Turneffe Reef Atoll - Turneffe Atoll
Turneffe Reef Atoll, a short boat ride east from Belize City, feels different from its atoll neighbours. Instead of sandy cays, you’ll find a network of mangrove-fringed islands, lagoons, and inlets. This makes it a fantastic nursery, so we often see plenty of juvenile fish darting around the shallows before the reef drops away. The diving here is solid, healthy reef, generally a relaxed drift. Head for The Elbow if you can; it’s known for big schools of schooling fish, a real spectacle when the fusiliers are running thick. It’s a good choice for divers who appreciate the entire reef ecosystem, from the smallest to the largest.
- Location
- Turneffe Atoll, Belize, Central America
- Coordinates
- 17.350000, -87.850000
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Dog Flea Caye, Turneffe Atolls
Best Time to Dive in Turneffe Atoll
The warmest water temperatures in Turneffe Atoll occur in January, averaging 27.4°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.4°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.4°C (air: 25.8°C)
- February: 27.4°C (air: 25.7°C)
- March: 27.4°C (air: 26.5°C)
- April: 27.4°C (air: 27.3°C)
- May: 27.4°C (air: 28.1°C)
- June: 27.4°C (air: 28.4°C)
- July: 27.4°C (air: 28.4°C)
- August: 27.4°C (air: 28.4°C)
- September: 27.4°C (air: 28.4°C)
- October: 27.4°C (air: 27.9°C)
- November: 27.4°C (air: 26.7°C)
- December: 27.4°C (air: 26.0°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Turneffe Atoll
- 126 - 2m (wreck)
- 65 - 1m (wreck)
- Belize Barrier Reef (reef)
- Black Beauty
- Caye Chapel Reef - 30-120 feet (reef)
- Crawl Cay - 5-18m (reef)
- Crickozeen Cut
- Elbow - 20-40m (wall)
- Gallows Point Reef (reef)
- Gallows Point Reef (reef)
- HMS TRIUMVIRATE - 1m (wreck)
- Lindsey's Back Porch - 45 feet
- MIRON L - 42m (wreck)
- Northern Bogue
- Pilican Cay
Nearest Dive Centres to Turneffe Reef Atoll
Marine Life in Turneffe Atoll
Home to 383 recorded species including 318 reef fish, 27 hard corals, 14 sharks & rays, 6 whales & dolphins, 5 other, 2 jellyfish.
Notable Species
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Thin leaf lettuce coral (Agaricia tenuifolia) - Hard Corals
- Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) - Hard Corals
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
- Cola (Ocyurus chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Finger Coral (Porites porites) - Hard Corals
- Grunt (Haemulon plumierii) - Reef Fish
- Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) - Reef Fish
- Grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) - Hard Corals
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Turneffe Reef Atoll
Based on average water temperature of 27.4°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 27°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories