Belize Barrier Reef · Belize · Reef · Wall
The Flats' Front Porch
A flat coral plain that ends at a terrace into deep water
Area photo: Axelspace Corporation · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Flats' Front Porch lies on the east coast of Turneffe Atoll, directly in front of Turneffe Flats Resort. A broad, relatively flat coral plain at about 18 metres ends abruptly at its eastern edge in a deep-water terrace that drops well beyond 40 metres, with ridges running out into the blue and canyons cut back up into it.
Where it is and how deep
17.4260° N, 87.7950° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive runs east across a broad and relatively flat coral plain at about 60 feet, 18 metres, until the bottom simply ends. That eastern edge is a deep-water terrace dropping well beyond 130 feet, 40 metres, and it is not a plain face: several ridges run out from it into deep water, forming subterranean bays and canyons that come in from the blue and cut deep up the terrace.
The edge is worth a few minutes of hanging still and searching the blue, because blacktip sharks and reef sharks pass along it. Turning back onto the structure, scorpionfish sit stationary but fully alert on the rock, and the invasive lionfish seem to occupy every small ledge. Working the ridges and the canyon walls takes you back up onto the plain for the shallow end of the dive.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good |
Season follows Belize Barrier Reef: Whale sharks aggregate at Gladden Spit around the March–June full moons; September–October bring the highest hurricane risk.
Know before you go
- The terrace falls well past 40 metres straight off an 18-metre plain and the canyons open into blue water, so fix a maximum depth before you drop and stay above it.
- Lionfish occupy most of the small ledges along the terrace; keep hands and camera housings clear of the overhangs.
Sources
- Turneffe Atoll dive sites — Dive The World
More dive sites in Belize Barrier Reef
Reef
Gullies cut across a submerged spur-and-groove reef
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
Stalactites that grew in open air, now hanging in 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
Similar dives elsewhere
Coral in 6 m a short swim off the beach, wall to 43 m
A staircase entry onto a reef that tips over at 9 metres
A cave under the overhangs, and reef sharks out in the blue
Caribbean reef sharks along a steep west-facing cliff