Belize
Climate: Wet Season is August till October; Dry Season is March till December with the best water conditions and marine life. Air temperatures range from 16 – 27°C / 60 – 81°F
Water Temperature: 26 – 30°C / 79 – 85°F
Time: UTC -6:00
Language: English is the official language. Spanish other dialects are widely spoken.
Currency: Belize Dollars [BZD] (official), US dollars (No Coins), traveler’s checks & major credit cards are generally accepted.
Electricity: 110 Volt. Standard Plug Type (2 Flat Blades)
Marriage Requirements: Please contact the local tourism board for instructions and requirements.
Airport(s): Phillip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE)
Hyperbaric Chambers: San Pedro Town, Sub-Aquatic Safety Service of Belize
Home of the second largest reef system in the world and the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, Belize lies on the East Coast of Central America bordering Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the West and South, and the Caribbean Sea to the East. Belize is most famous for its Great Blue Hole, a geographic phenomenon that lies 60 miles offshore. 300 feet across, 412 feet deep and full of stalactites, you will often see bull, reef and hammerhead sharks. There are also three magnificent atolls (out of four coral atolls in the Caribbean) and over 400 species of fish. The country is 174 miles long & 68 miles wide. Belize’s 8,866 square miles is dominated by mountains & waterfalls.
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C.
During the last week of August my husband and I spent diving at Turneffe Flats. After our 90 minute boat ride we were greeted with rum punch and personalized check-in. Our cabana room was spacious, clean and recently renovated. The food was great throughout the week with some meals served family style. The diving for the week was fantastic with black tip reef sharks, a loggerhead turtle who was curious of our diving group for almost 10 minutes. Our dive master DenRoy was fantastic! On every dive he found all the tiny things I may have passed by, including clown crabs and various anemone shrimp. He also found a spotted toadfish for us to enjoy. With only 6 divers on the boat it was a real treat. Our trip to the Blue Hole and Lighthouse Caye was amazing. While we have a number of locations on our list of places to dive, Turneffe is a place we would definitely return to some day!
John
The room as excellent, very nice, in good condition. We had the Garden Villa which was perfect for our group. The service was excellent, we had no issues. We were impressed by the way the staff cared for the entire resort. It was well kept, well maintained, clean and groomed.
They even fogged for no-see’ms (though we still used DEET, some bites were inevitable, not bad, and not near as bad as Roatan or Utila).
The diving was outstanding, the dive masters were excellent; they were great at identifying stuff and finding the small stuff. We did get to see several “white spotted toadfish”, and loads of other things such as, Seahorse, Pipefish, Shrimp. Lobsters (including a slipper lobster), octopi, several sharks, rays, eels, b’cuda, turtles, crabs, starfish, etc, etc, etc…the reef is in good shape. We made 18 dives, and I took about a 1000 photos.
John
We had a great time at Turneffe Flats; it was an excellent dive vacation.
The lodging/grounds were well run, well maintained and the garden villa was perfect for our group.
The dive team was great, professional and outstanding at finding stuff for us to see.
The food was awesome. They even arranged for us to take a side trip to the Mayan Ruins of Altun Ha before heading to the airport on the day of our departure.
I would recommend it to any folks looking to get away large resorts and cattle car diving.
Joesette
Turneffe Flats is now one of our all time favorite places to go diving. We especially like the way the diving was set up. Usually when you get a dive package it is 5 days of 2 tank dives, but Turneffe offered 6 days of 3 tank dives (one of these dives was a night dive). This also included a day trip to "The Blue Hole". The diving was fantastic---great weather, visibility, water temperature (84-86), and great diving staff. The first morning we left our gear on our porch, overlooking the ocean and only a walk of only 3 steps to enter the beautiful blue water. Our gear was pick up by staff and set up each morning on the dive boat before we arrived. The gear was also washed and dried each afternoon by the diving staff. It was a total relaxing vacation- great rooms, great meals, great staff (diving & resort), and always a focus on safety for all involved. We are definitely planning a return visit.
Our encounters with turtles, friendly sharks, and green morays was among our favorite dives, and of course "The Blue Hole". Also saw 3 seahorses, yellow headed jaw fish, and spotted eagle rays. The dive master was always near to point out many critters that we had never seen or didn't know what they were before. What a great trip. Turneffe Flats has everything a diver, fisherman, or any vacationer could want and more. Also the boat trip from Belize City to Turneffe was a pleasant added surprise, we were able to see the changing scenery of the region as we traveled about an hour and a half to Turneffe Flats. The trip also gave us the chance to meet some of the resort staff, and the other divers and fishermen.
Terry
We have been to dive resorts around the world. Turneffe Flats is superb and is among the best dive resorts we have ever enjoyed. Their snorkeling program for non-divers is also excellent. We would highly recommend it.
D.
We had a great time at Turneffe Flats. The diving was really good and the staff was great. The weather wasn't the best but we did have a perfect day on Christmas day. We were the ONLY boat at the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole dive was the worst dive of the trip. Not much really. Just a drop to 130 ft. The stalactites were fun to swim through. Only saw 2 sharks and that wall was boring. But the 2 dives at Half Moon Caye were incredible. Probably the 2 best dives of the trip. We got 18 dives in and we saw an incredible variety of tropical fish, sponges and corals. We were shocked at all the lion fish. Every dive except the Blue Hole had lion fish. Our dive master speared 10 of them on our last day and the cooks made up fish fingers. The lion fish are good eating. There should be an open season on this invasive species through out the Caribbean.
Belize and Un-Belizable Diving and Adventure!
Belize and Un-Belizable Diving and Adventure!
Who would have thought that you have to go to Central America to a small English speaking country to truly encounter the second largest Great Barrier Reef in the world? There are three atolls off shore to dive and explore, Turneffe Atoll, Lighthouse Reef, and Glover’s Reef, and the sea life ranges from Manatees up north from Dangriga to Ambergr...
Read BlogHow Do You Top The World's Greatest Blue Hole Dive?
How Do You Top The World's Greatest Blue Hole Dive?
It’s difficult, but you can do it when you are fin kicks away from the second largest barrier reef in the world. It’s hard, but it can be done when 160 miles of walls, sloping reefs, and lagoons surround you. It’s tough, but the task is made easier when 500 species of fish, invertebrates, turtles, dolphins, manatees, and 60 species of...
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