Belize Barrier Reef · Belize · Reef
Pelican Caye
Drop into 35 m of open water, then up a sharp reef slope
Area photo: Axelspace Corporation · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pelican Caye lies in the Northern Bogue section of Turneffe Atoll, some 500 metres north of the island of the same name. Divers drop into 35 metres of water over a sandy floor scattered with coral patches, then move onto a sharply sloping reef that rises to 16 metres and levels off into a wide flat plain.
Where it is and how deep
17.4048° N, 87.8106° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The entry goes straight into deep water: you drop into 120 feet, 35 metres, above a sandy sea floor with scattered patches of coral. That open habitat is what ocean triggerfish prefer, and they gather here. Swimming in from the drop you soon reach the sharply sloping reef, which rises to 55 feet, about 16 metres, and then levels out again to form a wide flat plain.
The plain takes the rest of the dive. Nurse sharks roam over the reef and green turtles often rest on the coral substrate, while surgeonfish and porkfish accumulate around the small bommies that protrude from the floor. Sites in this section of the atoll are not visited as frequently as elsewhere on Turneffe, so expect a reef with less traffic on it and a longer wait for the right day.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
| 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 Northern Bogue is exposed to the predominant trade winds, which cause surface swells; the site needs still air and calm seas, so trips here get called off more than elsewhere on the atoll.
- The dive starts at 35 metres over sand with no reef beside you at the drop, so watch the gauge and the no-decompression clock from the first minute.
Sources
- Turneffe Atoll dive sites — Dive The World
More dive sites in Belize Barrier Reef
Wall
An overhanging wall stepping down to a wide sand terrace
Reef
Gullies cut across a submerged spur-and-groove reef
Three big parrotfish species along the top of the wall
A flat coral plain that ends at a terrace into deep water
Wreck
114 metres of ship lying at 18 metres off Blackbird Caye
Wall
Eagle rays off a sponge-hung wall on Turneffe's east coast
Wreck
A 1985 wreck reduced by a hurricane to its metal frames
Deep grooves cut through reef and slope off the lodge
Similar dives elsewhere
Sponge bank from 15 m to 35 m with pelagics off the edge
Where two currents meet at the island's north-west tip
A staircase entry onto a reef that tips over at 9 metres
Healthy corals on a mini wall just past Brimstone Hill