Belize - Caye Caulker - Day 7

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Today we go on our snorkeling excursion. We’re going with Ragamuffin Tours based on the reviews and recommendations I have read. They offer two different snorkeling trips, a 3-hour half-day and a 6-hour full-day. Both trips consist of three stops and you are in the water for the same amount of time on either. There are two main differences however; the half-day is about an hour roundtrip on a motor boat where you will see stingrays and lots of small colorful fish, the full-day is about 3-4 hours roundtrip on a sailboat where you will see stingrays, sharks, and lots of big colorful fish.

I tell the lady that we have kids, and ask her for advice. She doesn’t try to sugar coat it. “Some kids don’t do well on these sort of trips” she warns. “Only YOU know if they can handle six hours on a boat. I take my 5 year old all the time and he loves it. Other kids aren’t able to tolerate being off their usual schedule. They miss the comforts of home”, she says patronizingly. It almost seemed like a challenge. I really wasn’t sure how they would handle it and went back in forth in my mind. Karin loved the idea of the sailboat and we eventually decided on the full day excursion. We hope it’s the right choice.

We meet at Ragamuffins at 10:30am. Karin is feeling a bit off and is nervous about getting seasick. I point to the sea and tell her not to worry. It’s a sheet of glass. We load onto the boat. There are 18 people and two guides, Alley and Charlie. Alley does the talking. She has short dread locks, broad muscular shoulders, and tattoos everywhere. Charlie is the captain and a true sea man. It’s obvious that he is very comfortable on a boat. He has a thick accent and is somewhat difficult to understand. They hoist the sails and we set off. The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, and reggae music fills the air. We’re sitting on the side of the boat with our feet hanging over the rail. Water splashes up on our bare legs. This is paradise. I’ve been (semi) joking around with Karin about someday renting a sailboat and sailing the Caribbean for a few weeks. This experience is doing nothing to quell my desire.

We sail for about an hour and a half before reaching our first destination. Charlie entertains us along the way by feeding the gulls and pelicans by hand. The girls study the colorful fish identification charts intently and are excited at the prospect of seeing these fish in the wild. When we finally arrive at our first stop everyone is a bit apprehensive. Alley gathers us all towards the front and begins giving our instructions. Charlie sits at the back and discreetly flips pieces of fish into the water. They barely hit the surface before being ripped to pieces by huge fish darting by. People gasp and point in disbelief, much to Charlie’s amusement.

Neither of us is really sure how this is going to work, but this is a good chance to find out. The first stop is the only one that we can snorkel on our own without a guide. Paige did great in the bathtub at home, but she would barely put the mask on down at the split. Rylee did fine with the mask, but didn’t really like the snorkel. Now we were hopping into water for the first time where we couldn’t touch the bottom. Paige has her lifejacket on and will ride on one of our backs. Rylee is just going to swim and hang on to one of us. The water inside the reef is extremely calm, but here where the sea meets the reef, it is a bit choppy.

Here goes nothing. Karin jumps in first and I lower Paige down to her. As soon as she is secure on Karin’s back I lower Rylee down and hop in behind her. Paige does ok, but her lifejacket forces her head up and she has a difficult time trying to even look in the water. Rylee takes to it like an old pro. Karin and I take turns snorkeling with Rylee and swimming with Paige. Eventually Paige gets cold and wants to get out. Karin takes her back to the boat while Rylee and I continue snorkeling. We see giant fish go darting by at blinding speeds, massive arrangements of beautiful coral, and huge schools of colorful fish which seem to move as one. Karin and I have done a few snorkeling trips over the years, but I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m completely awestruck. Rylee and I develop a system where one person points whenever they see something of interest, and the other person gives the thumbs-up to acknowledge that they’ve seen it. I’m honestly not sure who is enjoying it more. We have so much fun swimming together and sharing this amazing experience. It is without a doubt the highlight of my trip so far.

Unfortunately Karin succumbs to the choppy water and gets sick while climbing back on the boat. The guide gives her a pill and tells her that if she can keep it down for 30 minutes, she will be fine. She is not the only one feeling ill and another lady joins her for some fresh air while I keep the girls busy. The second stop takes us to a protected area where we must swim as a group with the guide. By the time we get there, Karin is feeling much better.

Charlie suggests that Paige not use her life jacket this time, but instead strap a regular life jacket around her waist. As usual the guides are right, and now Paige is able to tip forward so that she can put her face in the water. This trip goes much better and we all see lots of fish including a Moray Eel. I bring Rylee’s new underwater camera and we take lots of great pictures.

For the second part of this trip we will actually swim beyond the reef and out into the deep “blue water” (the ocean). The girls are getting cold and the water gets even choppier out in the ocean, so Karin and the girls decide to head back to the boat while I stay with the group. On their way they see a gigantic stingray swimming below them. Paige was already hanging onto Karin’s shoulders, but after this terrifying site she pulls her knees in even closer and is practically knee-boarding on Karin’s back. Returning to the boat turns out to be quite a workout for Karin.

The final stop on this trip is “shark and stingray alley”. As soon as the boat stops, three big nurse sharks swarm around the boat. Rylee and Paige both shake their heads; there’s no way they are getting in the water with these sharks. I hop in the water with the rest of the group, and at Karin’s encouragement the girls begin to throw shrimp all around me so I’m practically attacked by fish. It freaks me out and the girls have a good laugh. The fish are certainly cool to look at, but I prefer seeing them from a distance, and on my own terms.

The guide hops in and swims down to the bottom to coax a huge stingray to the surface where Rylee and Paige are able to pet it. They squeal with delight as they poke, prod, and pet it’s squishy, slimy surface. Afterwards we follow the guide around for about a half hour while she identifies all sorts of fish and coral for us. The sun is shining and the water is crystal clear. It’s absolutely amazing and I feel like I’m in an IMAX movie. By the time I get back on the boat, I am thoroughly exhausted.

The sails are once again raised and we begin our slow leisurely voyage home. Jimmy Cliff’s “I can see clearly now” is jamming from the cabin below. Sandwiches, shrimp ceviche, and rum-punch are being served. What an absolutely perfect day. We still have several hours until we get home, but any concerns about how the girls will like the trip are long gone. They climb onto the upper deck of the boat, get out their little dolls, and play happily the whole ride back.

We return along the backside of the Caye Caulker and Alley tells us that she lived on the largely uninhabited north island for a year and a half. Her only contact with civilization required a 40 minute kayak ride to the southern island. She shows us her house (room on stilts) as we pass. It’s only about 20’ x 15’. It’s fun to imagine life under those types of conditions, but I know the day-to-day realty of it all would get old quick.

We pass a beautiful white “Eco Lodge” that was built several years ago. Apparently the owners partied too much and ran out of money before it was ever opened. Despite the outward appearance, there is no electricity or running water, but Alley informs us that you can still rent a room here for $100/week. I can’t get the thought out of my mind; one Hundred bucks to live in that beautiful place all by yourself on a deserted island for a whole week, where do I sign up?

Alley is coming alive with the rum punch and is dancing and singing along to the music. We pass two kayakers who are paddling hard and sweating profusely. “You want some rum punch?!?” she yells to them. “Sure!” they reply. Charlie instantly swings the boat around and we pour them two huge glasses of punch for their paddle back. They are smiling from ear-to-ear.

We get back to our house around 6:00pm. It’s been a long day in the sun and we are completely wiped out. A warm shower in smelly water never felt so
good.

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