Belize’s largest and northernmost atoll, Turneffe is known as a premier scuba diving destination. With a network of flats, creeks, and lagoons teeming with marine wildlife, spectacular dive spots ring the entire atoll, allowing divers to take their pick of over 20 world-class dive sites.
Casual divers often visit Turneffe on day trips from Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker, but prolific divers tend to stay on the atoll itself, this way, instead of taking a 2-hour boat ride to dive Turneffe, all of its sites are easily accessible within minutes.
While all the dive sites at Turneffe Atoll are amazing, here are the top 5 to give you a taste of what to expect.
| 1. The Elbow |
| 2. Sayonara Wreck |
| 3. The Terrace |
| 4. Triple Anchors |
| 5. Galles Point |
1. The Elbow
Extremely popular among advanced divers with visibility at around 100 feet, the Elbow is the biggest “must-do” dive on Turneffe. It is located at the southernmost tip of the Atoll where schools of pelagic fish, including dog snappers, permit, horse-eye jacks, and Atlantic spadefish, hang out. Large groupers, turtles, and balloon fish swim in the canyons below, among the massive gorgonians. A pod of dolphins also lives nearby and occasionally, hammerhead sharks and spotted eagle rays can also be seen.
2. Sayonara Wreck
Another popular dive is the Sayonara, which is the site of the wreck of a passenger and cargo boat that was decommissioned and sunk in 1985. There are coral formations to the South and Southeast of the wreck, home to banded coral shrimp, spiny lobsters, and brittle stars. Large ocean triggerfish swim along the edge of the wall while Stoplight parrotfish and French and Queen angelfish munch on the encrusted sponges.
3. The Terrace
The Terrace is a dive site full of soft corals, Barrel sponges, and Tube sponges. It consists of a series of narrow spur and groove formations. The top of the wall is about 35-40 feet. There’s a sheer drop that’s dotted with enormous sponges, black coral, and gorgonian fans. Divers can find schools of thousands of Creole wrasse, a variety of hamlets, and white-spotted toadfish, among other marine life.
4. Triple Anchors
At a depth of 40-60 ft (12-18 m), with coral stacks scattered across a gently-sloping reef, the Triple Anchors site is so-called due to the presence of three 18th-century anchors – though they’re hard to spot! In addition to the anchors, you can find other remnants of an 18th-century vessel. Beyond the relics of the site, it has much more to offer, including eagle rays, large sponges, invertebrate groupings, queen angelfish, and a cleaning station. It’s a site even Novice divers can explore.
5. Galles Point
Galles Point is another dive site you don’t want to miss. Located on the eastern side of the atoll, the reef here juts out to a depth of around 45 feet and slopes down to about 100 feet before it drops off. There are various ledges and cave-like formations along the wall and above the slope. Rays and groupers are a common sight here, as are corals and sponges. Galles Point is a dive site that has everything, including eagle rays, reef fish, butterflyfish, trumpetfish, and much more.
That’s it for now. Let me know if any of these Turneffe Atoll sites have made it to your Belize diving bucket list!
Guest Post by: Belize Dive Haven
Belize Dive Haven Resort and Marina is just minutes away from some of the best dive sites in Belize. The resort is located right on the Turneffe Atoll, so you have the opportunity to dive as much as you want. For example, we offer all-inclusive dive packages that offer up to 3 dives a day so you truly explore everything the Atoll has to offer.
Leave a Reply