Diving Reports
Our dive reports are written regularly by Turneffe Flats. If you have any questions about current diving conditions or would like to contact us, please email us at: tflats@rapidnet.com or by telephone at 1-888-512-8812.
August 16-23, 2008
Weather Conditions: Sunny with Scattered Clouds
Winds: 5- 10 with one windier day.
Air Temp.: High 80’s most of the week.
Water Temp.: low 80’s with moderate visibility. Coral Spawn on Wednesday.
Tides: August 16-23- Low tide around noon.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on Saturday, August 16th.
The week began with plenty of fish at “Amber Head” on the west side of Turneffe Atoll. Occasional clouds lowered visibility every now and then but it was never disappointing.
A school of ocean triggerfish greeted us as we plunged into ‘Lindsay’s Back Porch” on the second day. Stingrays, grouper, moray eels and toadfish made up an exciting day of diving in the immediate vicinity of the resort.
Tuesday was hot with unusually flat seas as we headed to the “Blue Hole.” A 130-foot plunge to swim among stalactites in an overhead environment is nothing short of exciting. Reef sharks and black grouper kept us company at our safety stop. Our second dive at “Half Moon Caye Wall” was breathtaking. Stingrays foraged in the sand and we came close and personal with a spotted eagle ray, which swam straight into us as we exited a canyon. The wall was full of macro life, huge gorgonians and sponges. Several swim-throughs and schooling fish added to the experience to make an amazing dive. We had a picnic lunch on the beach at Half Moon Caye to wind down a great day around the “Blue Hole.”
Patrolling eagle rays along the wall at “Elkin’s Bay” were a welcome sight in cloudy water. “Devil’s Deep,” about 5 minutes from the Turneffe Flat’s dock proved to be cloudy as well due to spawning coral. Although the visibility was limited we still saw plenty of critters including a channel clinging crab that posed for pictures.
The night dive this week was spectacular with an unusual amount of bioluminescence near the surface. Hundreds of brittle stars skirmished about the hard coral and sleeping parrotfish were everywhere. We even found a sleeping slender filefish firmly attached to a sea plume and a lettuce sea slug crawling around.
On Thursday morning we dove the “Elbow.” Visibility was excellent and hundreds of Cubera snapper stalked the reef. Brilliant colored gorgonians swayed in the fast current as schools of horse eye jacks circled above. We saw several black grouper, jacks and snapper gang up on a polarized school of herring breaking it up in a frenzy. We followed up with two milder dives at “Sayonara” and “Triple Anchors.”
Friday was very relaxed. The weather was nice and the sea was flat. We drifted down “Chasbo’s Corner” through schools of creole wrasse and yellowtail snapper. The day ended at “Tunnels and Barrels” as we saw millions of silversides and minnows that attracted all types of fish for a feeding frenzy. We glided gently with a hawksbill turtle before our safety stop.
Despite the coral spawn and a small mechanical issue the week was very exciting. Turneffe Flats offers such close proximity to a variety of diverse dive sites that it’s almost impossible to have a bad week. Weather its drifting along in the current of the “Elbow” or looking up at the overhead environment at the “Blue Hole” Turneffe offers some of the Caribbean’s best diving.
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July 27-30, 2008
The week started well with calm and flat seas. We prepared out dive boat and headed for the East Side of the Atoll. We divided our group into two and descended down “Chinaman Wall” by Calabash Caye. Schools of creole wrasse circled us while gorgonians swayed in the mild current along the wall.
This was a fairly easy drift dive and everyone adjusted quickly. Several grouper, lobster, crabs and snapper filled the dive. “Jo-Jo’s Splits” and “Little Calabash Caye Wall” completed the day with sting rays, morays, grouper, snapper and jacks.
The following day was just as smooth and we went straight to Lighthouse Reef. “Blue Hole” was spectacular wit few divers and excellent visibility The reef sharks are always fun when they are swimming around us and everyone loved them. “Half Moon Caye Wall” was clear with astonishing walls and colorful coral. Plenty of stingrays and a gentle turtle made our day. We had picnic style lunch on the beach and took a tour of the Booby Bird Sanctuary. We then moved over to “Silver Caves” at Long Caye for our last dive. The shallow ledge drops down into the abyss and plenty of fish make it their home. Black coral abounds in less than 80 ft of water and tarpon and permit cruise by graciously. Limited time restricted us to the west side on the last day but poor visibility made us change location. “Lobster Bay” and “Snake Point” had far better visibility as well as healthy coral and plenty of fish. Turtles, rays, squid, and deep water sea fans kept our eyes busy as we glided thought the blue water.
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June 7-14, 2008
The North West side madethe second day even better with black coral covering the steep wall at the terrace and topping the day of with schools of dog and cubera snapper at Chasbo’s Corner.
We hit the Elbow on day 3. Schools of bar jacks and creole wrasse led us to stalking Black Grouper off the wall while some yellow fin and tiger grouper waited patiently as cleaner shrimp and gobies cleaned them up near some barrel sponges. Black Beauty was great with eagle rays, toad fish, moray eels and lots of bush black coral. The highlight of the day was a massive head of star coral housing over twenty spiny lobster at anchor creek.
Day 4 took us back to the northwest side. Schools of black grouper and dog snapper as well as a curious eagle ray made Mandy’s Dandy worthwhile. Swim throughs, barrel sponges, deep water sea fans, schools of Creole wrasse and yellow tail snapper at Tunnels & Barrels kept us amazed throughout the dive. WE headed home after the second dive and waited for sunset and our night dive. The dark was crawling with critters. Octopus, sea starts, anemones, urchins, parrot fish, cardinal fish, glossy sweepers and many others made time go fast.
The following day we departed early for the Blue Hole. Stalactites, great visibility, black grouper and reef sharks filled the list. Half Moon Caye Wall with deep canyons and endless swim-throughs was nothing short of amazing. Three eagle rays cruised by in a single file as we came over the wall. Barracuda, grouper, snapper, hog fish, parrot fish, and countless live conchs had us alert all the way. We had a picnic style lunch at Half Moon Caye. After a tour at the Baby Bird Sanctuary, we headed to Silver Caves at Long Caye. The shallow 20 foot ledge drops to 180 feet. We leveled off at 55 feet and were immediately greeted by yellow tail snapper and thousands of creole wrasse.
Horse eye jacks circled by and I spotted a pair of neck crabs doing their best to camouflage themselves with algae and blend into a sea rod but not when I’m around. Bush black coral abound in large quantities starting at 50 feet. We finished of through a maze of swim throughs and a curious eagle ray posing for photos at the safety stop. We broke through the huge school of bermuda chub under the boat and called it a day.
June 7-14, 2008
On the last day the wind had eased down enough for us to do the East side. JoJo’s Splits was rich in marine life. Cleaning stations, schooling fish and brilliant coral all in a spectacular wall, we finished off the day at Calabash Caye. Two more great dives with friendly turtles, eagle rays, morays, and swaying gorgonians.
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June 5-6, 2008,
We kicked off 2 days of diving with only 2 guests; a pair of experienced and excited instructors from Australia. Our first dive was Blue Hole. We had excellent visibility regardless of the large number of divers from at least 5 other dive boats that were there. We swam through the Stalactites and were greeted by a huge black grouper and seven Caribbean reef sharks at our safety stop. Half Moon Caye Wall and Quebrada were both great dives with great visibility, plenty of marine life, swim-throughs, colorful coral and sponges, and the highlight was when an 8 Foot manta ray came to check us out at our safety stop on our last dive. Three fishing guests took time off to join us on the second day. We started at the Elbow where vibrant coral, swaying sea fans and other gorgonians beckoned us toward the blue abyss. We leveled off at 100 feet and drifted in the mild current. Several black and tiger groupers stalked Creole Wrasse and Bar Jacks who teased them as they schooled by. Rainbow parrot fish grazed on algae and dog snapper hovered, waiting for an opportunistic meal to pass by. A few scattered permit swam by and horse-eye jacks circled about. Our second dive was at Black Beauty. A pair of Wahoo came out of the blue towards us followed by an eagle ray then a hawksbill turtle. It was a great dive with lots to see. The wind picked up and we moved to the south west side for the last dive. Anchor Creek was the best choice. Visibility was not bad; we dropped down to 50 feet by a coral encrusted 17th century anchor. Schools of Creole Wrasse and yellow tail snapper abound here. Lots of lobster peeped from every crevice, and a few channel clinging crabs crawled by on the coral heads. It was a good 2 days of diving.
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May 3-10, 2008
The week started hyped up with four divers looking for a great week of diving in Belize. Nice weather took us to the West side of the Atoll to kick off the week. “Tarpon Bay” was just right with over 80 Feet visibility and plenty of fish to keep us busy. Black Grouper lined up at cleaning stations and sea fans swayed back and forth as we searched for the elusive Pigmy File Fish. We were not disappointed as a handful of them did their best to avoid the cameras flashing about. We ended day one with a curious turtle checking us out around the safety stop.
The excitement just rolled on as we descended into day number 2. “Chasbo’s Corner” has never been a disappointment on a falling ride and we timed it just right. Dog Snapper, Black Grouper, Channel Clinging Crabs, and another turtle shared the spotlight. We called it a day after and a day after an amazing immersion at “Elkin Bay”.
Two more divers joined us on day three. We headed to Calabash Caye for spectacular wall diving. “The Chutes”, Chinaman Wall” and “Sheer Delight” were filled with marine life curious to greet us. Squid, Eagle Rays, Turtles, Morays, and schools of Creole Wrasse kept us all on our fin tips. We found ourselves at the “Elbow” on day 4. This dive is worth diving any time. Current was mild and schooling fish were not very active but the vibrant coral cannot be matched anywhere else. Colors and variety is the norm here as well as Dog Snapper, Black Grouper and thousands of Bar Jack. “Front Porch” was marvelous. The South East Side of Turneffe has never let me down when I’m looking for Spotted Eagle Rays and the endemic White spotted Toad Fish. This day was no different. After lunch we decided to take a dip by “Dead man’s Caye” instead of “Grand Bogue”. A pod of 10 curious dolphins came around as we descended. They hung around us for a while then moved off. Colorful coral, Pigmy filefish and more Toad Fish made the dive even better.
On day 5 we started with the best dive so far. After an hour boat ride to Light House Reef we plunged for 2 great dives of Half Moon Caye. A 9’ Caribbean Reef shark welcomed us as we dove off the wall. Graceful Triggerfish, Grouper, colorful Tropicals, Conch and Stingrays filled the sea. After lunch on the beach and a visit to the Booby Bird Sanctuary, we went over to “the Cathedral” on Long Caye, Tarpon, Rays, Creole Wrasse, Horse Eye Jacks, unlimited coral, swim-throughs and Barracuda made the trip worth while.
We ended the week with two relaxed dives on the North West side. Black Coral, Turtles, Schools of fish, and calm, warm tropical waters completed our itinerary.
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January 19 - January 26, 2008
Weather Conditions: High winds in the early week with clearing skies as the days went on.
Winds: 10-15 mph out of the N/NE.
Air Temp.: Upper 70s.
Water temp.: Temperatures were cool in the upper 70s.
Visibility: 100-foot visibility.
We started the week with a cold front passing through. With the windy weather, the two divers were a little skeptical at first, but we still did two dives the first day. We boarded the “Sea Dog” and Capt. Frank took us to a couple of dive sites around Calabash Caye, famous for sheer walls and a forest of yellow tube sponges. Joe, one of the divers, suggested that we go look for some small critters because he was interested in doing some macro photography. We found shrimp, crabs, and some shy toad fish mixed in with the sea fans that worked well for his needs. Joe’s camera was outfitted with various lenses and buttons and rigged with fancy strobes. It could have easily blended into a sci-fi movie set. We spent the next two days on the east and northeast side of the atoll looking for the tiniest reef dwellers while ignoring the turtles, rays, sharks, and barracuda that would swim by wondering why we were so interested in the dark nooks and crannies. One ‘cuda wanted continuous attention as it followed Joe everywhere.
The next day, Joe decided to go fishing while Missy went to the northwest side of the atoll with Aldo Perez, our Dive Master. The spur and groove formations and colorful coral with abundant fish, topped off with 100-foot visibility were just right. We even stopped off for a beach break on a small island on the way back to the resort. The night dive was great with glassy sweepers, damselfish, and gobies everywhere. Apart from the annoying worms that swarmed our lights, this was a great dive.
We ended the week on the west side, gliding through sea fans and sea plumes that seemed to reach out and touch us. Scattered coral covers the western slope patrolled by yellow tail snapper and doctor fish. Visibility was down a bit, but the dive team enjoyed gliding through the blue – not worrying about anything but their trip coming to an end.
January 5 - January 12, 2008
Weather Conditions: Overcast on day one and sunny the rest of the week.
Winds: 5-15mph with winds throughout the week
Water Temp.: 81 degrees from surface down to 90’.
Visibility: 80’-100’.
The Beaver Diver group from Vail, Colorado joined us for a great week of diving. All divers were Nitrox certified and enjoyed nice conditions throughout the week. The first day's dives took place on the leeward side of the Atoll where the underwater life and reef were spectacular. Sitings included Spiny Lobster, Southern Stingrays and Eagle Rays which continued to circle our group throughout the dive.
Our trip to the Blue Hole was a nearly perfect day. The weather was calm and allowed for 3 great dives. As one of the first boats to the Blue Hole that morning, we had good visibility in the Blue Hole and the stalagtitels at 90 feet were very impressive. Large Black Grouper were present as well as a number of Caribbean Reef Sharks.
The picnic at Half Moon Caye was lots of fun for everyone and Half Moon Wall was spectacular with large schools of Jacks that enveloped the dive group at times. Our Dive Masters, Alex and Anthony found all sorts of things from Scorpion Fish to Eels and even a large Octopus in the middle of feeding on a large Conch. The Octopus put on a display of color changes for all divers but didn't give up his meal.
This week was finished with a trip to the southern end of the Turneffe Atoll to dive The Elbow. With a nice variety of fish seen, it was a great last dive for an already great week. Casey, the group leader,, commented that "both of the Dive Masters did an excellent job keeping us entertained and well informed on all dives. This is why I like bringing groups to Turneffe Flats." We hope to see Beaver Divers again soon.
November 24 - December 1, 2007
Weather Conditions: Overcast in early week, mostly sunny by the end of the week.
Winds: 5-15mph with winds switching from North to Northeast.
Air Temp.: low 80’s.
Water Temp.: 81 degrees from surface down to 90’.
Visibility: 80’-100’
This week brought us several experienced divers as well as a student referral along with his newly certified friend. Skye, our student referral, said "I couldn’t have picked a better spot to finish my Open Water course." Alex, our Dive Instructor, took Skye and Bennet on an amazing underwater experience and found plenty of Spiny Lobster along with a 4’ Nurse Shark that almost posed for the cameras.
Alex Edwards feels that there is no better place in the world to finish your Certification than here at Turneffe Atoll. We have a great environment with calm waters, excellent visibility, and a wide diversity of Caribbean species that inhabit our reef. This is a great place to spoil the first time divers and experienced divers as well.
"It always amazes me to see the expressions on new divers faces when they view those Giant Barrel Sponges, and watching the Banded Shrimp under the sponges. No matter what their age, it is like seeing the look of a kid discovering something for the first time. I enjoy answering all of their questions that come from these experiences and sharing dive stories."
Emric Cabrall, our Dive Master, took the experienced dive group for a tour around the forest like environment consisting of colorful corals, sponges and tropical fish. On these dives Emric skillfully spotted many different critters that roam our reef ranging from Nurse Sharks, Eels, Rays, and the many Channel Clinging crabs. Our trip to the Blue Hole on Friday allowed the divers a good look at the many Stalactites, huge Groupers, and Reef Sharks that call this spot home. The Red Footed Booby birds complimented the trip well.
November 17 - 24, 2007
Weather Conditions: Overcast skies early in week with mostly sunny skies during the later part of the week.
Winds: 5-15 mph with shifting winds throughout the week.
Air Temp.: 80-86 degrees.
Water temp.: From surface to 90 feet, the temperature was 81 degrees.
Visibility: 80’ clearly
The first few day started with some rain which fortunately didn’t affect the dives at all. This was a week of Lobsters, Rays, and Eels.
Everyone had their own special occurrences. Michelle was dubbed our "Ray lady". On nearly every dive she had multiple rays congregate around her almost like a magical aura. These rays seemed just as interested in her as she was with them .
Volker from California had a particularly good eye and was fortunate to spot a number of interesting things. "I have been with many lucky divers before, but Volker was very lucky on every dive" says Alex Edwards, our Dive Instructor here on the Island. He seemed to find Eels on every dive, from Spotted Morays to Golden Tails. During one of our surface intervals Volker had told me that he had seen most all the sharks that inhabit our reef with the exception of the Nurse Shark. Almost like it was meant to be, on the very next dive we spotted a 5’ Nurse Shark that seemed to appear just for Volker. His camera and mind captured many images of this moment!
Robert sighted a Hawks billed Turtle at 60’ foot depth. The turtle measured 2-1/2’ across and he spent several intimate minutes kneeling beside this magnificent creature.
Tina even had her special memories with some Balloon Puffers that were "puffed up" for her to see. Kate, one of our anglers, took time out from her fishing to dive one day. She was treated to a large school of Horse eyed Jacks, Black Groupers, Creole Wrasses, and countless, colorful, reef fish that helped make her trip even more memorable.
November 10-17, 2007
Divers were greeted with a cool weather and winds that shifted between the northwest and the northeast. Air temperatures ranged from the mid-70s to mid-80s and water temperatures hovered right at 80, which felt like bathwater in the cooler air. Visibility was very good – 80 to 100 feet!
The week’s first dives offered up two of the Atoll’s residents, a couple of loggerhead turtles and an manatee. Robert, of Ledyard, Conn., a frequent Turneffe Flats visitor, commented, “I have never seen a manatee on any of my previous dives here . . . what a special memory.”
The shifting winds made it necessary to utilize various diving options on both the west and east sides of the Atoll. These are really two very different underwater areas with a great diversity of diving. “That is one good thing about Turneffe Flats, you can always find a leeward area to dive,” said Alex Edwards, our Dive Instructor.
As the week went on, the overcast weather made dive site selection an issue. Despite the weather, Dive Master Emric Cabral was always able to find clear water, ideal locations to spot numerous reef inhabitants from spiny lobster to Moray eels.
Al, from Mass., was overjoyed to come face-to-face with several spotted eagle rays that seemed just as interested in him as he was with them.
The week ended with an exciting dive into the nearby world famous Blue Hole. Both black tipped reef sharks and bull sharks were out in numbers and they stayed with the divers for most of the dive, affording plenty of camera opportunities. Additionally, large black grouper put on quite an underwater show.
September 15-22, 2007
What a great week! Jeff Gay took over the lodge exclusively with a great group from Gainesville, Georgia. Including Dana, Sylvia and Christine who came to finish their Open Water Certification with us. Recently our dive staff has been joined by Alex Edwards, PADI instructor and now our new Dive Program Manager. Alex has certified many divers from all levels and these were his first with Turneffe Flats. The three succeeded wonderfully - congratulations ladies - and enjoyed great diving at Calabash and the infamous Elbow, amongst other dive sites.
Earlier this year we were joined by Emric Cabral who is Dive mastering the Turneffe Flats dive boat and took our newly certified divers out for their first OW diving. Emric is brother of Dubs and Dion, both are fishing guides at Turneffe Flats.
Christmas Week, 2007
We had a blast Christmas Week. We certified 5 new divers along the way. Nearly every dive was fantastic. We were able to dodge the 2 bad weather days and put in time around Calabash and out front. We saw turtles, toad fish and octopus. Half Moon Wall was the dive of the week, 14 Eagle Rays were counted. This time of year we can get cold fronts (75 degrees), it can get a little chilly on the boat so bring along a sweat shirt. Also a 3mm full suit will help keep you warm.
November 11-25, 2006
This week we were joined by "the Mud Club" a great group of diving buddies from the D.C. area. These guys really enjoyed diving out front and around the calabash area a few miles south. Sorry about the huge gap in updates. We added a new page to the website and everything since the last update was deleted. So.... since Sept 13th, we have expanded our dive services to include Nitrox and opened our new dive center. The dive center houses our rental equipment and serves as our class room for dive certifications.
September 9-13, 2006
A great few days! This week's divers were only here for three days before they took off for the mainland. Those few days were packed with great dives. The first day was spent at Crickozeen Creek, where the divers wondered through the nice coral gardens. The next day they took off to the Elbow where they saw huge schools of permit, jacks, and snappers. Tuesday was spent at Calabash Caye a few miles south of the lodge. The three dives were action packed. The guys saw a hawksbill that let Aleah tag along on it's back and a hammerhead cruised by during the 2nd dive. The weather was fantastic all week as was the visibility.
August 19-26, 2006
Last week we were blessed with great weather the entire week. This allowed us to explore all Turneffe has to offer. The Northwest Corner was one of the highlights of the week. Good visibility and lots of small critters kept everyone's attention. The Aquarium and Silverside Canyon were both highlights of the Lighthouse trip. FYI we will be offering Nitrox in the near future.
August 5-12, 2006
We were joined by Tri-State Scuba from Cincinnati, Ohio. The weather was nice nearly all week with only a few mid week showers. The trip to Lighthouse Reef was very nice and there were lots of Reef Sharks to be seen at the Blue Hole. The crew also had nice dives at the Elbow and Crickozeen.
June 24-July 1, 2006
Last week One World Scuba, from Yakima Washington, filled the dive boat. One World has a very healthy travel program with willing participants. There was great weather for the entire week and we were able to dive the entire atoll. The highlight of the week were the dolphins that joined us at Tarpon Cut on the west side.
February 18 – February 24, 2006
A family from Washington and Chicago made the dive boat this week. They dove sites all around the atoll including The Elbow, Baker’s Rock, Calabash, and many others. The visibility was great this week with 80+ feet and the weather couldn’t have been better. Our guests chose not to do the Blue Hole but still enjoyed the other great dives at Lighthouse. Half Moon Caye Wall, The Cathedral, and The Aquarium were our dives on Lighthouse Reef.
January 28 – February 3, 2006
Another great week of diving at Turneffe Flats. We had many things to see and visited great dive sites. The Blue Hole trip was great and three fishermen joined us to experience the Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye. On Wednesday, we dove Lindsay’s Back Porch, Baker’s Rock, and the night dive. At Baker’s Rock, we had an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and swam with a pod of ten dolphins! The week continued with dives around Calabash Caye and those down by the Elbow. Our divers really enjoyed Sayonara and said it felt they were walking through a garden. We had a great week and hope to see everyone again on a return trip to Turneffe Flats.
January 21 – January 27, 2006
A small dive group this week came from Kansas City, MO. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best weather but we enjoyed some great diving. Most of the days were overcast and some were rainy but Blue Hole day was filled with sunshine and sharks. Although the weather didn’t cooperate this week, many interesting things were sited. We saw turtles, white-spotted toadfish, eels, sharks, and lots more. Hopefully next week the sun will make more of an appearance, but I know the dives will be great as always.
January 7 – January 13, 2006
During the week, some of our better dives were at Baker's Rock, Pelican Wall, Crickozeen Cut, Sponge Shop as well as a nice night dive. Two anglers decided to try some diving doing a Discover Scuba course with dives at Calabash Cut and China Man's Wall. The water was especially clear this week and the temperature is holding steady at 79 degrees. Ceiba Nature Tours visited during the later half of the week with guests participating in our Inland/Island program visiting Chaa Creek Resort in Western Belize, as well as Turneffe Flats. Judy, one of the Ceiba's travelers decided to dive after many years off and rekindled her love of diving with dives at Half Moon Caye and The Aquarium. At The Aquarium, a green moray swam with us for about 5 minutes. It was an amazing sight!
December 31, 2005 – January 6, 2006
An Atlanta based dive shop, Divers @ Sea, filled our dive boat this week taking advantage of our generous group package rate. We dove all sides of Turneffe Atoll during the week and had great encounters with marine life. During the week, we saw 3 daytime octopuses, nudibranchs, white spotted toadfish, scorpion fish, spotted eagle rays, morays and much more. It was an especially great week for spotting the camouflaged. The dive sites consisted of Pelican Wall, Lobster Trap, The Terrace, Chazbo Corner, The Elbow, Front Porch and the weekly trip to the Blue Hole. We did our night dive on Wednesday and saw tons of nocturnal creatures. Divers @ Sea decided to name the site Squid Alley, a perfect choice! If you would like to arrange a group trip to Turneffe Flats contact our reservation office and check on availability for your group.
August 16-23, 2008
Weather Conditions: Sunny with Scattered Clouds
Winds: 5- 10 with one windier day.
Air Temp.: High 80’s most of the week.
Water Temp.: low 80’s with moderate visibility. Coral Spawn on Wednesday.
Tides: August 16-23- Low tide around noon.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on Saturday, August 16th.
The week began with plenty of fish at “Amber Head” on the west side of Turneffe Atoll. Occasional clouds lowered visibility every now and then but it was never disappointing.
A school of ocean triggerfish greeted us as we plunged into ‘Lindsay’s Back Porch” on the second day. Stingrays, grouper, moray eels and toadfish made up an exciting day of diving in the immediate vicinity of the resort.
Tuesday was hot with unusually flat seas as we headed to the “Blue Hole.” A 130-foot plunge to swim among stalactites in an overhead environment is nothing short of exciting. Reef sharks and black grouper kept us company at our safety stop. Our second dive at “Half Moon Caye Wall” was breathtaking. Stingrays foraged in the sand and we came close and personal with a spotted eagle ray, which swam straight into us as we exited a canyon. The wall was full of macro life, huge gorgonians and sponges. Several swim-throughs and schooling fish added to the experience to make an amazing dive. We had a picnic lunch on the beach at Half Moon Caye to wind down a great day around the “Blue Hole.”
Patrolling eagle rays along the wall at “Elkin’s Bay” were a welcome sight in cloudy water. “Devil’s Deep,” about 5 minutes from the Turneffe Flat’s dock proved to be cloudy as well due to spawning coral. Although the visibility was limited we still saw plenty of critters including a channel clinging crab that posed for pictures.
The night dive this week was spectacular with an unusual amount of bioluminescence near the surface. Hundreds of brittle stars skirmished about the hard coral and sleeping parrotfish were everywhere. We even found a sleeping slender filefish firmly attached to a sea plume and a lettuce sea slug crawling around.
On Thursday morning we dove the “Elbow.” Visibility was excellent and hundreds of Cubera snapper stalked the reef. Brilliant colored gorgonians swayed in the fast current as schools of horse eye jacks circled above. We saw several black grouper, jacks and snapper gang up on a polarized school of herring breaking it up in a frenzy. We followed up with two milder dives at “Sayonara” and “Triple Anchors.”
Friday was very relaxed. The weather was nice and the sea was flat. We drifted down “Chasbo’s Corner” through schools of creole wrasse and yellowtail snapper. The day ended at “Tunnels and Barrels” as we saw millions of silversides and minnows that attracted all types of fish for a feeding frenzy. We glided gently with a hawksbill turtle before our safety stop.
Despite the coral spawn and a small mechanical issue the week was very exciting. Turneffe Flats offers such close proximity to a variety of diverse dive sites that it’s almost impossible to have a bad week. Weather its drifting along in the current of the “Elbow” or looking up at the overhead environment at the “Blue Hole” Turneffe offers some of the Caribbean’s best diving.
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We decided to dive the east side of Turneffe Atoll. “Jo-Jo’s Splits” and ‘The Notch” were both rich with marine life and visibility was great. Everything, from the big Eagle rays and channel clinging crabs, to the tiny cleaner shrimp and slender file fish, posed for great pictures. We finished at “Little Calabash Caye Wall” where we found an endemic White Spotted Toad Fish. “Lindsey’s Back Porch” had great visibility. The deep grooves and sheer wall that disappeared in the abyss were full of tiny tropicals, stalking grouper and barracuda, while “The Terrace” and “Mandy’s Dandy” were teeming with schooling fish. Dog Snapper, Creole Wrasse, Horse Eye Jacks, Black Grouper and Bar Jacks were all there, but the highlight of the day was a curious and friendly green turtle that swam toward us and hung around for a few minutes.
On Tuesday we took the hour-long trip to Lighthouse Reef. The boat rode the swells with ease and comfort. We took the 130 foot plunge into the Blue Hole, where our divers stared amazingly at the huge stalactites that suspended from the ceiling into the clear waters. Black Grouper, Bermuda Chub, and curious Reef Sharks kept us company at our safety stop.
“Half Moon Caye” Wall was abundant with fish as always. We were the first boat there, so we took our guests to one of my secret spots where we had fun in the swim-threws. “The Aquarium” had slight current sweeping plankton along the wall. Visibility was about 60 feet, but the fish variety was spectacular. A friendly Hawks Bill Turtle hung out with us at the end of the dive. “Now I know why you call here “The Aquarium” commented one of the guests, still amazed after the dive. I looked at Alex, our captain, and said, “It was only average, wait ‘til she comes here on a good day”. The fact is that any average day at any site on the west of Long Caye at Lighthouse Reef is better than what most of our guests are used to.
Our guests were scheduled to leave on Wednesday, but decided to stay one more day for extra great diving. It was a smooth ride to the famous “Elbow”. There were small swells but the water was clear and we could easily make out a large school of Horse Eye Jacks under the boat. “Are you sure this is the spot?” asked one of the guests. “Oh yeah, this place is my backyard” replied Captain Dubs. I agreed and in no time we were descending. The current swept us right through a school of Cubera Snapper. The 30 pounders looked menacing at first, but thoughts of how tasty they are, quickly put our fears away. Black Grouper stalked the deep water, sea fans and Bar Jacks attacked a polarized school of Herring. Horse Eye Jacks circled in their usual pattern, Dog Snapper faced the current for treats and Permit darted about the water column. I have done this dive so many times and not get bored. There is just something about “The Elbow” that keeps you wanting to come back. The current swept us over thousands of feet of blue water before our planned dive time. We cut it short and surfaced.
This dive was so spectacular it made our last dive at Black Beauty simply seem like filler.
The sheer wall, black coral, Toad Fish, cleaning stations and everything else seemed lame after the Elbow.
July 27-30, 2008
This was a fairly easy drift dive and everyone adjusted quickly. Several grouper, lobster, crabs and snapper filled the dive. “Jo-Jo’s Splits” and “Little Calabash Caye Wall” completed the day with sting rays, morays, grouper, snapper and jacks.
The following day was just as smooth and we went straight to Lighthouse Reef. “Blue Hole” was spectacular wit few divers and excellent visibility The reef sharks are always fun when they are swimming around us and everyone loved them. “Half Moon Caye Wall” was clear with astonishing walls and colorful coral. Plenty of stingrays and a gentle turtle made our day. We had picnic style lunch on the beach and took a tour of the Booby Bird Sanctuary. We then moved over to “Silver Caves” at Long Caye for our last dive. The shallow ledge drops down into the abyss and plenty of fish make it their home. Black coral abounds in less than 80 ft of water and tarpon and permit cruise by graciously. Limited time restricted us to the west side on the last day but poor visibility made us change location. “Lobster Bay” and “Snake Point” had far better visibility as well as healthy coral and plenty of fish. Turtles, rays, squid, and deep water sea fans kept our eyes busy as we glided thought the blue water.
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June 7-14, 2008
The North West side made
We hit the Elbow on day 3. Schools of bar jacks and creole wrasse led us to stalking Black Grouper off the wall while some yellow fin and tiger grouper waited patiently as cleaner shrimp and gobies cleaned them up near some barrel sponges. Black Beauty was great with eagle rays, toad fish, moray eels and lots of bush black coral. The highlight of the day was a massive head of star coral housing over twenty spiny lobster at anchor creek.
Day 4 took us back to the northwest side. Schools of black grouper and dog snapper as well as a curious eagle ray made Mandy’s Dandy worthwhile. Swim throughs, barrel sponges, deep water sea fans, schools of Creole wrasse and yellow tail snapper at Tunnels & Barrels kept us amazed throughout the dive. WE headed home after the second dive and waited for sunset and our night dive. The dark was crawling with critters. Octopus, sea starts, anemones, urchins, parrot fish, cardinal fish, glossy sweepers and many others made time go fast.
The following day we departed early for the Blue Hole. Stalactites, great visibility, black grouper and reef sharks filled the list. Half Moon Caye Wall with deep canyons and endless swim-throughs was nothing short of amazing. Three eagle rays cruised by in a single file as we came over the wall. Barracuda, grouper, snapper, hog fish, parrot fish, and countless live conchs had us alert all the way. We had a picnic style lunch at Half Moon Caye. After a tour at the Baby Bird Sanctuary, we headed to Silver Caves at Long Caye. The shallow 20 foot ledge drops to 180 feet. We leveled off at 55 feet and were immediately greeted by yellow tail snapper and thousands of creole wrasse.
Horse eye jacks circled by and I spotted a pair of neck crabs doing their best to camouflage themselves with algae and blend into a sea rod but not when I’m around. Bush black coral abound in large quantities starting at 50 feet. We finished of through a maze of swim throughs and a curious eagle ray posing for photos at the safety stop. We broke through the huge school of bermuda chub under the boat and called it a day.
June 7-14, 2008
On the last day the wind had eased down enough for us to do the East side. JoJo’s Splits was rich in marine life. Cleaning stations, schooling fish and brilliant coral all in a spectacular wall, we finished off the day at Calabash Caye. Two more great dives with friendly turtles, eagle rays, morays, and swaying gorgonians.
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June 5-6, 2008,
We kicked off 2 days of diving with only 2 guests; a pair of experienced and excited instructors from Australia. Our first dive was Blue Hole. We had excellent visibility regardless of the large number of divers from at least 5 other dive boats that were there. We swam through the Stalactites and were greeted by a huge black grouper and seven Caribbean reef sharks at our safety stop. Half Moon Caye Wall and Quebrada were both great dives with great visibility, plenty of marine life, swim-throughs, colorful coral and sponges, and the highlight was when an 8 Foot manta ray came to check us out at our safety stop on our last dive. Three fishing guests took time off to join us on the second day. We started at the Elbow where vibrant coral, swaying sea fans and other gorgonians beckoned us toward the blue abyss. We leveled off at 100 feet and drifted in the mild current. Several black and tiger groupers stalked Creole Wrasse and Bar Jacks who teased them as they schooled by. Rainbow parrot fish grazed on algae and dog snapper hovered, waiting for an opportunistic meal to pass by. A few scattered permit swam by and horse-eye jacks circled about. Our second dive was at Black Beauty. A pair of Wahoo came out of the blue towards us followed by an eagle ray then a hawksbill turtle. It was a great dive with lots to see. The wind picked up and we moved to the south west side for the last dive. Anchor Creek was the best choice. Visibility was not bad; we dropped down to 50 feet by a coral encrusted 17th century anchor. Schools of Creole Wrasse and yellow tail snapper abound here. Lots of lobster peeped from every crevice, and a few channel clinging crabs crawled by on the coral heads. It was a good 2 days of diving.
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May 3-10, 2008
The week started hyped up with four divers looking for a great week of diving in Belize. Nice weather took us to the West side of the Atoll to kick off the week. “Tarpon Bay” was just right with over 80 Feet visibility and plenty of fish to keep us busy. Black Grouper lined up at cleaning stations and sea fans swayed back and forth as we searched for the elusive Pigmy File Fish. We were not disappointed as a handful of them did their best to avoid the cameras flashing about. We ended day one with a curious turtle checking us out around the safety stop.
The excitement just rolled on as we descended into day number 2. “Chasbo’s Corner” has never been a disappointment on a falling ride and we timed it just right. Dog Snapper, Black Grouper, Channel Clinging Crabs, and another turtle shared the spotlight. We called it a day after and a day after an amazing immersion at “Elkin Bay”.
Two more divers joined us on day three. We headed to Calabash Caye for spectacular wall diving. “The Chutes”, Chinaman Wall” and “Sheer Delight” were filled with marine life curious to greet us. Squid, Eagle Rays, Turtles, Morays, and schools of Creole Wrasse kept us all on our fin tips. We found ourselves at the “Elbow” on day 4. This dive is worth diving any time. Current was mild and schooling fish were not very active but the vibrant coral cannot be matched anywhere else. Colors and variety is the norm here as well as Dog Snapper, Black Grouper and thousands of Bar Jack. “Front Porch” was marvelous. The South East Side of Turneffe has never let me down when I’m looking for Spotted Eagle Rays and the endemic White spotted Toad Fish. This day was no different. After lunch we decided to take a dip by “Dead man’s Caye” instead of “Grand Bogue”. A pod of 10 curious dolphins came around as we descended. They hung around us for a while then moved off. Colorful coral, Pigmy filefish and more Toad Fish made the dive even better.
On day 5 we started with the best dive so far. After an hour boat ride to Light House Reef we plunged for 2 great dives of Half Moon Caye. A 9’ Caribbean Reef shark welcomed us as we dove off the wall. Graceful Triggerfish, Grouper, colorful Tropicals, Conch and Stingrays filled the sea. After lunch on the beach and a visit to the Booby Bird Sanctuary, we went over to “the Cathedral” on Long Caye, Tarpon, Rays, Creole Wrasse, Horse Eye Jacks, unlimited coral, swim-throughs and Barracuda made the trip worth while.
We ended the week with two relaxed dives on the North West side. Black Coral, Turtles, Schools of fish, and calm, warm tropical waters completed our itinerary.
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January 19 - January 26, 2008
Weather Conditions: High winds in the early week with clearing skies as the days went on.
Winds: 10-15 mph out of the N/NE.
Air Temp.: Upper 70s.
Water temp.: Temperatures were cool in the upper 70s.
Visibility: 100-foot visibility.
We started the week with a cold front passing through. With the windy weather, the two divers were a little skeptical at first, but we still did two dives the first day. We boarded the “Sea Dog” and Capt. Frank took us to a couple of dive sites around Calabash Caye, famous for sheer walls and a forest of yellow tube sponges. Joe, one of the divers, suggested that we go look for some small critters because he was interested in doing some macro photography. We found shrimp, crabs, and some shy toad fish mixed in with the sea fans that worked well for his needs. Joe’s camera was outfitted with various lenses and buttons and rigged with fancy strobes. It could have easily blended into a sci-fi movie set. We spent the next two days on the east and northeast side of the atoll looking for the tiniest reef dwellers while ignoring the turtles, rays, sharks, and barracuda that would swim by wondering why we were so interested in the dark nooks and crannies. One ‘cuda wanted continuous attention as it followed Joe everywhere.
The next day, Joe decided to go fishing while Missy went to the northwest side of the atoll with Aldo Perez, our Dive Master. The spur and groove formations and colorful coral with abundant fish, topped off with 100-foot visibility were just right. We even stopped off for a beach break on a small island on the way back to the resort. The night dive was great with glassy sweepers, damselfish, and gobies everywhere. Apart from the annoying worms that swarmed our lights, this was a great dive.
We ended the week on the west side, gliding through sea fans and sea plumes that seemed to reach out and touch us. Scattered coral covers the western slope patrolled by yellow tail snapper and doctor fish. Visibility was down a bit, but the dive team enjoyed gliding through the blue – not worrying about anything but their trip coming to an end.
January 12 - January 19, 2008
Weather Conditions: Light winds consistent from the East with sunny days.
Winds: 5--10 mph out of the East.
Water Temp.: Low 80's.
Visibility: 100’ visibility.
It was a good week of diving. With four divers for the first half and only two the last half, we were able to be very flexible with our itinerary. On Sunday, the sea was calm in front of the lodge and Captain Carlton suggested that we take advantage of it. The dive team readied the “Sea Dog” and headed out. Amelia was a little nervous about her first dives as she had not been diving for a while. She had a slight problem equalizing, but quickly overcame it and was down enjoying the reef with all of us. The water was very clear and at the end of the first day we were all recounting the sheer wall, a black grouper, several cleaning stations, a spotted eel, and a very large nurse shark. Amelia went out on her own the next day and Captain Carlton found us a shallow site to make her more comfortable. In no time we were surrounded by a forest of pillar coral teaming with life; we had 100-foot visibility. There were numerous cleaning stations with cleaning shrimp and gobies everywhere. “It was just so colorful, you have to see it to believe it,” commented Aldo Perez, our Dive Master. Grouper and snapper were calmly getting cleaned while a baby nurse shark simply rested on the sandy floor under a ledge. Aldo even pointed out an endemic white spotted toad fish.
The following day, we headed out to Half Moon Caye. The first dive was filled with conch, groupers, barracuda, arrow crabs and a friendly turtle. We were able to give the guests a tour of the Booby Bird Sanctuary. During lunch, Capt. Carlton entertained us with stories of he and his father picking up lobster on this caye. We then headed for “The Aquarium,” a site that lives up to its name. It was full of fish, corals, and everything else that depends on this ecosystem.
Keffer, one of our young divers, had not dived since being certified years ago. He managed to revive his skills with the group and was treated to several dives with us. Then over to the west side of the atoll where we were welcomed by garden eels on the sandy floor with lobster and grouper as well. The week finished with dives on the northwest side of the atoll. The group enjoyed the sheer walls, spurs and grooves, swim-through, and the corals and sponges that inhabit this side. With a nice finish to a great week, the group plans on returning after “off-gassing” for a year.
January 5 - January 12, 2008
Weather Conditions: Overcast on day one and sunny the rest of the week.
Winds: 5-15mph with winds throughout the week
Water Temp.: 81 degrees from surface down to 90’.
Visibility: 80’-100’.
The Beaver Diver group from Vail, Colorado joined us for a great week of diving. All divers were Nitrox certified and enjoyed nice conditions throughout the week. The first day's dives took place on the leeward side of the Atoll where the underwater life and reef were spectacular. Sitings included Spiny Lobster, Southern Stingrays and Eagle Rays which continued to circle our group throughout the dive.
Our trip to the Blue Hole was a nearly perfect day. The weather was calm and allowed for 3 great dives. As one of the first boats to the Blue Hole that morning, we had good visibility in the Blue Hole and the stalagtitels at 90 feet were very impressive. Large Black Grouper were present as well as a number of Caribbean Reef Sharks.
The picnic at Half Moon Caye was lots of fun for everyone and Half Moon Wall was spectacular with large schools of Jacks that enveloped the dive group at times. Our Dive Masters, Alex and Anthony found all sorts of things from Scorpion Fish to Eels and even a large Octopus in the middle of feeding on a large Conch. The Octopus put on a display of color changes for all divers but didn't give up his meal.
This week was finished with a trip to the southern end of the Turneffe Atoll to dive The Elbow. With a nice variety of fish seen, it was a great last dive for an already great week. Casey, the group leader,, commented that "both of the Dive Masters did an excellent job keeping us entertained and well informed on all dives. This is why I like bringing groups to Turneffe Flats." We hope to see Beaver Divers again soon.
November 24 - December 1, 2007
Weather Conditions: Overcast in early week, mostly sunny by the end of the week.
Winds: 5-15mph with winds switching from North to Northeast.
Air Temp.: low 80’s.
Water Temp.: 81 degrees from surface down to 90’.
Visibility: 80’-100’
This week brought us several experienced divers as well as a student referral along with his newly certified friend. Skye, our student referral, said "I couldn’t have picked a better spot to finish my Open Water course." Alex, our Dive Instructor, took Skye and Bennet on an amazing underwater experience and found plenty of Spiny Lobster along with a 4’ Nurse Shark that almost posed for the cameras.
Alex Edwards feels that there is no better place in the world to finish your Certification than here at Turneffe Atoll. We have a great environment with calm waters, excellent visibility, and a wide diversity of Caribbean species that inhabit our reef. This is a great place to spoil the first time divers and experienced divers as well.
"It always amazes me to see the expressions on new divers faces when they view those Giant Barrel Sponges, and watching the Banded Shrimp under the sponges. No matter what their age, it is like seeing the look of a kid discovering something for the first time. I enjoy answering all of their questions that come from these experiences and sharing dive stories."
Emric Cabrall, our Dive Master, took the experienced dive group for a tour around the forest like environment consisting of colorful corals, sponges and tropical fish. On these dives Emric skillfully spotted many different critters that roam our reef ranging from Nurse Sharks, Eels, Rays, and the many Channel Clinging crabs. Our trip to the Blue Hole on Friday allowed the divers a good look at the many Stalactites, huge Groupers, and Reef Sharks that call this spot home. The Red Footed Booby birds complimented the trip well.
November 17 - 24, 2007
Weather Conditions: Overcast skies early in week with mostly sunny skies during the later part of the week.
Winds: 5-15 mph with shifting winds throughout the week.
Air Temp.: 80-86 degrees.
Water temp.: From surface to 90 feet, the temperature was 81 degrees.
Visibility: 80’ clearly
The first few day started with some rain which fortunately didn’t affect the dives at all. This was a week of Lobsters, Rays, and Eels.
Everyone had their own special occurrences. Michelle was dubbed our "Ray lady". On nearly every dive she had multiple rays congregate around her almost like a magical aura. These rays seemed just as interested in her as she was with them .
Volker from California had a particularly good eye and was fortunate to spot a number of interesting things. "I have been with many lucky divers before, but Volker was very lucky on every dive" says Alex Edwards, our Dive Instructor here on the Island. He seemed to find Eels on every dive, from Spotted Morays to Golden Tails. During one of our surface intervals Volker had told me that he had seen most all the sharks that inhabit our reef with the exception of the Nurse Shark. Almost like it was meant to be, on the very next dive we spotted a 5’ Nurse Shark that seemed to appear just for Volker. His camera and mind captured many images of this moment!
Robert sighted a Hawks billed Turtle at 60’ foot depth. The turtle measured 2-1/2’ across and he spent several intimate minutes kneeling beside this magnificent creature.
Tina even had her special memories with some Balloon Puffers that were "puffed up" for her to see. Kate, one of our anglers, took time out from her fishing to dive one day. She was treated to a large school of Horse eyed Jacks, Black Groupers, Creole Wrasses, and countless, colorful, reef fish that helped make her trip even more memorable.
November 10-17, 2007
Divers were greeted with a cool weather and winds that shifted between the northwest and the northeast. Air temperatures ranged from the mid-70s to mid-80s and water temperatures hovered right at 80, which felt like bathwater in the cooler air. Visibility was very good – 80 to 100 feet!
The week’s first dives offered up two of the Atoll’s residents, a couple of loggerhead turtles and an manatee. Robert, of Ledyard, Conn., a frequent Turneffe Flats visitor, commented, “I have never seen a manatee on any of my previous dives here . . . what a special memory.”
The shifting winds made it necessary to utilize various diving options on both the west and east sides of the Atoll. These are really two very different underwater areas with a great diversity of diving. “That is one good thing about Turneffe Flats, you can always find a leeward area to dive,” said Alex Edwards, our Dive Instructor.
As the week went on, the overcast weather made dive site selection an issue. Despite the weather, Dive Master Emric Cabral was always able to find clear water, ideal locations to spot numerous reef inhabitants from spiny lobster to Moray eels.
Al, from Mass., was overjoyed to come face-to-face with several spotted eagle rays that seemed just as interested in him as he was with them.
The week ended with an exciting dive into the nearby world famous Blue Hole. Both black tipped reef sharks and bull sharks were out in numbers and they stayed with the divers for most of the dive, affording plenty of camera opportunities. Additionally, large black grouper put on quite an underwater show.
September 15-22, 2007
What a great week! Jeff Gay took over the lodge exclusively with a great group from Gainesville, Georgia. Including Dana, Sylvia and Christine who came to finish their Open Water Certification with us. Recently our dive staff has been joined by Alex Edwards, PADI instructor and now our new Dive Program Manager. Alex has certified many divers from all levels and these were his first with Turneffe Flats. The three succeeded wonderfully - congratulations ladies - and enjoyed great diving at Calabash and the infamous Elbow, amongst other dive sites.
Earlier this year we were joined by Emric Cabral who is Dive mastering the Turneffe Flats dive boat and took our newly certified divers out for their first OW diving. Emric is brother of Dubs and Dion, both are fishing guides at Turneffe Flats.
Christmas Week, 2007
We had a blast Christmas Week. We certified 5 new divers along the way. Nearly every dive was fantastic. We were able to dodge the 2 bad weather days and put in time around Calabash and out front. We saw turtles, toad fish and octopus. Half Moon Wall was the dive of the week, 14 Eagle Rays were counted. This time of year we can get cold fronts (75 degrees), it can get a little chilly on the boat so bring along a sweat shirt. Also a 3mm full suit will help keep you warm.
November 11-25, 2006
This week we were joined by "the Mud Club" a great group of diving buddies from the D.C. area. These guys really enjoyed diving out front and around the calabash area a few miles south. Sorry about the huge gap in updates. We added a new page to the website and everything since the last update was deleted. So.... since Sept 13th, we have expanded our dive services to include Nitrox and opened our new dive center. The dive center houses our rental equipment and serves as our class room for dive certifications.
September 9-13, 2006
A great few days! This week's divers were only here for three days before they took off for the mainland. Those few days were packed with great dives. The first day was spent at Crickozeen Creek, where the divers wondered through the nice coral gardens. The next day they took off to the Elbow where they saw huge schools of permit, jacks, and snappers. Tuesday was spent at Calabash Caye a few miles south of the lodge. The three dives were action packed. The guys saw a hawksbill that let Aleah tag along on it's back and a hammerhead cruised by during the 2nd dive. The weather was fantastic all week as was the visibility.
August 19-26, 2006
Last week we were blessed with great weather the entire week. This allowed us to explore all Turneffe has to offer. The Northwest Corner was one of the highlights of the week. Good visibility and lots of small critters kept everyone's attention. The Aquarium and Silverside Canyon were both highlights of the Lighthouse trip. FYI we will be offering Nitrox in the near future.
August 5-12, 2006
We were joined by Tri-State Scuba from Cincinnati, Ohio. The weather was nice nearly all week with only a few mid week showers. The trip to Lighthouse Reef was very nice and there were lots of Reef Sharks to be seen at the Blue Hole. The crew also had nice dives at the Elbow and Crickozeen.
June 24-July 1, 2006
Last week One World Scuba, from Yakima Washington, filled the dive boat. One World has a very healthy travel program with willing participants. There was great weather for the entire week and we were able to dive the entire atoll. The highlight of the week were the dolphins that joined us at Tarpon Cut on the west side.
February 18 – February 24, 2006
A family from Washington and Chicago made the dive boat this week. They dove sites all around the atoll including The Elbow, Baker’s Rock, Calabash, and many others. The visibility was great this week with 80+ feet and the weather couldn’t have been better. Our guests chose not to do the Blue Hole but still enjoyed the other great dives at Lighthouse. Half Moon Caye Wall, The Cathedral, and The Aquarium were our dives on Lighthouse Reef.
January 28 – February 3, 2006
Another great week of diving at Turneffe Flats. We had many things to see and visited great dive sites. The Blue Hole trip was great and three fishermen joined us to experience the Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye. On Wednesday, we dove Lindsay’s Back Porch, Baker’s Rock, and the night dive. At Baker’s Rock, we had an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and swam with a pod of ten dolphins! The week continued with dives around Calabash Caye and those down by the Elbow. Our divers really enjoyed Sayonara and said it felt they were walking through a garden. We had a great week and hope to see everyone again on a return trip to Turneffe Flats.
January 21 – January 27, 2006
A small dive group this week came from Kansas City, MO. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best weather but we enjoyed some great diving. Most of the days were overcast and some were rainy but Blue Hole day was filled with sunshine and sharks. Although the weather didn’t cooperate this week, many interesting things were sited. We saw turtles, white-spotted toadfish, eels, sharks, and lots more. Hopefully next week the sun will make more of an appearance, but I know the dives will be great as always.
January 7 – January 13, 2006
During the week, some of our better dives were at Baker's Rock, Pelican Wall, Crickozeen Cut, Sponge Shop as well as a nice night dive. Two anglers decided to try some diving doing a Discover Scuba course with dives at Calabash Cut and China Man's Wall. The water was especially clear this week and the temperature is holding steady at 79 degrees. Ceiba Nature Tours visited during the later half of the week with guests participating in our Inland/Island program visiting Chaa Creek Resort in Western Belize, as well as Turneffe Flats. Judy, one of the Ceiba's travelers decided to dive after many years off and rekindled her love of diving with dives at Half Moon Caye and The Aquarium. At The Aquarium, a green moray swam with us for about 5 minutes. It was an amazing sight!
December 31, 2005 – January 6, 2006
An Atlanta based dive shop, Divers @ Sea, filled our dive boat this week taking advantage of our generous group package rate. We dove all sides of Turneffe Atoll during the week and had great encounters with marine life. During the week, we saw 3 daytime octopuses, nudibranchs, white spotted toadfish, scorpion fish, spotted eagle rays, morays and much more. It was an especially great week for spotting the camouflaged. The dive sites consisted of Pelican Wall, Lobster Trap, The Terrace, Chazbo Corner, The Elbow, Front Porch and the weekly trip to the Blue Hole. We did our night dive on Wednesday and saw tons of nocturnal creatures. Divers @ Sea decided to name the site Squid Alley, a perfect choice! If you would like to arrange a group trip to Turneffe Flats contact our reservation office and check on availability for your group.
