The Aquarium

The Aquarium is a shallow reef dive site located at the southern end of Turneffe Atoll, Belize, directly accessible from the adjacent resort shore. Its name comes from its resemblance to a household aquarium — clean, tidy, and filled with a dense variety of small corals and reef fish. The maximum depth is 12 feet (3.6 m), making it a natural choice for the last dive of the day. Coral heads and outcrops begin at 35 feet (11 m) and extend down to 60 feet (18 m), with mountainous star coral as the dominant formation. Throughout the site, numerous tunnels, arches, nooks, and swim-throughs add structural interest to the dive, and the conditions make it well suited to underwater photography.

The Aquarium is well suited to novice and beginner divers given its shallow maximum depth and calm, peaceful character. The reef holds a broad variety of small reef fish, with almost every variety of grunt represented, alongside parrotfish, shrimp, sergeant major, and pintano. Larger species including grouper, large black groupers, Caribbean reef sharks, and sea turtles are also present. The structure supports gorgonians, elephant ear sponges, yellow tube sponges, azure vase sponges, deep-water lace coral, and black coral.