Your Invitation to Go Farther
For many divers, the Great Blue Hole is what first puts Belize on the list. But the experience of diving here reaches far beyond a single iconic site.
Wild Blue Stillness brings a small group of women offshore to Turneffe Atoll, where coral reefs, mangroves, lagoons, and open Caribbean water create an entire world shaped by the sea.
This is a chance to travel farther from the ordinary and share the experience with women who understand the pull of the ocean. Remarkable diving, oceanfront island living, yoga, breathwork, and mobility are thoughtfully woven around a dive-forward week, with space for connection and room to have your own experience.
This is one of the very first Portal Mindful Retreats journeys. You would be joining a small, founding group helping shape what this becomes — the kind of experience that comes from being among the first, not just along for the ride.
Why This Retreat Can Change the Way You Travel
A MORE SUPPORTED WAY TO EXPERIENCE A DIVE-INTENSIVE WEEK
A full week of diving can be exhilarating, but the physical demands can add up through the shoulders, back, hips, calves, balance, and overall energy.
That is why breathwork, mobility, and restorative yoga are woven around the dive schedule. These practices help you prepare for the day, release tension afterward, and stay present for the experience rather than simply pushing through it.
You still get the adventure you came for, with more thoughtful support for your body along the way. The goal is simple: to help the week feel better as you move through it.
What Scuba + Yoga Actually Do Together
This combination is intentional. Yoga is not an unrelated wellness add-on. It is designed to support the physical and mental demands of diving.
Breathwork
Breathwork helps you notice tension, slow down, and develop a steadier relationship with your breathing both above and below the surface. These practices can also help you feel more present before a dive and settle more fully afterward.
Mobility & Balance
Mobility practices focus on the areas diving asks the most of, including the shoulders, spine, hips, hamstrings, and calves. We will also incorporate balance and stability work to support confident movement as we age, both in daily life and on a moving boat.
Restorative Yoga
Gentle post-dive and evening practices help release tension that can build through the shoulders, back, hips, and legs over consecutive dive days. The slower pace gives the body and nervous system time to settle, rest, and feel ready for the next day.
Thoughtfully Designed So You Don’t Have to Piece It Together
From the moment you arrive, you can exhale.
You are welcomed into a small group of women who came for the same reason you did: to dive somewhere extraordinary, care for their bodies, and experience the ocean without rushing through it.
The week has a natural rhythm. You wake up beside the reef, spend remarkable days in the water, move and stretch in ways that help your body feel good, share meals and stories, and still have space to be quiet when you need it.
You do not have to wonder what comes next or whether you are missing something. You can simply be there: present in the water, comfortable in the group, and free to enjoy the kind of adventure that feels both exhilarating and deeply restorative.
Everything has been thoughtfully brought together so you can stop managing the trip and start living it.
Meet Your Host
I can't wait to meet you!
What You Carry Home
You will leave with more than photos and a fuller dive log.
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Memories of a week immersed in the reefs and open Caribbean waters of Turneffe Atoll
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Renewed confidence in your ability to keep saying yes to ambitious ocean adventures
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Breathwork, mobility, balance, and restorative practices you can use on future dive trips
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New connections with women who understand the pull of the ocean and why this kind of travel matters
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The satisfaction of having gone somewhere remote, experienced it fully, and returned home exhilarated, refreshed, and ready for more
Is This Experience for You?
This retreat may be a great fit if you:
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Are a certified diver who wants a dive-forward week in one of Belize’s most distinctive marine environments
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Are anywhere from your 40s to 60s and beyond, and want a travel style that supports your body for decades of diving ahead.
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Love full days in the water but appreciate knowing it is always fine to sit out a dive when your body asks for rest
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Want to keep diving comfortably, confidently, and joyfully for years to come
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See breathwork, mobility, balance, and restorative yoga as practical ways to support your body through repeated dive days
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Feel drawn to remote places where the reef, weather, and island shape the rhythm of the week
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Would enjoy sharing the experience with a small group of women who understand the pull of the ocean
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Value natural connection without constant group activity or forced bonding
This retreat may not be the best fit if you:
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Prefer a town-based stay with restaurants and shopping
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Want a party-focused or nightlife-centered trip
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Are a smoker. Blackbird Caye is a non-smoking property
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Look to build your own trip and set your own schedule
About This Diving Destination
Turneffe Atoll Beneath the Surface
Turneffe Atoll is a living mosaic of coral reef, mangrove forest, seagrass beds, lagoons, and open Caribbean water. Beneath the surface, that diversity becomes a changing underwater landscape of coral-covered walls, shallow gardens, ridges, caves, channels, and dramatic drop-offs into the blue.
With more than 70 dive sites around the atoll, the week can move from silverside-filled caves and coral canyons to sponge-covered walls, sandy patches, wrecks, and gentle reef slopes. Signature sites such as Silver Caves, Turtle Ridge, Coral Gardens, the Witconcrete Wreck, and The Elbow each reveal a different side of Turneffe.
Marine Life, Large and Small
Depending on the site and conditions, we may encounter turtles, eagle rays, sharks, moray eels, groupers, barracuda, jacks, tarpon, lobsters, crabs, sea slugs, and the schools of tropical fish that bring the reef to life.
Some dives are about the scale of a wall disappearing into blue water. Others are about the quiet thrill of finding a perfectly camouflaged creature tucked into the reef. That variety gives every day in the water its own character.
Belize’s Iconic Dive Sites
One of the gifts of staying on the atoll is the chance to explore Turneffe in depth rather than experience it as a single day trip.
A full-day adventure takes us beyond Turneffe to Lighthouse Reef Atoll for three of Belize’s best-known dives: the Great Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Wall, and the Aquarium. The Blue Hole offers a completely different underwater experience among immense geological formations, while Half Moon Caye Wall and the Aquarium return us to vibrant reef diving with corals, schooling fish, rays, turtles, and the possibility of sharks.
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Your Home Base in Belize:
Blackbird Caye Resort
Blackbird Caye is a small, remote island resort with oceanfront, air-conditioned accommodations designed for people who come to spend their days in and around the water.
Depending on category, rooms include a private or shared porch, hammock, private bathroom, sitting area, coffee setup, and views of the Caribbean. Private accommodations are prioritized for solo travelers.
Shared occupancy is available only to two women booking together. We do not match roommates.
The resort provides three meals each day: buffet-style breakfast and lunch, followed by a three-course dinner with a choice of entrées. Coffee, tea, and juices are included. Bar drinks are available separately.
Between dives, guests can enjoy the oceanside pool, kayaks, paddleboards, hammocks, or simply the quiet of the island. Wi-Fi is available in the lounge, but this is a place where stepping away from constant connectivity comes naturally.
If you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know when booking. We’ll do our best to communicate your needs with the resort in advance and help make sure you’re well taken care of throughout the week.
Early Bird Pricing
Early Bird rates are available with a $500 deposit received by September 15, 2026.
The rates below are per person and vary by cabana category and occupancy.
All accommodations are subject to availability.
Cabana Types
All cabanas are air-conditioned and have private bathrooms with showers, in-room safes, and coffee pots.
Beach Villa
The newest villas on the Caye offer comfort and space, with full views of the stunning Caribbean Sea. One King-size or two Queen beds, in-room safe, coffee pot, mini-fridge, and private seating area.
EARLY BIRD RATES FOR DIVERS - Through Sep 15
Private: $5,350
Shared: $4,750 per person
Deluxe Cabana
Set within foliage and flowers, steps away from the Caribbean Sea. King-size bed, living room and dinette area, with a private porch and hammock.
EARLY BIRD RATES FOR DIVERS - Through Sep 15
Private: $5,050
Shared: $4,450 per person
Superior Cabana
The coral reef is just steps away. One King-size bed or two Queen beds, sitting area, coffee pot, mini-fridge, and private porch and hammock.
EARLY BIRD RATES FOR DIVERS - Through Sep 15
Private: $4,950
Shared: $4,350 per person
Triplex Cabana
These private rooms open onto a shared porch. One room with one King-size bed and one Queen-size bed, two rooms with two Queen-size beds.
EARLY BIRD RATES FOR DIVERS - Through Sep 15
Private: $4,650
Shared: $4,050 per person
Certified Divers Package Includes
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Seven nights in an oceanfront, air-conditioned cabana
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Saturday ground and boat transfers between Belize City and Blackbird Caye
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Three meals per day, plus coffee, tea, and juices
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Three dives per day
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Great Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, and Aquarium excursion, weather permitting
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Valet dive service — our crew handles tank and weight setup between dives, so you're geared up and ready to go
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Daily yoga, breathwork, mobility, balance work, and restorative movement
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Dedicated yoga instructor
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Small hosted group of 10–12 women
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Complimentary use of kayaks and paddleboards
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Required Belize marine park and tourism fees
Advanced Open Water certification is required to dive the Great Blue Hole. We will review your certification and experience during the pre-booking conversation.
Has it been over one year since your last dive? You may need to get a refresher course. Just let us know when you reserve your spot, and we can assist.
Not Included
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International airfare to and from the retreat destination
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Travel insurance (required)
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Diver accident insurance (required)
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Scuba or snorkel equipment rental
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Nitrox
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Bar drinks
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Gratuities for resort, restaurant, dive, and boat staff
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Dive courses, refresher sessions, or certification upgrades
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Private air-charter transfers or transfers outside the included Saturday schedule
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Optional activities outside the retreat package
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Personal expenses
Gear Rental Pricing
Nitrox $90/week
BCD $15/day or $90/week
Regulator $15/day or $90/week
Wetsuit $15/day or $90/week
Mask/fin/snorkel set $15/day or $90/week
Dive Computer $20/day or $120/week (required for your safety)
Retreat Flow
Day 1 — Saturday Arrival
→ Arrive at Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City (before 1:30 pm)
→ Meet the Blackbird Caye transfer team
→ Ground transfer to the boat departure point
3:00 pm — Boat transfer to Turneffe Atoll
→ Resort arrival and check-in
5:30 pm — Appetizers at the Palapa Bar / Group welcome and orientation
6:30 pm — Three-course dinner
8:30 pm — Optional evening wind-down practice
Days 2–7 — Diving, Island Time, and Mindful Movement
6:30 am — Optional breathwork and gentle stretching
7:00 am — Breakfast buffet
8:30 am — First morning dive
10:00 am — Self-serve snacks
11:00 am — Second morning dive
1:00 pm — Lunch buffet
2:30 pm — Afternoon dive
4:00 pm — Optional restorative yoga
5:30 pm — Appetizers at the Palapa Bar
6:30 pm — Three-course dinner
8:30 pm — Optional evening wind-down practice
→ The package includes 3 daily dives. Guests are welcome to participate in all scheduled dives, and it is also completely acceptable to sit one out when rest feels like the better choice.
→ One day is generally devoted to the Great Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, and Aquarium excursion. The exact schedule is determined by Blackbird Caye and may shift based on weather and sea conditions.
Day 8 — Saturday Departure
7:00 am — Breakfast
8:00 am — Boat and ground transfer to Belize City
→ Depart Belize City after 12:30 pm — the resort’s recommended flight window
Deposit and Payment Schedule
This retreat is offered through a personal, small-group booking process.
The first step is a brief video conversation so we can learn more about your diving experience, answer your questions, discuss room preferences, and make sure the retreat feels like the right fit for everyone.
After the conversation, invited guests may reserve a place with a $500 deposit, applied toward the total retreat cost.
The retreat is limited to 12 paying guests and requires a minimum of 10 confirmed guests to proceed.
Payment schedule:
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$500 nonrefundable deposit due at booking
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Second payment due February 1, 2027: 50% of the remaining retreat balance
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Final balance due May 1, 2027
Guests who book after a payment deadline must bring their account current at the time of booking. All payments must be received by the stated deadlines to maintain the reservation.
Cancellation Policy
Guest-Initiated Cancellation:
The $500 reservation deposit is nonrefundable.
For cancellations received:
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On or before January 31, 2027: Payments made beyond the deposit will be refunded, less any nonrecoverable supplier costs and payment-processing fees.
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February 1 through March 15, 2027: 50% of the total retreat price is nonrefundable.
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On or after March 16, 2027: All payments are nonrefundable.
Travel insurance is required and should include trip cancellation, interruption, medical, and evacuation coverage.
Force Majeure or Minimum Enrollment
If Portal Mindful Retreats cancels the retreat or does not reach the minimum enrollment, payments made directly to Portal Mindful Retreats will be refunded.
Complete cancellation, transfer, and payment terms are included in the booking agreement.
Request an Invitation
If this feels like your kind of experience, request an invitation. Be one of the first twelve women to call this the beginning. We’ll begin with a brief video conversation to answer your questions, learn more about your diving experience, and explore whether Wild Blue Stillness feels like the right fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
© 2026 by Portal Mindful Retreats. San Francisco, CA