Dive Review of Blackbird Resort/Blackbird Caye Resort in
Belize/Turneffe Atoll-Blackbird Caye

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Blackbird Resort/Blackbird Caye Resort: "“Excellent blend of accommodations, diving & package value", Mar, 2023, by David P. Shirley-PADI MI-37475, MN, US ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 12402 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
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The group of divers that my wife and I led had most travelers departing non-stop from Minneapolis to BZE on Sun Country, while two in our group departed MSP non-stop to BZE on Delta. Our split group was met at BZE for 20-minute van rides to Old Belize with ample time to eat lunch (and for a reasonable cost). Our entire group took the 3:00 p.m. Big Bird boat from Old Belize to BCR, a little over a two-hour ride. Due to Sun Country’s early scheduled return flight on our departure day, the larger group took an 8:00 a.m., 20-minute charter flight on a Maya Island Air prop-plane to BZE. The Maya Air charter was a fun diversion and smoother (drier) than the windy two hour crossing to BCR. Although weather is always an unknown, other same-week travelers that were not with our group opted to take a Maya Air charter flight from Blackbird Caye to BZE, as the seas were still rather rough for portions of the boat trip. With over 25 years of personal experience leading groups of divers, including prior trips to Belize’s Turneffe Atoll, this first trip to the Blackbird Caye Resort (BCR) was a positive adventure on all fronts and BCR should be seriously considered for groups and individuals, regardless of experience level. The resort and dive operations were very well run, while the sincerely pleasant vibe of the staff and overall traveler experience garnered an enthusiastic two thumbs-up. Unlike other Turneffe Atoll resort facilities that also provide fishing packages, BCR is a true Dive Resort with no real fishing operations and as such have kept their dive package prices reasonable, yet still with commendable “valet diving”. Snorkeling, kayaking, and island tours are non-diving options for all quests. Upon arrival, Managers Serena and Shadi provided a thorough orientation, while showing guests to their accommodations with travelers’ luggage waiting at their doors. The water’s edge bar had a pleasant ‘reunion’ surprise of George the bartender, who remembered us from another Turneffe Atoll resort we visited on prior trips. Our Unit 14 ‘Beach Villa’ had just been remodeled, was very spacious, and quite functional for post-dive camera/video output processing and charging. Nice screen porch with seating area, hammock and clothes drying line. The buffet breakfast and lunches had ample selection of quality items, while the daily choice of two dinner items for plate service meals were always good, with excellent plate presentation and attentive table-side service. The late March winds were rather relentless, with a silver-lining of no bug bites or even a need for applying bug juice (best practice is still to bring DEET based products while on the Turneffe Atoll). The resort’s close-site boats (Dolphin & Queen Angel) have been recently updated with pleasantly quiet twin 250 HP Hondas, along with a new Bimini cover for the Queen Angel that our group dove from with Captain Leo at the helm, who has been at BCR on-and-off since 1996. Seasoned Divemaster Ed and younger DM Emanuel “Manny” were attentive and entertaining. Aside from the Blue Hole/Half Moon Caye day-trip on Big Bird, (which includes an island picnic and bird watching tour), divers will typically return to the resort between dives (unless the winds result in conducting dives to the west side of Turneffe). The end-of-the-week 25-minute boat trips to the coveted Elbow dive site (at the south end of the Turneffe Atoll) have a surface interval on a small island with no return to BCR between dives. The BCR operations have methodically developed seamless systems to accommodate weather challenges, (as with our group’s windy week), which includes an alternate dock on the west side of the island to make for a smoother boat ride to Turneffe’s west side dive sites out of the winds. The short trip to the west side dock is via a covered passenger trailer ride pulled by a tractor. The grounds department even has a tractor-pulled weed harvesting machine to help keep the beach area clean (and with reduced organic odors) when the winds are strong from the east. As with prior trips to Belize’s Turneffe Atoll, the reef is still remarkably healthy, the sponges and soft corals are spectacular, while Nurse and Reef Sharks remain “on the payroll” from about 20 years of Lionfish spearing. A threesome of Nurse Sharks (“Bubbles, Cuddles & Snuggles”) at a few of the east side dive sites swim with divers and even lay-down in the sand to have their ‘heads scratched’. As our Divemaster Ed stated “If you do not get good photos/videos of sharks, you need a new camera”. Our group saw sharks, turtles, morays and rays on nearly every dive, including squadrons of Spotted Eagle Rays and a few extremely large Loggerhead Turtles. The Elbow, Playground and Aquarium dive sites had tremendous schools of Horse-Eye Jacks, Blue Tangs, French Grunts, along with the usual (and a few unusual) suspects. French and Grey Angels were huge, as were the Queen Triggers, Scrawled and Orange Spotted Filefish, along with Green Morays. The Trunkfish and Cowfish were some of the largest you will ever see, while the frequent Toadfish sightings were a treat. The only Dolphins our group observed during the week were ‘teasing us’ by jumping just north of the resort, always when we were not in/on the water. A big shout-out to the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association, (TASA), which is doing an excellent job of monitoring and enforcing the now (since 2012) protected Turneffe Marine Reserve. One evening a week, TASA staff does a presentation at BCR, with a nice rash-guard provided for a non-specified “donation”. This proactive group is very forward thinking and worthy of significant support from the dive community and others.
Websites	Blackbird Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Fifty-two years of diving (35 years as an instructor) with numerous Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, Indonesia, etc. destinations; along with extensive fresh-water (including Ice Diving).
Closest Airport	BZE	Getting There	Easy access with most of our group flying non-stop from Minneapolis to BZE on Sun Country, while two in our group departed MSP non-stop to BZE on Delta. Met at BZE for 20-minute van rides to Old Belize with ample time to eat lunch with the full group taking the 3:00 p.m. Big Bird just over two-hour boat ride from Old Belize to BCR. An early Sun Country scheduled return flight had most of the group taking an 8:00 a.m., 20-minute charter flight on a Maya Island Air prop-plane to BZE.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	choppy, no currents
Water Temp	79-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Typically 80' max and one hour. Blue Hole dives required AOW and pre-trip orientation deep dive both with use of air.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	The boats had large tubs for cameras with separate tubs for masks. Guests had no camera stations so charging, etc. needed to be conducted in individual guest rooms. This was not a hardship. Have not yet looked at the output from others in our group however; everyone seemed pleased with available subject matter.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Blackbird Resort/Blackbird Caye Resort in Belize/Turneffe Atoll-Blackbird Caye

Blackbird Resort/Blackbird Caye Resort: "“Excellent blend of accommodations, diving & package value", Mar, 2023,

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):

Dive Review of Blackbird Resort/Blackbird Caye Resort in
Belize/Turneffe Atoll-Blackbird Caye