Caye Bokel, Turneffe Atoll, Belize

The Elbow

The Elbow marks the southernmost tip of Turneffe Atoll, where the reef bends sharply from the eastern wall to the western face and converging currents from the Cayman Trench sweep the corner. The site is the most famous dive in Turneffe and one of Belize's classic drift dives. The reef top starts around 12 metres and the wall plunges past 600 metres. Big black gorgonians, large barrel sponges, deep-water sea fans, plate corals and pillar coral colonies decorate the drop-off. The site is best known for schools of eagle rays, sometimes 12 to 20 individuals at a time, that hover in the current at the corner. Caribbean reef sharks, blacktips, big jacks, mutton snapper, cubera snapper and large groupers also frequent the site. Currents at the Elbow are routinely strong and unpredictable, so dives are run as negative-entry drifts with surface marker buoys mandatory. Visibility is usually 25 to 40 metres. Reserved for advanced divers comfortable in current and able to manage rapid depth changes; a typical visit by liveaboard or by long day trip from Belize City.