Turneffe & Lighthouse Atoll Dive Sites

Enjoy the Best Scuba Diving & Snorkeling Sites on the Belize Barrier Reef

Dive site name: The Elbow
Location: South tip of Turneffe Atoll
Depth: 60 to 120 feet/18 to 36 meters
Access: Boat
Expertise rating: Advanced

This can be one of the very best dive sites in Belize! The top of wall starts at about 60 feet/18 meters to 100 feet/30 meters and, depending on the tide, there can be very strong currents from the north. The current flows down both sides of Turneffe Atoll and converges at the dive site attracting large schools of jacks, snappers, sharks, eagle rays and larger fish than you are likely to see elsewhere on the Belize reefs. You may even encounter dolphins. Expect to find a beautiful wall with huge gorgonians and sponges. This is a drift dive and due to the strong currents you can get separated from your group so you should carry a marker tube and a good whistle or air horn.

Dive site name: Half Moon Wall
Location: South Half Moon Caye, Lighthouse Atoll
Depth: 30 to 120 feet/9 to 36 meters
Access: Boat
Expertise rating: Intermediate

Half Moon Wall is one of the most famous dive sites in Belize! The wall starts at 20 to 30 feet/6 to 9 meters and is spectacular with deep gullies, swim-throughs, and overhangs and an amazing profusion of gorgonians, sponges and hard corals. Visibility can be amazing. Look for mantas, eagle rays, sharks and a variety of pelagics along the wall. Swim up to the top of the wall where there is a profusion of reef fish and then continue onto the sandy area above the reef to find southern rays along with hogfish and other species mining the sand for their daily bread. A little further on you can find the colony of garden eels gently waving in the like sea grass until you draw close and they retract below the sand.

Nearby Half Moon Caye Natural Monument is where the lighthouse is that gave the atoll its name and where you can view the red-footed boobies rookery from a tree-top level observation platform. There is a nature trail that will appeal to bird watchers and where you may find hermit crabs and monitor lizards.

Dive site name: Long Caye
Location: Multiple dive sites on the north, west and east sides of Long Caye, Lighthouse Atoll
Depth: 20 to 120 feet/6 to 36 meters
Access: Boat
Expertise Rating: Intermediate

There are a dozen or more excellent dive sites at Long Caye. The one we select to dive on any given day depends primarily on currents and weather conditions. Visibility can be brilliant as is expected on the reefs in Belize! Critters are abundant and depending on the particular dive site can include the whole range reef fish in profuse numbers including angelfish, trumpet fish, filefish, chub, grunts, snappers, wrasses, butterfly fish, pufferfish, etc. etc. etc. You can also expect to find barracudas, turtles, jacks, sharks, rays, groupers, lobster, eels, squid and the smaller guys like nudibranches, various species of shrimp along with cleaner stations. With the combination of visibility and critters plus a plethora of hard and soft corals, colorful gorgonians and sponges of every shape and color, make sure you bring your camera!

Turneffe Lighthouse Atolls represent some of the Best Belize Dive Sites!