Caribbean · Belize
Belize Barrier Reef
Atoll walls at Lighthouse Reef and Turneffe, and the Great Blue Hole
Photo: Axelspace Corporation · CC BY-SA 4.0
Belize's barrier reef and offshore atolls are dived by day boat from Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker and by liveaboards that spend most of their week at Lighthouse Reef. The Great Blue Hole, part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site, is the famous name, but there is much more to the atolls: Half Moon Caye Wall and Long Caye at Lighthouse, The Elbow and Chinaman's Wall at Turneffe. Whale sharks pass in spring, and turtles, groupers and eagle rays are regulars on the walls.
About diving in Belize Barrier Reef
Day boats work out of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, where shops run reef dives and, from Caye Caulker, Blue Hole trips. The resorts on Turneffe Atoll arrange weekly day trips out to Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole, and the liveaboards spend most of their itineraries around Lighthouse. At Turneffe the boats choose sites by the swell: the east coast is dived when conditions allow, and the west coast takes over when the swells on the east and south coasts pick up.
At Lighthouse every site pairs a shallow reef garden with a deep wall below it; Half Moon Caye Wall and the west coast of Long Caye are among them, and Tarpon Caves adds a vertical tunnel through the reef. Turneffe's western side has shallow reefs, while the east and south sides, home to Chinaman's Wall and The Elbow, have more varied topography. Spotted eagle rays and turtles are frequently sighted at Turneffe; at Lighthouse green and hawksbill turtles are frequent visitors, and Caribbean reef sharks and large black groupers are not uncommon.
Currents at Turneffe run none to gentle, with The Elbow the exception at moderate, and the diving at Lighthouse stays fairly easy all year for lack of strong current; both atolls take beginner and advanced divers. Novices and casual divers are best on the shallow reefs of Turneffe's western side. The Elbow is for experienced divers: ocean swells make entries and exits hard, and the current usually carries divers off the reef toward deeper water. The Blue Hole is a dive for its drowned stalactites rather than its fish, since there is not much marine life there beyond the odd shark.
Best time to dive Belize Barrier Reef
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Rain | 130 mm5.1 in | 66 mm2.6 in | 57 mm2.2 in | 39 mm1.5 in | 95 mm3.7 in | 229 mm9.0 in | 166 mm6.5 in | 176 mm6.9 in | 192 mm7.6 in | 271 mm10.7 in | 252 mm9.9 in | 142 mm5.6 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 130 mm5.1 in | 66 mm2.6 in | 57 mm2.2 in | 39 mm1.5 in | 95 mm3.7 in | 229 mm9.0 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 166 mm6.5 in | 176 mm6.9 in | 192 mm7.6 in | 271 mm10.7 in | 252 mm9.9 in | 142 mm5.6 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
From November through February northerly winds can blow in to Turneffe, bringing cooler weather and, when they are strong, surge, though dives are very rarely cancelled because there are so many sites to choose from. March to May is the dry season and the best stretch: visibility on Turneffe can pass 30 m (100 ft), and whale sharks pass Lighthouse Atoll in April and May, though stronger winds in March and April can stir up sediment at Lighthouse. From June through November the rains can push murky lagoon water onto the reef and cut visibility to about 15 m (50 ft), while summer plankton and algae blooms cloud Lighthouse.
Best months: March, April, May
Belize Barrier Reef water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 27 °C (81 °F) in February to 30 °C (86 °F) in September. Most rain falls from June to November, peaking at about 270 mm (11 in) in October; February to April are the driest. Daytime highs sit around 29 °C (84 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 26 °C (79 °F), so pack a 3 mm full suit.
Dive types & marine life
Whale sharks pass Lighthouse Atoll in April and May. At Gladden Spit off Placencia they come for the spawn of cubera snappers, which aggregate there around the full moon from March to September.
- Wall
- Reef
- Cave & cavern
- Night
- Whale sharks
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
- Groupers
- Barracuda
Best dive sites in Belize Barrier Reef
- 1
Half Moon Caye Wall
Lighthouse Reef wall reached across sand flats at about 15 m that hold a vast garden eel colony.
- 2
The Elbow (Turneffe)
Exposed southern tip of Turneffe where jacks, groupers and snappers gather in mid-water to spawn.
- 3
Great Blue Hole
Sinkhole shaft 124 m (407 ft) deep; dives reach about 40 m (130 ft) for the drowned ice-age stalactites.
- 4
Chinaman's Wall
Turneffe wall dive where large barracuda appear off the face, hunting chromis and black durgeons.
- 5
Long Caye
Lighthouse Reef wall under coral gardens that average 10 m (33 ft) deep on the west coast.
- 6
Tarpon Caves
Vertical tunnel from 12 m (40 ft) that opens into a crevice at almost 30 m (100 ft).
- 7
Gladden Spit
Promontory off Placencia where whale sharks feed on snapper spawn between March and June.
Site guides
Reef
Gullies cut across a submerged spur-and-groove reef
Reef
One big coral bommie ringed by schooling bar jacks
Caribbean reef sharks and bull sharks patrolling a vertical wall
Wall
Eagle rays off a sponge-hung wall on Turneffe's east coast
Pelagic & blue water
Whale sharks feeding on snapper spawn between March and June
Ice-age stalactites hanging from 30 m inside a 124-metre shaft
Garden eels on the sand, then a wall that falls past 914 m (3,000 ft)
A 9-metre reef cut, with nurse sharks and stingrays next door
Three big parrotfish species along the top of the wall
Wall
Coral gardens on the lip of a wall that falls several hundred metres
Reef
Drop into 35 m of open water, then up a sharp reef slope
Cave & cavern
A vertical tunnel from 12 m into a crevice at nearly 30 m
Reef
A shallow reef-top drift where dolphins and turtles turn up
Drift
Snapper and jacks stacked over Turneffe's southern corner
A flat coral plain that ends at a terrace into deep water
Wreck
A 1985 wreck reduced by a hurricane to its metal frames
Wall
An overhanging wall stepping down to a wide sand terrace
Wreck
114 metres of ship lying at 18 metres off Blackbird Caye
Deep grooves cut through reef and slope off the lodge
How to get to Belize Barrier Reef
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) is at Ladyville, 15 km northwest of Belize City and about 30 minutes' drive. Water taxis run from Belize City to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye and to Caye Caulker, both of which have dive shops; Turneffe's small number of dive resorts sit on the atoll itself.
Photos from Belize Barrier Reef
halseike · CC BY 2.0
halseike · CC BY 2.0
halseike · CC BY 2.0
halseike · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Exploring a GIANT Underwater Sinkhole in Belize! · BlueWorldTV on YouTube
Scuba Diving Belize: Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, Lighthouse Reef & Turneffe Atoll - Neverland Cruises · The Dive Planner on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is there a fee to dive Hol Chan Marine Reserve?+
Yes. In Zone A, which covers the inside and outside of the reef, fishing is banned, and snorkelling and diving are allowed on payment of a fee.
Can the Blue Hole be done as a day trip rather than a liveaboard?+
Yes. Shops on Caye Caulker run Blue Hole dives and the Turneffe resorts arrange weekly day trips to Lighthouse Reef. Resorts on Ambergris Caye arrange them on request, although the journey from there is long.
What stops the boats going out to Lighthouse Reef?+
Wind. Lighthouse is more exposed than the other Belize dive areas, and on windy days some of its sites cannot be reached, though there are normally sheltered spots in the lee of the islands. From November through February, when northerly winds blow in, boats tend to favour the south and eastern sides of the cayes.
Sources
- Turneffe Atoll dive sites — Dive The World
- Lighthouse Reef dive sites — Dive The World
- Belize — Wikivoyage
- Blue Hole Natural Monument — Belize Audubon Society
- Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve — Wikipedia
- Hol Chan Marine Reserve — Wikipedia
- Diving The Great Blue Hole in Belize — PADI
- White Sands Dive Shop — White Sands Dive Shop
- Frenchie's Diving — Belize Tourism Board
- Placencia — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Satellite view of the Great Blue Hole, a circular deep-blue sinkhole ringed by shallow turquoise reef within Lighthouse Reef, Belize by Axelspace Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sea fans and soft corals rise from a coral head on a shallow Belize Barrier Reef site by halseike, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A dense school of yellowtail snapper fills the water over a coral reef in Belize by halseike, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- Two rays glide low over a sandy, seagrass-covered bottom on the Belize Barrier Reef by halseike, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A nurse shark rests tucked beneath a large coral head on the reef floor by halseike, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
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