Belize Barrier Reef · Belize · Wall
Chinaman's Wall
Eagle rays off a sponge-hung wall on Turneffe's east coast
Area photo: Axelspace Corporation · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chinaman's Wall runs along the mid-east coast of Turneffe Atoll, off Blackbird Caye, where the reef edge drops away from around 15 metres. The usual profile takes divers down the face to 20 to 25 metres, past vase and yellow tube sponges and sea fans, with eagle rays and blacktip sharks working the water off the wall.
Where it is and how deep
17.3655° N, 87.7950° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wall on this stretch of Turneffe's east coast begins at around 15 metres, and the standard plan is to drop onto the top of it and then run the face down to 70 or 80 feet, 20 to 25 metres, before working back along it. The wall itself is the scenery: vase sponges and yellow tube sponges stand off the rock, sea fans catch whatever water is moving, and the crevices between them hold lobsters, arrow crabs and goldentail morays.
Keep one eye off the wall as you go. Eagle rays glide past in the blue and blacktip sharks roam deeper down the face, while dog and red snapper, Nassau grouper and black grouper congregate in the recesses and under the ledges cut into the wall. The shallower top of the reef makes an easy place to finish, spending the last of the dive in the sponge and fan cover before the ascent.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
- Reef sharks
- Groupers
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Belize Barrier Reef: March to May is the dry season, when visibility at Turneffe can pass 30 m (100 ft); rain and northerly winds take the shine off the other months.
Know before you go
- The face falls away below the 20 to 25 metre working depth with no bottom in sight to judge against, so set a maximum before you drop and watch your gauge along the wall.
Sources
- Turneffe Atoll dive sites — Dive The World
More dive sites in Belize Barrier Reef
Three big parrotfish species along the top of the wall
A flat coral plain that ends at a terrace into deep water
Reef
Drop into 35 m of open water, then up a sharp reef slope
Wreck
114 metres of ship lying at 18 metres off Blackbird Caye
Wreck
A 1985 wreck reduced by a hurricane to its metal frames
Deep grooves cut through reef and slope off the lodge
Drift
Snapper and jacks stacked over Turneffe's southern corner
Reef
A shallow reef-top drift where dolphins and turtles turn up
Similar dives elsewhere
A crevice cutting down the wall from 15 m to 30 m
A lip at 5.5 m over a face that falls away effectively vertical
A cut through the reef top that leads straight onto the wall
Twin pinnacles beside a coral-carpeted slope off French Cay