Belize Barrier Reef · Belize · Cave & cavern · Wall
Tarpon Caves
A vertical tunnel from 12 m into a crevice at nearly 30 m
Area photo: Axelspace Corporation · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tarpon Caves is one of the regularly dived sites off Half Moon Caye on Lighthouse Reef. Its feature is a vertical tunnel: the entrance sits at 12 metres and the passage runs down through the reef to deposit divers in a deep crevice at almost 30 metres, with the wall outside cut by swim-throughs and holes.
Where it is and how deep
17.2030° N, 87.5340° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The tunnel is the reason to dive it. The entrance is at 40 feet, 12 metres, and it runs vertically down a passage through the reef before depositing you in a deep crevice at almost 100 feet, close to 30 metres. That puts the deepest part of the dive at the beginning, so the profile is set from the moment you go in: everything after the crevice is spent working back up.
Out of the crevice you are on the wall, and it is broken ground, with many cuts, swim-throughs and holes to explore along the face as you come shallower. A second chute runs up to the right of the tunnel and is the usual ascent at the end of the dive. Great barracuda are particularly inquisitive here, and finding one following you along the wall is normal rather than cause for alarm.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
| 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 tunnel is a vertical overhead running down to almost 30 metres with no direct exit to the surface partway through, so carry a light and follow a guide who knows the passage.
- The deepest point comes at the very start of the dive, which means the whole profile and gas plan has to be built around an immediate drop to nearly 30 metres.
Sources
- Lighthouse Reef dive sites — Dive The World
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