Blogs from Tobacco Caye, Belize Barrier Reef, Belize, Central America Caribbean

“The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it” – Rudyard Kipling I am currently sitting in a mall (urgh) in the deeply depressing town of La Ceiba on the coast of Northern Honduras waiting until we can take the Utila Princess (fondly known as the Vomit Comet) out across the choppy waters of the Bay of Honduras to Islas de la Bahia – the country’s top destination and apparently the best place in the Western hemisphere for diving.I’m trying to keep my expectations down but whale sharks (largest fish in the world) have made an appearance here some two months early in their feeding , mating and migration cycles and I am hoping beyond hope that I get the opportunity to dive with these behemoths of the sub-aqua world. Since my last ... read more

Dana and I next wanted to go to Southern Belize to Placencia and to get there we got on the Regga-King Sail boat and took a 3 day trip through the Belizean keys. At night we camped on islands smaller than my condo with only palm trees. Our captain was also an amazing cook and would make us whatever we caught that day. Dana was a good provider and caught the biggest barracuda! Another guy caught a barracuda and as he reeled it in a shark bit off the back half of it! Waste not so we still ate the rest of it for dinner. We made frequent snorkeling stops with our wildlife specialist as our guide educating us on the names and mating patterns of various sea life. I was alone in an area of ... read more

My life is definitely ruled by the seas these days...each choose your own adventure ends with me, the reefs, the fish, and the beach. As the Pohlman’s and I settled into our life and apartment in Placencia, the walls were slowly filled with maps and lists. There were maps of the world, the Caribbean, and of course our new home country, Belize. And there were lists of the World Capitals, important sayings and numbers in multiple languages, and the always referenced List of Cool Stuff We Want to do in this Amazing Country! The next destination calling to us from that adventure checklist was Tobacco Caye! Our good friends Anne and Steve had just spent ten days there, observing spotted eagle rays from their hammocks and snorkeling the days away. Their matching grins and great tans ... read more

After an incredible few days in the Belize interior we raced back to the coast to link up with a sailing charter heading south. The 46ft ketch Raga Queen would be home and transport for the next three days, along with an eclectic group including two couples from the UK about our age and a handful more from the US and Canada a little older. Belize, at this time of year, may well be the perfect sailing destination. For three days we sailed under cloudless skies, pushed south by a constant 10 to 15 knots of north-east wind. We sailed inside the reef which runs along the entire coastline and so had perfectly flat water. Every two hours or so we would stop for some snorkelling or something eat, or to perhaps pull in a fish. ... read more