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Day Trips and Dive Sites
The best part about our Belize scuba diving resort? Our proximity to the country’s two favorite dive sites — the Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye National Monument at the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Experience these, and dozens of other locations, on one of Blackbird Caye’s day trips: Our crew will guide you through an impressive day, while prioritizing your safety.
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The Great Blue Hole
Jacques Cousteau named this aquatic sinkhole one of the best dives in the world. It’s about time you saw it yourself.
Quick Facts:
- Distance: Approximately 17 miles
- Depth: 130 feet
- Time: 30 minutes
- Highlights: Stalagmites, stalactites, and sharks
The Great Blue Hole Agenda
This Epic Excursion offers one of the most exciting dives in the world - The Blue Hole Adventure. Dive groups depart Blackbird Caye every Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. This visually stunning - below and above the water adventure takes dive adventurers to some of the most spectacular underwater destinations on the planet: The Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall and The Aquarium. Operating from within the Turneffe Atoll, located 24 miles east of Belize City, Blackbird Caye Resort is situated only one hour by boat from The Blue Hole, which means our guest are able to leave at 8 am from Blackbird Resort and by 9:30 be in the water - that’s fast.
In 1971 Jacques Cousteau, a famous undersea explorer dubbed the Blue Hole as one of the world’s top ten scuba diving sites. This has caused the structure to become very popular among diving enthusiasts. We take our divers to a max depth of 130 feet (40 meters) for around eight minutes to view an astonishing array of marine wildlife and coral in the clearest of waters. The entire dive takes roughly half an hour. Snorkelers are also able to explore the rim of the Blue Hole and will often see grey sharks up to 50 feet (16 meters) below. Once everybody has safely returned to their boat, we then head to Half Moon Caye.
Lighthouse Reef
What the Great Blue Hole provides in mystery, Lighthouse Reef provides in beauty. Explore three exceptional sites along this thriving atoll.
Quick Facts:
- Distance: Approximately 17 miles
- Depth: 50 feet
- Time: 1 hour
- Highlights: Corals, reef fish, and the red-footed boobie
Lighthouse Reef Agenda
After diving the Great Blue Hole, our dive guides will lead you on a scenic journey to Half Moon Caye, an island within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll system. The trip is breath-taking as you Dive to a max depth of 130 feet. The boat glides over 10 ft (3 meters) of crystal-clear turquoise waters in the middle of the ocean. You will catch a glimpse of the red footed boobie, a rare bird that resides on the atoll, the largest nesting site in the world. Not only is Half Moon Caye a World Heritage Site, but the reef hosts a wide range of rare and endangered coral and fish species. Sharks of all shapes and sizes flock from far and wide to feed at this site. Eagle rays and turtles also frequent the area. Once you return to dry land, a hearty barbeque awaits our hungry divers and snorkelers, lovingly prepared by our very own chef. Chicken, burgers, fruits and vegetables are slowly grilled to make sure you don’t go hungry following your underwater exploration.
After a mouth-watering feast, the third and final dive site awaits: The Aquarium, 50 feet below the surface of the Caribbean Sea; living up to its name, the area is alive with schooling fish. The Aquarium dive site is bursting with aquatic life with an abundance of fish from School Master Snappers, Creole Wrasse, Queen Angelfish, Banded Butterflyfish and Honeycomb Trunkfish. Renowned for its crystal clear waters — with visibility up to 80 ft (24 meters) — the site plummets to depths of up to 50 feet (15 meters). The Aquarium is reachable by boat, 13 miles east of Turneffe Atoll, to the northeastern corner of Long Caye. Here at Blackbird, you won’t find a more safety conscious dive crew — as a remote resort our standards are incredibly high. We always go one step further to ensure your safety.
Witconcrete Wreck
The Witconcrete Wreck is located 0.75 miles Northeast of Blackbird Caye. This once operational sugar ship was deployed to her resting place in the Soldier Caye Reserve.
Quick Facts:
- Depth: 60 feet
- Tasa supported Project, one of the largest shipwrecks in the Caribbean
- 35 years of coral growth on the keel of the ship
Dive Sites
Turneffe Atoll is home to over 70 dive sites; read on to discover some of our favorites.
- Silver Caves: Schools of silversides inhabit caves dug into a shallow wall, 20-80 feet below the surface.
- Long Caye Wall: Tunicates, sea slugs, groupers, and jacks all add color to this medium-depth dive.
- Majestic Alley: Staghorn and elkhorn corals — and plenty of tropical fish — can be found on this shallow dive.
- Soldier Caye: Swim amongst pillar corals and moray eels in 30 feet of water.
- Coral Gardens: Maxing out at 30 feet, this sandy ridge features picturesque, healthy coral formations.
- Oasis: Plunge down to 120 feet and snap pictures of black corals and sea sponges.
Dive Sites Agenda
- Turtle Ridge: Great by day, night, and twilight, this medium-depth dive runs along coral ridges from 30 feet until a sheer dropoff at 65 feet.
- Al’s Hideout: Named after its resident goliath grouper, this craggy wall is also home to big barracudas.
- Runway: Cruise along between 40-50 feet, and observe a beautiful display of marine life.
- Blackbird’s Cut: Ranging from 20-70 feet, this dive offers a glimpse at a number of submarine habitats.
- Coliseum: Tall towers of boulder corals form natural pathways to a submerged wall, 60 feet below the surface.
- Stingray’s Motel: Take a pause on this shallow dive to rest among eagle rays, hawksbill turtles, and more.
- Coral Canyon: Dive down to 35 feet, swim among massive coral formations, and try to spot the native fishes, crabs, lobsters, and tarpon.
- Grouper City: Hang out with groupers during this 50-to-70-foot drift dive.
- The Crabwalk: Reaching a maximum depth of 130 feet, this drift dive gives divers a good chance of spotting crabs and horse-eye jack.
- Little Calabash: Tube and barrel sponges and black coral line a spectacular dropoff. See if you can spot the area’s resident loggerhead turtle.
- Chinaman’s Wall: A medium-depth dive packed with hard and soft corals, Chinaman’s Wall is also loaded with cleaning stations.
- Calabash Cut: Tube, and rope sponges — this medium-depth dive as them all.
- CoCo Point: A steep drop leads to garden eel-inhabited sand patches and impressive coral heads.
- West Side Story: This gently-sloping reef is enriched by nearby mangroves, making up for its lack of a wall.
- The Elbow: It may only be available in calm conditions, but this adventure is worth the wait; weather permitting, this drift dive provides an unbeatable look at pelagic life.
