Thankfully, today, the pirates are long gone. Back in the real world, the atoll was once roamed by pirates, and the infamous pirate Blackbeard used to patrol these waters in search of ships to plunder, using the islands as cover when launching attacks. Turneffe has been slated to be the real-life inspiration for the far-flung fictional paradise of ‘Neverland’, and even the source of the Fountain of Youth - a conclusion that any visitor would struggle to dispute. Turneffe is one of the most visually spectacular of Belize’s reefs, but the atoll also boasts an interesting history and strong connection to legend. Many of the lodges in Turneffe Atoll offer both exceptional fishing managed in a sustainable way, helping to preserve the natural environment of this beautiful part of Belize.Ībout Turneffe Atoll, Lighthouse Reef and Great Blue Hole.Turneffe Atoll’s central lagoon is a spectacular place to watch the sun rise and spot crocodiles gliding sleepily across the surface of the water.Visibility can reduce during March and April when strong winds can stir up sediment, and again between July through September when the warm weather increases plankton and algae blooms.Explore the many swim-throughs and holes covered in hard corals that punctuate the wall while barracuda, grouper and the namesake tarpon glide beside you. Tarpon Caves is one of Half Moon Caye’s most popular dive sites, featuring a vertical tunnel that runs from 12-metres down to almost 30-metres deep. In the south of Lighthouse Reef, the Half Moon Caye Natural Monument offers yet more spectacular underwater scenery, with garden eels, sea hares, torpedo rays, blue parrotfish and fantail blennies. While marine life here is scarce, the Great Blue Hole is considered a bucket-list dive for many, offering dramatic scenery and a unique feeling of sensory deprivation. The marquee dive site of Lighthouse Reef is the Great Blue Hole, a huge spherical sinkhole in the centre of the reef that reaches a depth of 125-metres. Diving the Great Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef Ascend to the top of the wall and over the lip onto the reef for a chance to find the endemic whitespotted toadfish. Dogtooth and red snapper, Nassau and black grouper can also be found gathering within the recesses, while eagle rays and blacktip sharks slide past in the depths. Chinaman’s Wall is one of the best wall dives in the region, adorned with yellow tube sponges, sea fans, and goldentail morays watching on from the crevices. Dramatic drop-offs and turbulent topography provide the perfect backdrop for schooling grey and mahogany snapper, permits, and jacks of all varieties, as well as groups of eagle rays and huge goliath groupers. Located at the southernmost tip of the atoll, The Elbow is an absolute must for any serious diver. The atoll’s western edge offers many shallow reefs for novice divers, but the east and southern sides are where the real action lies. And, many of the dive sites are favoured by spawning reef fish, meaning the biodiversity and overall spectacle can be genuinely astonishing. The atoll’s thick mangrove forests, shallow sheltered lagoons and nutrient-rich waters play host to all manner of marine life, from reef and nurse sharks to dolphins, manatees, and the endemic whitespotted toadfish. Turneffe Atoll is considered to offer some of the best resort-based diving in Belize. Turtles, eagle rays and large reef fish are the most common marine life, but almost anything can make an appearance here - including Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks and hammerheads, as well as dolphins and even manatees. Turneffe Atoll and Lighthouse Reef are arguably Belize’s best known diving destinations, and the location of the country’s most easterly offshore sites.
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