Snorkel on the cayes

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One of the best features of my trip was snorkeling in the cayes (pronounced keys) in Belize. The Belize Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the Caribbean and second largest in the world. The reef runs 185 miles in length.

I didn't realize this while snorkeling (until my guide pointed this out), there was a drop off, in which the water was 600 feet deep! The water was warm and crystal clear. I managed to see: Nurse Sharks, Barracuda, Angelfish, Bluestriped Grunt, Yellowtail Snapper, and other types of fish. I saw a Sea Cucumber, starfish, brain coral, sea fans and other types of colorful coral. I was hoping to see an eel, but no such luck.

I had one disposable underwater camera, so I went on a "snapping" spree. I had just used up the last of my shots when I encountered a group of Sea Horses. They were so tiny and cute.

One thing that I had thought I had done, was to put ample sunscreen on. I went snorkeling with a t-shirt on to keep the sun off my back. However, getting on and off the boat, I managed to scrape the sunscreen off the top of my butt cheeks. At the end of day, I thought I had brushed my butt against some coral, but when I looked in the mirror, my butt was as neon red/pink as the Caribbean sunset! For the next couple of days, anything that would involve sitting would be a pain in the butt in more ways than one!
I had hoped of taking a horseback ride along the beach the next day, but I centered my activities on anything that would involve standing or walking.

After a hard day at the reef, I ended the day with a lobster dinner, a glass of white wine and topped it off with coconut cake. I have to admit, the lobster in the Caribbean are the sweetest in taste!

It was difficult to leave Belize, it has become quite a soft spot in my heart. I am even considering retiring there. While my trip covered southern Belize, I would like to tour northern Belize, and snorkle around Ambergis Caye. It would be awesome to feed the sharks and rays at Shark/Ray Alley. There are some ruins that I'd like to see that are different than those in southern Belize.

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Photos

Brain coral
The pattern is awesome and I couldn't believe how big it is.

Last night in Belize
Somehow the sunset seemed so right.

Lone boat
Sunsets are too amazing, perhaps it is because of the rainy season that brings out the best.