Expertise Required: Novice For less experienced or infrequent divers, Hollywood is a good place to get comfortable diving the offshore atolls. Located on the leeward side of Turneffe Islands, this site is sheltered from swells and large waves. The reef here is wide, slopes gently and provides ample shallow-water diving. Dive boats generally anchor in 4045 ft of water. It takes a good swim seaward to reach water depths greater than 50 ft. Snorkelers will find they too can enjoy the protected shallows of Hollywood. A swim toward the distant mangroves takes you toward a reef crest that is typically under several feet of water. Because the reefs are submerged and waves attenuated, this is one of the best places to snorkel the reef crest. Perhaps the least desirable aspect of this dive site is its low visibility. Although the water is by no means murky, clouds of suspended matter derived from the atoll are typical. Photographers and snorkelers may find this annoying because reefs at 2050 ft are lush and varied. Bathed in turbid waters, the luxuriance of stony and soft corals is surprisingly good. Here the broken reefs are built primarily by abundant tan lettuce leaf and boulder coral. But flower, giant brain, smooth brain and club finger corals also commonly compete for space. Less common are grooved fungus, large cactus, rare rose, large cupped boulder and polygonal corals. Interspersed among stony corals is an abundance of large soft corals and sponges. Soft corals such as forked sea feathers, sea feathers and sea fans form a virtual forest, reaching 4-5 ft in height and growing on both reef formations and on the sandy floors between the coral build-ups. Equally impressive is the presence of so many large emergent sponges. Iridescent tube, giant yellow tube, huge vase and basket sponges are common primarily because their survival during storms is enhanced by reduced water turbulence on these shallow, protected reefs. A large amount of algae garnishes these reefs and supports a varied marine life. These algae are important food sources for a variety of herbivorous fish and urchins. You should take time to look for some filamentous green algal lawns because these are fastidiously weeded and aggressively defended by a variety of damselfish. Most common are the threespot and dusky damselfish, which fend off foraging striped parrotfish and divers with aggressive attacks. Many of the common reef tropicals such as barracudas, trumpet, queen angels, grunts and snappers are sure to be seen. Big coral heads and outcrops start at a depth of 35 feet (11 m) and stretch down to 60 feet (18 m). These coral formations are large and wide with mountainous star coral being the most dominant variety. Numerous tunnels, arches, nooks and swimthroughs make this a fascinating dive site.