Return to Lighthouse and closing camp!

Farewell Halfmoon Caye, until next season!

Here the guys are loading the last of the kayaks onto the boat prior to our departure and return to Dangriga.

We were being closely supervised by the boss!!

The above two pictures show the camp now cleared and ready to be deserted until next season.

The final sunrise before leaving our camp at Half Moon Caye.

Even the Crazy Brit joined in the dancing, must have been the Rum:)

On our final evening at camp we relaxed after a hard days work and the guys performed some traditional Garifuna Dances. We had a fantastic time and it was the perfect way to celebrate our final night.






Oops, Boll & Adolfo take a tumble whilst exiting their kayak:)

I gave the guys an afternoon off, so a few of them decided to go kayaking and see if they could catch some fish. Carlton had all the right gear but came back with nothing!

The above two pictures are of a baby Boobie, so cute..

At one end of the island there is a large bird colony full of Frigate birds and Boobies.


Paradise!!!!!

Guys head out to catch some fish for dinner.

Iguana or "Wish Willy" as the locals call them


Wasani, our cook who did a great job feeding us all.















The pictures above show a number of Nurse Sharks feeding on fish remains thrown into the sea by fishermen. The Brown Pelican nearly became part of their dinner as well!!!

The Old Lighthouse.

First sunset at Lighthouse.



During my final week in Belize I got the chance to return to our camp at Half Moon Caye as I took a group of guys to help close the camp until next season.

Lighthouse is an amazing place and my time spent there with the guys was probably my greatest memory of my first year in Belize.

I am looking forward to returning again in November!

St. Peters Students Visit Crooked Tree School.

After Crooked Tree we then drove the students to Belize City where they boarded a boat that took them to Half Moon Caye for the start of a 6 day trip. Unfortunately, this time I had to stay behind but I knew I would be returning to Lighthouse soon.

When the game was over everyone gathered together to say their goodbyes and everyone agreed it had been an unforgettable experience. One of the greatest aspects of life in Belize is the friendly people that you meet everyday and the pupils at Crooked Tree proved once again that Belizeans are some of the friendliest people you will find in the world.

After the show the Crooked Tree pupils (and a three Belizean Guides) accepted a challenge by the St.Peters Students to a friendly, though spirited, Football game. Someone perhaps should have pointed out to the St. Peters students that Football is a huge sport in Belize, something they found out the hard way!! Though they had a considerable size advantage, the St. Peters students lost the game 2-1. Every one though had a great time and it was fun to watch the interaction between the Canadians and Belizeans.

For the finale the Crooked Tree pupils sang the Belizean National Anthem. I then made the St. Peters students get on stage and single the Canadian National Anthem, yes they all really loved me for that:) I have to say that the Belizean pupils did the better job, but you could not fault either group for their effort and enthusiasm.

After our tour of the classrooms we were invited into the main school hall where some of the pupils put on a special show for their guests. This show included some creole poetry, dancing and music, all very impressive. The pupils were a little nervous but the St. Peters students gave them plenty of encouragement.

The students were then escorted to several classrooms where they got to speak to the pupils and answer questions.

The students from St. Peters had brought a gifts for the primary school children and in the above picture the gifts were being presented to the children.

Here the students are being welcomed by the head teacher of Crooked Tree Primary School, who was explaining that her pupils were all very excited about this visit.

During my final month in Belize I did a lot of travelling to and from Dangriga and Belize City. One such trip saw me accompanying a group of students and their teachers from St. Peters to Crooked Tree School.

First trip to Half Moon Caye on Lighthouse Atoll

Here you can see the Eastern half of Half Moon Caye in the distance as we head back to Belize. This end of the island features a bird sanctuary that is home to Red Footed Boobies and Frigate Birds.

The Belize Audubon Society (who are responsible for the reserve) built this brand new dock at Half Moon Caye recently to make it easier for visiting boats to dock. It also make a great place for diving into the crystal clear warm water. You can find out more about the Belize Audubon Society and Half Moon Caye at their website http://www.belizeaudubon.org/parks/hmcnm.htm.

Ahh..... paradise!! One of our guests, Wendy, found the perfect place to relax and enjoy the view from our camp on Half Moon Caye.

This picture shows a closer view of the new and old Lighthouse on the Western end of Half Moon Caye.



In this picture you can see the old and new Lighthouse plus the Ranger station at Half Moon Caye.






The above three pictures are of our camp at Half Moon Caye, home for our guests for the next 6 days. With the white sand, shade from the coconut trees, access to various beaches, incredible snorkeling and even a Bird Sanctuary, it is not hard to see why Island Expeditions guests and staff love this amazing place.

These three pictures are taken from the boat as we first arrive at Half Moon Caye. After months of waiting to get out to Lighthouse these pictures show that the beauty of Half Moon Caye was worth the wait, it truly is Paradise!

These first two pictures show passengers aboard the boat during the 2 hour ride from Belize City to our base at Half Moon Caye. Water and plenty of sunscreen was a necessity as the sun was shining during the entire trip.

Ever since I knew I was heading to Belize I had been looking forward to visiting Lighthouse Reef Atoll and in early April I finally got my wish. As I had a breakfast meeting the following day I only got to spend about 30 minutes at our base camp at Half Moon Caye, but it was worth the 2 hour boat ride from Belize City to see this incredible island. Half Moon Caye is one of two Atoll base camps run by Island Expeditions, the other being our camp at South West Caye on Glovers Reef Atoll.

Lighthouse Reef was made famous by the 1970 expedition of the famous Jacque Cousteau to the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is a deep, circular and incredibly blue sinkhole in the center of Lighthouse Reef and attracts divers from all over the world.

The Half Moon Caye Natural Monument was established in March of 1982. The was the first reserve to be created under Belize's National Parks System Act of 1981. Half Moon Caye is located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef, the easternmost atoll of Belize's three atolls. Lighthouse Reef is located about 50 miles east-southeast of Belize City. The Caye itself is only eight feet above sea level and approximately 45 acres in size. The Caye is divided into two very distinct ecosystems. The western half of the Caye is densely vegetated. The soils are made rich and fertile by guano from thousands of sea birds nesting in the area. The eastern half by comparison is vegetated primarily by coconut palms and very little underbrush.

You can learn more about Lighthouse Reef and Half Moon Caye at the websites below.

http://www.travelbelize.org/hmcnm.html

http://www.belizeexplorer.com/index.html