TIR vs Turneffe Flats?

[Swelbo1]

What's y'all's recommendation between the two resorts and differences? Thanks

 

[ibj40]

I've only been to the Flats, so my opinion's accordingly, but you will experience a greater variety of diving from the Flats, due to their location on the island. That said, Flats is a smaller resort, and caters primarily to the fishing crowd, so your interaction with other divers may be limited. When my wife and I were there several years ago, we were the only two divers for the entire week, but that did not limit the number of dives or days of diving, including going to the Blue Hole (with two snorkelers on their big boat).

 

[Swelbo1]

I've only been to the Flats, so my opinion's accordingly, but you will experience a greater variety of diving from the Flats, due to their location on the island. That said, Flats is a smaller resort, and caters primarily to the fishing crowd, so your interaction with other divers may be limited. When my wife and I were there several years ago, we were the only two divers for the entire week, but that did not limit the number of dives or days of diving, including going to the Blue Hole (with two snorkelers on their big boat).

Are the sites that The Flats goes to better sites? We have been to placencia for the past 5 years and have done the Blue Hole numerous times, so that is no big deal anymore even though we enjoy that dive.

It it looks like the flats are full up for the last week of July. So I guess TIR is going to be the choice. Unless there are better options out there?

 

[Downing]

I think TF is trying to increase the number of divers that that choose to stay there. They upgraded their website a few years ago to include a lot more diving info. Just recently, they started well-written and detailed reports here on SB.

There's a third choice out on the atoll: Blackbird Caye Resort. There was a glowing trip report on it here a few months ago.

There might even be another resort out there. There was some major construction underway on one of the nearby cayes a couple of years ago, and the TIR staff said they heard it was going to be an eco-resort. I've never heard anything about it since, though.

All three resorts, TF, TIR and BCR, go to the Blue Hole weekly, I believe. They're so close to each other I would think the overall diving would be very similar. TIR is closest to The Elbow, which is another dive site favorite.

Another possibility would be Hatchet Caye Resort but it's further south, not on the atoll. I don't know anything about it, but we've passed by on our way to and from the Silk Cayes and it looks pretty nice.

 

[ibj40]

Are the sites that The Flats goes to better sites? We have been to placencia for the past 5 years and have done the Blue Hole numerous times, so that is no big deal anymore even though we enjoy that dive.

It it looks like the flats are full up for the last week of July. So I guess TIR is going to be the choice. Unless there are better options out there?

There are two sites that stick out in my mind from our trip to the Flats, one is the Terrace; and the other is Hollywood Shallows. The Terrace is on the West side of the atoll, and is a spectacular wall dive that looks over a flat area which must be another 100'+/- deeper than the wall itself. When we dove it, we saw a flight of three Spotted Eagle Rays cruising the bottom below, and I keep that view tucked way inside my memory. Hollywood Shallows is on the East side, but North f the Flats, and was the closest thing I've ever been to diving in an aquarium. Maybe it was the sun angle (it was the third dive of the day) or maybe it's because no one else dives it, but the abundance of sea life, the clarity of the water, and the amount of bottom time (even for a third dive on air) made it just one of those experiences you don't forget. And these were just two of the fifteen or so dives we did with them that week, all of which we equally memorable.