We were looking for a great fishing and snorkle vacation. This is a wonderful spot out of Belize City. Beautiful and remote. There is no nightlife, no open markets, no traffic (unless you count the golf cart the resort uses to transport your luggage), & no crime.

The food was awesome, the the kitchen was great about cooking what we caught and packing yummy lunches for those days we didn't want to take a break from fishing. We planned on a getting in a bunch of hammock time, but always seemed to be fishing or eating.

There doesn't seem to be many guests coming to Blackbird to fish. It is mostly diving and snorkeling, so the guide is a guest guide. In our case it was Bert.. Bert is a local and a fish guru. He was very knowledgeable, which is a good thing because the boat and equipment would be my only complaint of this resort.

We fished off a dive panga so the poles were VERY difficult and dangerous to get out of the holders. The back of the boat was set up for divers, and there was no safety equipment but for life vests, which I checked for before we left port the first day. No radio, no electronics, or flares, etc.

The cabanas were very cute and very comfortable. The resort is charming and clean. The staff is friendly and accomodating. We caught many fish and ate the grouper, wahoo and conch we collected. Oh, So yummy. We ate better on this vaction than any other.

For a fishing trip I would advise that you ask many questions about gear that you may want to bring, and be very clear about the boat and equipment you'll be using.

For the price, this is a fabulous vacation. Lodging, awesome food, and a boat and guide for 6 days, can't beat it.

We did stay 2 nights at The Great House in Belize City. Probably the only place I would recomend in town. They have a great restauant as well, the Smokey Mermaid. Don't stay in Belize City, get out to the Islands.

My wife and I stayed here for 3 nights in early April, as she's not that into diving. The cabana we had was, well, huge (other guests expressed their surprise at the size of the cabanas too). Two queen (maybe double) beds, lots of windows, etc. Lots of fresh water since they run a desalinater, and I think 24hr power. Near the boats was a rinsing station and rods on which to hang wetsuits and gear. Meals were in a large building that included a place to get soft drinks, beer, wine and drinks, all on the honor system. Happy hour snacks and drinks were provided in another building at the water's edge.

Most diving was a 10-30 min boat ride to the outside of the (Turneffe) atoll. The best dive was to the "Elbow" which is the southern tip of the atoll (1 hr trip each way). Large schools of fish, turtles, moray eels out and about, etc. This is a rich site because it is at the intersection of currents, but the currents were fine for some easy drift diving. In general, diving featured lots of sponges, nice selection of fish (with a few reef&nurse sharks) and in general a very healthy reef.

Kayaks are also available for cruising inside the reef, a great early start to a day of diving.

We had about 9 couples in the resort, probably about 1/3 their capacity. Their boat provides for free transfers to/from Belize City only 2 days of the week (Wed and Sat?). They also have an airstrip for charter flights. Staff were just great - helpful, knowledgeable and very friendly. They mentioned they run another resort on Glover's Caye, far south (undergoing remodeling), which will probably be our next trip to Belize - more whale shark diving in Placencia and reef diving at Glover's (if I can talk my wife into it).

We stayed at the research station down the beach 2 years ago and we would see the boats coming and going all day. One night we went down the beach to their palapa for drinks. WOW! We fell in love with Kenny and Miss Kitty and the feel of the resort that night. They were friendly and attentive and we were not even guests. We vowed next time, we would stay there. And we were not disappointed! The diving was relaxed, although we did complete 17 dives in 6 days. Because the dive sites are 10 minutes from the island, there is a relaxed, but scheduled day posted each morning on the white board. Joe, our divemaster, was very aware of everyone's position, diving ability, and bottom time. He ALWAYS did a safety stop and made each of his divers do it, too. He suggested to ascend at an angle so that we didn't lose any of the u/w view. Junior, our boat captain, was right there to pick us up upon surfacing, we never had to look for him. The day trip to the Bluehole and Lighthouse reef and Booby preserve was outstanding! We had cheeseburgers (and barbecued chicken) in paradise during our surface interval. The diving was terrific!! Wish we could go back every year! The resort experience was just "as advertised", we are fully satisfied with the food, which was delicious and plentiful, the cabanas were spacious, clean, and air conditioned, and the 5:00 volleyball game is a great way to interact with the other guests not on your dive boat and the other nondiving resort staff. They really know how to play ball! There was 3 dive boats and a snorkle boat, and we seemed to be divided by skill level. All the boats were clean and well maintained. We always got a pre-dive briefing and an animal alert for the dive. In conclusion, I only have one recommendation for the whole dive operation. Maybe add a few 100 c.i. tanks for those of us who suck our tanks down too quickly to spend the whole dive with our more air-conserving family members!! Day rentals for u/w video or still photos would be a great asset, too.

Blackbird has the potential to be a five star experience. I don't recommend against it, and I even endorse it for hard core divers, but be aware of its limitations.

The points in its favor are many. The location, way out on Turneffe Atoll (far past the barrier reef) puts you on low-traffic islands and reefs with plenty of healthy life. Boat trips to the dive sites were often less than five minutes (really) and the famous Blue Hole was only a bit over an hour away - that's a huge advantage over staying on Ambergris Caye. We saw dolphins, eagle rays, octopi, and strangely what looked like a manta ray (that one, unfortunately, only from the boat) all over. The diving was first class. The rooms were all one-room, spacious beach cabanas that were adequately appointed, kept the bugs out, had nice bathrooms, and had air conditioning that worked. They were spaced far enough apart to afford privacy, but not so far that walking to the main house for meals would be a chore. The setting is picturesque enough (it's basically a desert island - no lush flora) and there were plenty of big iguanas to follow around and a crocodile that visits at night. The food was plentiful and about a 7 on a scale of ten -- not fantastic, but enough to look forward to. Drinks were cheerfully supplied and reasonably priced -- important, since once you are on the island, they have you captive and could charge whatever they wanted.

The demerits are also significant. There's nothing to do but dive, so nondivers don't come -- if you aren't a hard core diver, you may feel out of place. No one there with us had fewer than 100 dives and most had more than 500 or had stopped counting. They supply all necessary gear if you ask, but their gear (particularly the BCs) is no-name, featureless, and worn out -- again, most people bring all their own stuff to this place. If you don't have a dive computer, you should call ahead and inquire whether they'll have a spare (but really, get your own). The boats are tired looking and one had engine trouble on us, making for a very slow trip. The dive master was quite experienced but did not make any attempt to police terrible behavior by his divers, except on the Blue Hole trip (when, to his credit, he cracked down -- that place could be dangerous). And it's a little thing, but they were very late with the boat out to the island from Belize City.

If you are a PADI gonzo with your own gear and not too much concern about being pampered, which describes us, this will be a great place for you, since the ease of diving here is amazing. Some folks were doing six dives a day all week, and the resort was happy to take them. If you need a little more tlc, this won't do it for you.

If these folks fix up their boats, replace their rental equipment, and give a little lecture to their dive operators about running a tight ship, they could deserve the praise that PADI's magazine gives them -- I just don't think they are quite there yet, and the broken-down boats are a big part of that. I got the impression that they were a little short of funds for repairs, which doesn't make any sense (the place is pricey), but that's the impression.

Of the 20 or so guests (full house) when we were there, the happiness of the guest was exactly proportional to the number of lifetime dives. Psycho diver = fully satisfied, casual diver = pretty disappointed. Figure out which one you are, then make your choice.