Turneffe Flats
Registered
Summer & Fall Short Notice Dive Special
2 Divers for the Price of 1
August 16 - September 20
2 For 1 Partial Week Dive Specials
July 26 - 30 (4 Nights / 3 Days)
August 5 - 9 (4 Nights / 3 Days)
Please contact our Reservations Desk directly with any requests: Call (888) 512-8812 or e-mail reservations@tflats.com
DIVE REPORT
22 27 June, 2014
Air Temperatures Mid 80s
Water Temperature 82F
Easterly winds continued blowing for the week ranging from 15 to 20 and 25 knots, with skies remaining mostly sunny. Divemaster Denroy, and Dive Instructor Anne-Marie were dive guides for the week, with Carlton (AKA Capt), as Boat Captain. Among the visiting divers, there was a young lady who decided to take the plunge and go for her Junior Advanced Open Water Certification with Anne-Marie.
Persistently strong easterly winds prevented any diving on the east side of the atoll. Wave heights ranging from 6 to 8 feet precipitated close outs for trips to Blue Hole & Lighthouse Reef, and The Elbow. Nonetheless, divers found plenty of exquisite diving in the leeward side of the weather on the western side of the atoll. As is the usual, we started out at Creekozene and Black Pearl, doing our three dives of the day in this area. We had excellent visibility at 80 to 100 feet showing up sightings of Hawksbill Turtles, and smaller critters like Pipefish, and Pygmy Filefish.
The following day we chose Terrace, Chasbows Corner, and Elkins Bay for our dives with more great visibility of 70 to 80 feet, and more sightings of Hawksbill Turtles making their entrance on all three dives, as well as Spotted Eagle and Southern Sting Rays added to the list.
On Tuesday, we visited Amberhead, Lobster Bay, and Pine Ridge with 70 feet of visibility offered at all three locations. Soon after beginning the dive at Lobster Bay, divers came across a positively huge light gray Whiptail Ray that must have been at least 5 feet across, and seemed totally unperturbed by the presence of divers gawking from a safe distance. During the dive at Amberhead, the Underwater Naturalist dive was chosen by our young student. While diving these sites routinely, one can forget the sheer volume of species to be found here at Turneffe, until one starts an identification process like the one done for Underwater Naturalist. And then, you are only scratching the surface.
Wednesdays diving dished up more Hawksbill Turtle and Spotted Eagle Ray sightings at Mandys Dandy and Mollys Folly in the northwest, with 80 feet of visibility. The night dive was also fruitful with two Octopus sightings, one being very small and only showing its two knobby green eyes before disappearing into a crack. A small group of Caribbean Reef Squid were also seen hovering in place and watching divers' lights warily.
Our fifth day of diving on Thursday had us visiting Tarpon Bay to the southwest, Elgenes Inn, and Camel Hump. As the tide was going out for the first part of the day accompanied by heavy easterly winds, our visibility was reduced to 60 feet for the first two dives, and then improved to 70 feet for dive three. At Elgenes Inn divers came across a few stands of soft coral Sea Plumes growing in the sand bed there. Upon close inspection, divers noticed a few minute creatures darting from branch to branch on the Sea Plume. A closer look with a magnifying glass, looking through the smaller high-power lens on it, divers found the darting dots were beige-coloured Sea Plume Shrimp barely over a millimeter in length. It is so heart-warming to find these brilliant tiny creatures living in relative abundance on these corals, and is a sure sign of the health of these incredible reef systems here.
On our sixth and last day of diving for the week, we visited Snake Point, Lost Anchor, and Elgenes Inn again. Divers found the same terrific visibility at these sites that they had been finding all week, clocking 70 feet. In addition, they spotted two 4-foot King Fish swimming hurriedly by off the wall, a Great Barracuda of the same size hovering over a reef head, and yet another Spotted Eagle Ray. Not a bad way to end a windy week of diving.
2 Divers for the Price of 1
August 16 - September 20
2 For 1 Partial Week Dive Specials
July 26 - 30 (4 Nights / 3 Days)
August 5 - 9 (4 Nights / 3 Days)
Please contact our Reservations Desk directly with any requests: Call (888) 512-8812 or e-mail reservations@tflats.com
DIVE REPORT
22 27 June, 2014
Air Temperatures Mid 80s
Water Temperature 82F
Easterly winds continued blowing for the week ranging from 15 to 20 and 25 knots, with skies remaining mostly sunny. Divemaster Denroy, and Dive Instructor Anne-Marie were dive guides for the week, with Carlton (AKA Capt), as Boat Captain. Among the visiting divers, there was a young lady who decided to take the plunge and go for her Junior Advanced Open Water Certification with Anne-Marie.
Persistently strong easterly winds prevented any diving on the east side of the atoll. Wave heights ranging from 6 to 8 feet precipitated close outs for trips to Blue Hole & Lighthouse Reef, and The Elbow. Nonetheless, divers found plenty of exquisite diving in the leeward side of the weather on the western side of the atoll. As is the usual, we started out at Creekozene and Black Pearl, doing our three dives of the day in this area. We had excellent visibility at 80 to 100 feet showing up sightings of Hawksbill Turtles, and smaller critters like Pipefish, and Pygmy Filefish.
The following day we chose Terrace, Chasbows Corner, and Elkins Bay for our dives with more great visibility of 70 to 80 feet, and more sightings of Hawksbill Turtles making their entrance on all three dives, as well as Spotted Eagle and Southern Sting Rays added to the list.
On Tuesday, we visited Amberhead, Lobster Bay, and Pine Ridge with 70 feet of visibility offered at all three locations. Soon after beginning the dive at Lobster Bay, divers came across a positively huge light gray Whiptail Ray that must have been at least 5 feet across, and seemed totally unperturbed by the presence of divers gawking from a safe distance. During the dive at Amberhead, the Underwater Naturalist dive was chosen by our young student. While diving these sites routinely, one can forget the sheer volume of species to be found here at Turneffe, until one starts an identification process like the one done for Underwater Naturalist. And then, you are only scratching the surface.
Wednesdays diving dished up more Hawksbill Turtle and Spotted Eagle Ray sightings at Mandys Dandy and Mollys Folly in the northwest, with 80 feet of visibility. The night dive was also fruitful with two Octopus sightings, one being very small and only showing its two knobby green eyes before disappearing into a crack. A small group of Caribbean Reef Squid were also seen hovering in place and watching divers' lights warily.
Our fifth day of diving on Thursday had us visiting Tarpon Bay to the southwest, Elgenes Inn, and Camel Hump. As the tide was going out for the first part of the day accompanied by heavy easterly winds, our visibility was reduced to 60 feet for the first two dives, and then improved to 70 feet for dive three. At Elgenes Inn divers came across a few stands of soft coral Sea Plumes growing in the sand bed there. Upon close inspection, divers noticed a few minute creatures darting from branch to branch on the Sea Plume. A closer look with a magnifying glass, looking through the smaller high-power lens on it, divers found the darting dots were beige-coloured Sea Plume Shrimp barely over a millimeter in length. It is so heart-warming to find these brilliant tiny creatures living in relative abundance on these corals, and is a sure sign of the health of these incredible reef systems here.
On our sixth and last day of diving for the week, we visited Snake Point, Lost Anchor, and Elgenes Inn again. Divers found the same terrific visibility at these sites that they had been finding all week, clocking 70 feet. In addition, they spotted two 4-foot King Fish swimming hurriedly by off the wall, a Great Barracuda of the same size hovering over a reef head, and yet another Spotted Eagle Ray. Not a bad way to end a windy week of diving.
