spotted eagle ray, barracuda, and moray eels.
We continued to dive the southeast on Monday due to the wind direction across the atoll. Jo Jo’s Split, Lee Ellen’s Melons, and Grand Bogue Cut were all great dives with visibility between 60 ft. and 80 ft. Highlights of Jo Jo’s Split were black grouper, school of horse of eye jacks, creole wrasse, lobster, channel cling crab, two green moray eels, and barracudas. Lee Ellen’s visibility was at 80+ ft. and we saw permit, nurse sharks, white spotted morays, and a white spotted toad fish. Highlights of Grand Bogue Cut were several lobsters, ocean trigger fish, black grouper, and several types of reef fish.
Tuesday, the dive group went to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Quebrada. The Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye are both popular dive sites in Belize, both are Natural Monuments. The dive group enjoyed the stalactite formations within The Blue Hole and also saw a school of horse eye jacks, black grouper, and midnight parrot fish. Half Moon Caye Wall was beautiful today with visibility of 80+ft. Highlights of the dive included barracuda, southern sting rays, conch, hog fish, octopus, and silver sides. Quebrada was also an excellent dive and we saw creole wrasse, channel cling crab, horse eye jacks, hawks bill turtle, and a big nurse shark.
The winds began to calm today as the dive group went to the west side of the atoll to Tarpon Bay and Crickozeen Cut. The visibility today was great at both dive sites. Highlights of the day included garden eels, several types of reef fish, slender file fish, upside down jellies, purple mouth moray, white spotted toad fish, southern sting rays, and a school of eight eagle rays.
Thursday, the dive group went to the southern tip of the atoll to The Elbow, Black Beauty, and Tarpon Bay South. The Elbow was fantastic with great visibility and little current. The dive group saw a small school of horse eye jacks, atlantic spades, snappers, trunk fish, and two dolphins escorted us the entire dive. Highlights of Black Beauty and Tarpon Bay South were large channel cling crabs, two eagle rays, spiny head blenny, sea cucumber, lobster, creole wrasse, and reef fish.
Friday, the dive group went to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace, Tunnels and Barrels, and Elkin’s Bay. The visibility today was 50 ft. – 60 ft. Highlights of The Terrace included a school of creole wrasse, tuna, lobster, tunicates, shrimp, and porcupine puffer fish. The group really enjoyed watching a white spotted eagle ray eat a lion fish. The last two dives of the week were excellent. Highlights included two free swimming moray, a huge hawksbill turtle, peacock flounder, tiger tail sea cucumber, green moray, and channel clinging crabs.
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OCTOBER 31- NOVEMBER 5, 2010
Weather: Warm, moderate winds, and dry conditions
Air Temp: High 70’s to Low 80’s
Water Temp: 81 degrees
Visibility: 30ft. – 80ft.
Sunday, the dive group went to the east side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch and Alfredo’s. The east side of the atoll was chosen today due to better visibility in this area after Hurricane Richard. The visibility at Lindsey’s Back Porch was 40- 60 ft. We saw flamingo tongue, midnight parrot fish, neck comb, rainbow parrot fish, creole wrasse, and large jelly fish. Alfredo’s visibility was not as good at only 30-40 ft. The group saw several lion fish, lobster, conch, spotted moray, golden tail moray, and several types of reef fish.
We went to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace, Chasbo’s Corner, and Elkins Bay. The Terrace had good visibility at 60+ feet and the group saw two spotted moray, lobster, spotted lobster, file fish, southern sting ray, creole wrasse, channel cling crab. The group loved the wall at this site. The dive group had the same visibility at Chasbo’s Corner and Elkins Bay. Highlights of the dive included black durgeon, queen angel fish, five free swimming moray eels, peacock flounder, tiger tail sea cucumber, razor fish, mantis shrimp, and spiny head blenny.
Tuesday, the dive group went southeast to Jo Jo’s Split, Fat John’s, and Coral Canyon. The visibility today was excellent at 80+ feet, however the coral were in bad shape at Jo Jo’s Split, due to the sand and silt from the recent storm. The group saw white spotted toad fish, blue parrot fish, several types of jacks, snappers, garden eels, and spotted eagle ray. Fat John’s visibility was also 80+ feet and the divers saw ocean trigger fish, a huge southern sting ray, and spotted eagle rays. The tide began to shift at the end of the day which decreased the visibility to 40 feet, however we saw smooth trunk fish, damsel fish, and a baby trunk fish.
The Blue Hole, one of Belize’s most popular dive sites, and Half Moon, were on the agenda for Wednesday. The visibility at The Blue Hole was 40-50ft. and the divers saw black grouper, sergeant major, and seven reef sharks, as well as the stalactite formations within the depth of the hole. Half Moon visibility was at 60ft. and the group saw hawks bill turtles, southern sting rays, barracuda, silver sides, hog fish, snappers, and an octopus. After resting at the lodge for the afternoon, we went out to Northern Bogue for the night dive before dinner. We saw sand shark, cowry, octopus, green morays, spotted morays, conch, sea cucumber, slippers, and blood worms.
Thursday, the dive group went back to the southeast side to Rusty’s North and South, as well as Little Calabash. The visibility today was 50-70 ft. Highlights of the day included indigo hamlets, southern sting rays, green morays, hawksbill turtles, white spotted toad fish, spotted eagle ray, and various types of shrimp and reef fish.
Friday, the dive group went to the east side of the atoll to Nelson’s Turnover, Cockroach Shallows, and Grassy Caye. The visibility today was 50 ft. Highlights of the day included several types of reef fish, southern sting rays, white spotted toad fish, flamingo tongue, and blenny.
_____________________________________________________________________________________OCTOBER 17 - 22
Weather: Warm, moderate winds, and dry conditions
Air Temp: High 80’s to Lower 90’s
Water Temp: 82 degrees
Visibility: 40 ft. - 150 ft.
Sunday, the dive group went to the east side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch, Alfredo’s South and Alfredo’s North. The visibility today was good at 60+ feet. We saw soft corals, baby trunk fish, white spotted moray, and creole wrasse at Lindsey’s Back Porch. The visibility at Alfredo’s North and South was at 60ft. and highlights included lobster, nurse shark, green moray, furry sea cucumber, channel cling crab, and various shrimp.
We went to the southeast side of the atoll to Jo Jo’s Split, Lee Ellen’s Melons, and Chrissea. Visibility at Jo Jo’s Split was only 45-50 ft., however, we saw several lion fish, spotted drum, spotted moray, toad fish, school masters, and garden eels. Lee Ellen’s Melons had the same visibility. We saw two green morays, spotted eagle rays, a hawksbill turtle, and a nurse shark at the end of the day. Chrissea visibility was at 40ft. and we saw creole wrasse, barracuda, flamingo tongue, and king fish.
Tuesday, the dive group went east to the Blue Hole, Conch Bay, and Half Moon Caye Wall. The Blue Hole was not as impressive as usual with visibility of 40 ft. We saw horse eye jacks, midnight parrot fish, big black groupers, and several reef sharks. The visibility at Conch Bay was better at 60ft. The dive group saw nassau grouper, peacock flounder, spotted eagle rays, and southern sting rays. The thousands of conch on display was a real group pleaser, everyone loved it! Half Moon Caye Wall is always full of life, and today was no exception. We saw tarpon feeding on silversides, nassau grouper, four southern sting rays, a green turtle, trigger fish, spotted moray, and an octopus.
Front Door, Secret Garden, and Northern Bogue (night dive) on the east side of the atoll are the sites for the day. Front Door and Secret Garden had a 50 ft. visibility. The group saw several types of reef fish, spotted eagle ray, lobster, channel clinging crab, spotted moray, spotted drum, and golden tail moray. The night dive at Northern Bogue was great. We saw trunk fish, burr fish, sea lettuce, spanish lobster, octopus, tiger tail sea cucumber, southern sting ray, and spotted moray.
Thursday, the dive group went to the southern tip of the atoll to The Elbow, Murtle’s Turtle, and Black Beauty. The visibility today was excellent from 80ft. – 150 ft. at The Elbow. There was very little current at The Elbow today so we did not see the schooling fish that normally frequent this site. We did see trunk fish and a spotted eagle ray swam right up to the boat. Myrtle’s Turtle was a great dive. Highlights of the dive included two spotted morays, a school of horse eye jacks, atlantic spades, snapper, black grouper, and lots of deep water sea fans. Black Beauty was also excellent today with visibility of 80ft. Highlights of the dive included white spotted toad fish, boned pipe fish, tube sponge, yellow head jaw fish with an egg sack in its mouth, free swimming moray, two spotted eagle rays, and spotted drum.
Friday, the dive group went to the northwest side of the atoll to The Terrace and Lindsey’s Back Porch. The winds began to pick up in the afternoon so the last dive was on the east side at Alfredo’s. The visibility today was good at 60 ft. Highlights of the day included creole wrasse, spotted moray, beautiful black coral, spotted lobster, green moray, white spotted toad fish, scorpion fish, and red snapper.
_____________________________________________________________________________________OCTOBER 10TH - 15TH
Weather: Warm, moderate to high winds, scattered showers
Air Temp: High 80’s to Lower 90’s
Water Temp: 82 degrees
Visibility: 60 ft. - 90 ft.
Sunday, the dive group went to the east side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch Shallows, Conference Room, and Alfredo’s. The visibility today was good at 60+ feet. We saw a lot of beautiful soft corals, creole wrasse, southern sting rays, ocean trigger fish, and snapper at Lindsey’s Back Porch Shallows. Dean C., of Texas, got to see the juvenile trunk fish that he was hoping for. The wall at Conference Room was stunning and we saw furry sea cucumber, several types of reef fish, and a huge southern sting ray as we swam across the sandy bottom. We saw another juvenile trunk fish, nurse shark, and a 4 foot pipe fish at Alfredo’s.
We went to the east side of the atoll again today due to some strong winds out of the west. Lindsey’s Back Porch and Devil’s Deep will be our dive spots for today as well as Northern Bogue this evening for our night dive. Lindsey’s Back Porch had visibility again of 60+ feet. Highlights of the dives included channel clinging crab, barracuda, golden tail eels, lion fish, and several types of reef fish. The night dive was great and we saw sea lettuce, urchins, lobster, conch, various types of shrimp, octopus, a white spotted moray, and a conch dining on a tiger tail cucumber.
Jo Jo’s Split, Little Calabash, and Chrissea, on the southeast side of the atoll, are the dive sites for Tuesday. The visibility was excellent today at over 80 feet. The dive group loved Jo Jo’s Split and we saw two turtles, a school of school masters, creole wrasse, black grouper, and lots of ocean trigger fish. Highlights of Little Calabash included three turtles, a seven foot nurse shark, black corals, and black grouper. Highlights of Chrissea included black grouper, peacock flounder, creole wrasse, and a close encounter with a spotted eagle ray. Dean and Lori C. had some excellent photo opportunities today and Dean C. captured amazing video footage of the spotted eagle ray.
The Blue Hole, Belize’s popular dive site, was not impressive today. It was not a typical day at the hole due to poor visibility. However, the dive group still saw black tip reef sharks, midnight parrot fish, black grouper, and horse eye jacks. After the Blue Hole, we enjoyed our picnic lunch at Half Moon Caye Natural Monument.
Thursday, the dive group went to the southernmost tip of the atoll to The Elbow, Myrtle’s Turtle, and Black Beauty. The visibility today was good at 60+ feet. There was little to no current today at The Elbow. Highlights of the dive included free swimming moray, black grouper, horse eye jacks, ocean trigger fish, king fish, and a large spotted eagle ray to end the dive. The group saw hawksbill turtles, atlantic spades, two morays, and two spotted eagle rays at Myrtle’s Turtle. The highlight of Black Beauty was the school of horse eye jacks that engulfed Dean C. at the end of the dive.
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SEPTEMBER 26 – OCTOBER 1, 2010
Weather: Warm, moderate winds, partly cloudy with a few afternoon showers
Air Temp: High 80’s to Lower 90’s
Water Temp: 80 degrees
Visibility: 50 ft. - 100 ft.
Sunday, we went to the northwest side of the atoll in search of clear water and calm seas after Tropical Storm Matthew made his way across the atoll on Saturday. We found excellent conditions at Elkin’s Bay North and South. Elkin’s Bay South was the perfect first dive and we found plenty of big clinging crabs, a wide variety of fish, two upside down jelly fish, tiger tail cucumbers, and a few decorator crabs. While descending at Elkin’s Bay North, the highlight was a huge southern sting ray. Tunnels and Barrels was the last dive of the day as the tide began to get low. The visibility was not great due to the tide, but we were still able to see arrow crabs, cleaner shrimp, snapping shrimp, and Atlantic wing oysters.
Jo Jo’s Split, Aprils Fools, and Chrissea, on the south eastern tip of the atoll are on the agenda for the day. The first two dive sites offered excellent visibility and the last dive was again affected by the low tide. At Jo Jo’s split, the black groupers stole the show as Ken and Elaine C., of NY, watched as one big grouper caught another fish. Aprils Fools was a beautiful dive that the entire group enjoyed due to the clear water and the vibrant color of the corals and sponges. Chrissea had limited visibility, but Cheryl B., of PA, was intrigued by the several types of shrimp that she saw such as coral shrimp.
The dive group went to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and The Aquarium on Tuesday. The weather was excellent for the journey across the blue to the dive sites. The group was impressed with the stalactite formations within the Blue Hole, but the sharks definitely stole the show today. We saw a dozen sharks today in the Blue Hole making for some excellent photo opportunities. Half Moon Caye Wall, with near perfect visibility, was also a fantastic dive. We were greeted as we entered the water by an impressive eagle ray followed by two large tarpon. We also saw southern sting rays, barracudas, and several types of reef fish. After the dive, we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the monument and viewed the red footed booby birds before heading out to the next site. The Aquarium did not have the visibility that we had hoped for, but we saw green morays, crabs, hundreds of chubs, and few of the divers saw a solo hawksbill turtle.
Wednesday, we went to the eastern side of the atoll to Nelson’s Turnover and Front Door. The visibility today was excellent with beautiful clear water. Everyone had their cameras out today snapping pictures of the diverse coral fish and the beautiful reefs.
The Elbow, Black Beauty, and Lee Ellen’s Melons, at the southern tip of the atoll are planned for today as well as a night dive at Northern Bogue. There was no current today at The Elbow, so there was less schooling fish to observe. Regardless of this, the visibility was good and it was a beautiful dive with a diversity of fish, an eagle ray, and Elaine C., found a free swimming moray. The visibility at Black Beauty was also good and we found spotted toad fish, green morays, and a spotted moray. Ken C. spotted the largest green moray of the trip at Lee Ellen’s Melons and we also saw another spotted toad fish and a nurse shark. The night dive at Northern Bogue was also impressive. We saw lobster, three large octopuses, and a puffer fish.
Friday, we went to the east side of the atoll to Devil’s Deep, Alfredo’s Delight, and Northern Bogue. The visibility at Devil’s Deep was poor, but we saw channel clinging crabs and several reef fish. Alfredo’s Delight was clear with excellent visibility as well as Northern Bogue. The group loved the last two dives and used this opportunity to take photos of each other with the several nurse sharks that were swimming around. On the ride back, we saw a group of dolphins and had the opportunity to swim with them before coming back to the resort to fill out our dive logs for the week.
_____________________________________________________________________________________September 19- 24, 2010
Weather: Warm, moderate winds, partly cloudy with a few showers
Air Temp: High 80’s to Mid 90’s
Water Temp: 82 degrees
Visibility: 50 ft. - 100 ft.
Sunday, our group began the week on the west side of the atoll at Crickozeen North and South, followed by Amber Head. Crickozeen North was the first check out dive for the group and the visibility was good with a slight current from the south. We saw garden eels, spotted moray, lion fish, neck crab, lobster, peacock flounder, and scorpion fish. The visibility at Crickozeen South was also very good. Highlights of the dive included arrow crab, several types of shrimp, flamingo tongue, white spotted toad fish, and spotted moray. Paul M., of Round Rock, TX, and Ben M., of Hugo, MN, both commented about the health of the coral at Amber Head. We saw schooling creole wrasse, spotted eagle ray, a large southern sting ray, and a hawksbill turtle.
Monday, we went to the northwest of the atoll to The Terrace, Elkin’s Bay, and Tunnels & Barrels. The visibility today was excellent and the group loved the swim through at both Elkin’s Bay and Tunnels & Barrels. We saw yellow head jaw fish, atlantic wing oysters, peacock flounder, razor fish, yellow tail snapper, and several schooling fish.
The dive group went to The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and The Aquarium today. Kim C. and Matt F., of Columbia City, IN, were happy that they decided to dive The Blue Hole. The visibility was great after 50 ft. We saw eight reef sharks and a large school of horse eye jacks, as well as the stalactites at 130 ft. Paul M. loved the sharks. There was little current and visibility was good at Half Moon Caye Wall and The Aquarium. Highlights of the dives included hawksbill turtle, green moray, southern sting ray, reef sharks, flamingo tongue, chubs, and sergeant major. Between dives, we enjoyed a picnic lunch of Belizean fried chicken at Half Moon Caye National Monument.
Wednesday, we went to the eastern side of the atoll to Lindsey’s Back Porch and Devil’s Deep, followed by our weekly night dive at Northern Bogue. The visibility was great today at both sites. We saw a lot of soft coral, channel cling crab, hog fish, snapper, pipe fish, and Ben M. found a banded jaw fish. The night dive surprised the entire group tonight with the abundance of life at only 12 ft. We saw lobster, channel crab, box fish, octopus, lion fish, sea lettuce, yellow sting rays, urchins, and sleeping parrot fish.
Mandy’s Dandy, Chasbo’s Corner, and Elkin’s Bay South on the northwest side of the atoll were all beautiful dives today with excellent visibility. Chasbo’s Corner had a strong current today; however, everyone loved the abundance of coral. We saw two hawksbill turtles, pipe fish, anemone, and a juvenile spotted drum. Highlights of Elkin’s Bay South included razor fish, upside down jelly fish, golden tail moray, and spiny head blenny. Mandy’s Dandy was also a great dive. The group had a great time with remora and we saw diamond blenny, file fish, and green morays.
We ended the week on the southwest side of the atoll at Sayonara, Triple Anchors, and Tarpon Bay. The visibility was good and there was very little current at any of the sites. Highlights of the day included channel clinging crab, spotted morays, snapper, amber jack, yellow tail snapper, golden tail morays, and everyone loved the ocean trigger fish.
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September 5 - 10, 2010
Weather: Warm, moderate to high winds, and clear skies
Air Temp: High 80’s to Mid 90’s
Water Temp: 84 degrees
Visibility: 50 ft. - 100 ft.
Our dive group began the week on the west side of the atoll at Lobster Bay and Elkin’s Bay. Lobster Bay had a very unusual current today and was the first check out dive for the divers. We observed several types of marine life, yellow head jaw fish, and various types of shrimps. There was very little current at Elkin’s Bay South and both Paul F. and Sarah K., of Katy, TX, loved this dive. We saw a razor fish diving into the sand, decorator crabs, and a large channel clinging crab. Sarah K. really enjoyed the dive master writing down the names of all the fish on his underwater pad. Elkin’s Bay North was even better than the last dive. We found a spotted toad fish, barracuda, southern sting ray, and a few upside down jelly fish.
The Terrace and Tunnels & Barrels on the northeast side of the atoll are on the agenda for today. The Terrace North is the deep dive checkout and the visibility was good. The divers loved the wall and we saw two spotted morays, spotted lobster, and channel crabs. The visibility at The Terrace South was not as good but we were still able to see lobsters, hawksbill turtles, and several types of schooling fish. Paul F. and Sarah K. loved the swim through at Tunnels & Barrels and we saw lion fish, barracuda, channel crabs, and spotted moray.
Tuesday the dive group went to the west side of the atoll to Crickozzen Cut, Lobster Bay South, and Pine Ridge. The visibility at Crickozeen Cut was not good today, however we did see a lot on the dive. Highlights of the dive included scorpion fish, a large hawksbill turtle, five spotted morays, neck crab, flamingo tongue, snapping shrimp, and several cleaning stations. At Lobster Bay South, we saw a hawksbill turtle on the surface and below we saw creole wrasse and a huge southern sting ray. Pine Ridge had great visibility and the divers loved this dive. We saw a school of horse eye jacks, two big permits, tiger tail sea cucumber, spotted drum, and horse conch. The highlight of the dive was the three adult dolphins and baby dolphin at the end of the day.
Wednesday, we went to the southern tip of the atoll to The Elbow and Sayonara, with a night dive at Northern Bogue, east of the resort. The visibility and current at The Elbow were excellent. We saw a spotted eagle ray, schooling snapper, horse eye jacks, permit, and black grouper. Sayonara was not as impressive due to cloudy visibility, but we saw schooling snapper, lobster, and mantis shrimp. This was the first night dive for both Paul F. and Sarah K. Highlights of the dive included octopus, black spine urchin, cowry, conch, parrot fish, sea lettuce, and tiger tail sea cucumber.
Little Calabash, Chrissea, and Lee Ellen’s Melons on the southeast side of the atoll were all beautiful dives today with excellent visibility. We found a sea star at 40 ft. at Little Calabash. Little Calabash did not deliver the usual rays or turtles today, but the great visibility brought out the vibrant colors of the azure sponge and the bright yellow of the tube sponges. There were also several giant barrel sponges, red and white banded coral shrimp, and queen angel fish. Chris Sea was also a beautiful dive until a strong sudden current came through. Lee Ellen’s Melons was Paul’s favorite dive. A very friendly resident barracuda joined us for the entire dive and we joked that he was Paul’s new best friend. A huge sting ray came along and followed us for a while and we ended the day when we found a resident 6ft. nurse shark that seemed unconcerned we were there.
Friday marked the end of an amazing week and an awesome day spent at Belize’s most popular dive site, The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and Long Caye Wall. The Blue Hole was excellent today with the divers plunging to 130 ft. to view the stalactite formations. There were twelve shark sightings, several schools of horse eye jacks, chubs, black grouper, and midnight parrot fish. Half Moon Caye Wall was a crowd favorite. Highlights of the dive included three eagle rays, an extremely tame puffer, conch, and the divers loved the cathedral of swim throughs. Long Caye was an easy relaxed dive with schooling chubs, big black groupers, and a hawksbill turtle.
In addition to our dive program this week, we had Allyson A. and Mark R., of Cupertino, CA joining us for an atoll adventure package. Mark R. was a certified diver and Allyson A. had always wanted to give it a try. Our dive master Alex, took her out for a Discover Scuba class and they had two fantastic dives. Allyson and Mark saw a diverse mix of reef fish, bright corals and sponges, and two huge eagle rays.
_________________________________________________________________________________August 21-28, 2010
Weather: Warm, moderate winds, and clear skies
Weather: Warm, moderate winds, and clear skies
Air Temp: High 80’s to Mid 90’s
Water Temp: 84 degrees
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