Dive Review of Turneffe Island Resort in
Belize

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Turneffe Island Resort: "No Place Like Turneffe Island", Mar, 2021, by Jeffrey D Hubbard MD, NY, US ( Top Contributor 32 reports with 17 Helpful votes). Report 11563 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Turneffe Island Resort was closed for several months in the pandemic, and the success of their countermeasures is shown by not having had a single case of COVID-19 among guests or staff. The measures are extensive (set out in detail on website) and as nonintrusive as possible. For example: staff doesn’t enter guest rooms while guests are there; no buffet meals; dining tables are one-party only (though they permit guests to rearrange!) Belize has put in place a system to screen arriving people (which, when we were there, was air only; land borders closed.) It’s well organized and requires COVID-19 negative test. Your airline will give you all the details. Passage though the airport seemed faster than usual, partly because many employees are paying attention. This was our 5th visit to TIR and the way we chose to break a 14-month diving hiatus. Diving is scheduled, 2 or 3 a day (1 night dive), total of 15/week (no diving on arrival or departure day.) No head or cover on boats, but they return to Resort for surface intervals, rarely more than a 15 minute run. Divemaster Brad, of limitless knowledge and love of the sea and its animals, always finds something of interest, from marlin, to the smallest arrow blennie, to the largest manatee. Well, actually the manatee found us, and made itself a fifth member of our dive group for about 5 minutes. Dives are guided, not herded, with no arbitrary limits or nagging. One of us wore 3-mil wetsuit + a vest, the other a Lavacore skin. Nitrox is available, but not necessary for 2-3 dives/day. We exceeded 80 ft depth only 3 times, 2 of them in the Blue Hole (133 ft.) We like the Hole (having dived it many times) but the real attraction is that the all-day Blue Hole trip includes dives on Long Cay Wall and Halfmoon Wall, among the best dives of the week. Hole trip is on one of the larger boats, with cover, head and comfortable seats; picnic lunch on Halfmoon Cay. We needed a negative COVID-19 test to enter US coming back. The Resort had everything lined up: the ever-efficient Valdemar met us at the return boat from the Island, marched us off to be tested, and three-quarters of an hour later was driving us to the airport, test reports in hand. The food is excellent. The Belizean cook makes Belizean recipes, natch, many of which are spicy-hot to our norteamericano tastes. Our server, kind and friendly Reynalda, advised us on choices of entréés and gave other assistance in minimizing the spicy. They are meticulous about food allergies. We have dived at several dozen Caribbean & Bahamian resorts, as well as other parts of the world, and liked almost all of them. Turneffe Island Resort is special – dive operation and hospitality side are equally excellent. Divers from all over the world come here (fisherfolk and snorkelers too, the Resort’s other activities.) Our next visit is December, 2021. Four months, but who’s counting? [None]
Websites	Turneffe Island Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Fernando de Noronha (Brasil), Australia, Fiji, PNG, Micronesia, Hawai'i
Closest Airport	BZE	Getting There	Delta through Atlanta. As good as always. US Immigration has added about 2 miles walk to incoming Atlanta immigration and NO Trusted Traveler rapid access - just because they can. Get a wheelchair (have to order in advance w airline @ check-in at origin) if you need one. They may have gone back to normal by now, but of course there's no way to know about any given day.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy, no currents
Water Temp	81-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	3 min safety stop. Stay in sight of leader, no arbitrary time or depth limits except in the Hole. Under boat w 500 psi.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Subscriber's Comments

By Mark Rappaport in NY, US at Aug 03, 2021 08:54 EST

Hi Jeff! Glad you’re still at it, Mark

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Dive Review of Turneffe Island Resort in Belize

Turneffe Island Resort: "No Place Like Turneffe Island", Mar, 2021,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Turneffe Island Resort in
Belize