Sailing & Snorkeling near Caye Caulker

Michelle & I snorkeling at Hol Chan.

Michelle snorkeling at Sergeants Caye.

Michelle at Shark Ray Alley.

Me at Shark Ray Alley.
Me snorkeling at Seargeants Caye.

Michelle and Julie at Shark Ray Alley




The pictures above are Sting Rays at Shark Ray Alley


Nurse Sharks and Sting Rays at Shark Ray Alley


Michelle, Julie & Rachel on the sail boat.


Logger Head Turtle near Hol Chan

Sea Turtle
Above, Sea Turtle crawling out of water.

Coral Reef at Hol Chan






The pictures above are of the Nurse Sharks at Shark Ray Alley.

Gray Angel Fish at Hol Chan

Angel Fish at Hol Chan.

Queen Trigger Fish at Hol Chan.

Ragga Gal is the sister ship of Ragga King, which is the boat we sailed on and is slightly larger than Ragga Gal. Both boats are operated by Raggamuffin Tours.

Here are some pictures from the sailing tour and various snorkeling spots near Caye Caulker. Michelle & I snorkeled at Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley and Sergeants Caye during our time at Caye Caulker and we saw some amazing marine wildlife including Nurse Sharks, Sting Rays, Logger Head and Sea Turtles and countless coral fish. Belize has some amazing spots to snorkel and has the second longest Barrier Reef in the world. The water is warm and crystal clear, so it is always a joy to snorkel in this pristine marine environment.

The pictures above were taken with either a disposable underwater camera (the poorer quality ones) or an underwater digital camera or from the surface with my Canon Digital.

Manatee at Swallow Caye

These 2 amazing pictures were taken by Michelle with her underwater camera and actually taken from the boat!

The famous Mr. Chocolate who is responsible for setting up the nature reserve a Swallow Caye.

One of Michelles main reasons for visiting Belize was to see the Manatee. When I was at Caye Caulker last year I went out with Mr. Chocolate who is responsible for setting up the Swallow Caye Reserve that provides a safe haven for the Manatee. So when Michelle told me she wanted to go on a tour I contacted Chocolate and he remembered me from last year. We had a great day on the water and saw many Manatee. The highlight of the tour was when Michelle reached out her hand and a Manatee came so close and allowed her to stroke its back and tail, she was thrilled!

Apart from seeing the Manatee, Chocolate also takes his guests to a couple of neat snorkeling spots (see seperate post) and the cost of this tour is well worth the money.

West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus). Manatees in Belize are Antillean Manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus), a subspecies of the West Indian Manatee (the Florida Manatee is a separate subspecies, Trichechus manatus latirostris). Belize is home to the largest known concentration of Antillean Manatees in the wider Caribbean.

Antillean manatees are found in rivers, bays, canals, estuaries and coastal areas that are at least 3.25 feet deep with lots of sea grass and other vegetation (along with vegetation, Antillean manatees have been known to eat fish from nets). Manatees prefer water temperatures over 70o F (21o C). Manatees can survive in fresh water, salt water and brackish water -- and move easily from one to another.

The 2 sites below give some excellent information about the Manatee and Swallow Caye. I am now a member of the Friends of Swallow Caye, a group that is working to save the Manatee in Belize.

http://www.swallowcayemanatees.org/

http://www.savethemanatee.org/manfcts.htm

Caye Caulker

Above and below, Michelle from the South of France.

Pictures of me taken by Michelle on the Balcony during our final night.

Final Sunrise at Caye Caulker

Balcony at Jaguar Morning Star
The amazing mural at Jaguar Morning Star
Our room at Jaguar Morning Star

The view of Caye Caulker and the ocean from my balcony
The garden of Jaguar Morning Star guest house
The view of Caye Caulker from my balcony.
The main street of Caye Caulker.
Sunset over Caye Caulker

In January I got to have a few days off and so I headed to the beautiful Island of Caye Caulker. I stayed at a lovely guest house called Jaguar Morning Star owned by a Joanne (originally from Alberta) and her Belizean husband Ali (better known as Jaguar). They have 2 rooms on the top floor with a large balcony that has excellent views of Caye Caulker, plus they have a Cabana available.

I arrived on the Wednesday afternoon and as soon as I had settled in I took advantage of the balcony and sun bathed whilst reading a good book. By mid afternoon I was already feeling relaxed and in tourist mode:) Then my next door neighbor returned and sat out on the balocony and much to my pleasant surprise she was a beautiful girl from France. I discovered her name was Michelle and although she was a little stand offish at first soon warmed to my stunning British charm and winning personality;) Actually the ice breaker was when I found out Michelle was from the small coastal town of Port Grimaud in the South of France (not far from St. Tropez) and a place I used to visit every summer when I was a kid. Port Grimaud is a lovely place that was styled after Venice. So there I am on Caye Caulker in Belize and meet a girl from Port Grimaud, what a small world it really is and Michelle was amazed I even knew where Port Grimaud was let alone that I'd been there. I've always been a sucker for the French accent and French Girls, they just have a certain Je ne sais quoi :)

Michelle and I spent the next few days enjoying Caye Caulker and the food, sandy beaches, great nightlife, and various snorkeling tours (see seperate posts). We went out with Mr. Chocolate to see the Manatee at Swallow Caye Reserve (I went out with Nicole on this tour last year) and Michelle was thrilled as one of her main reasons for visiting Belize was to see the Manatee. Apart from the Manatee tour we also went on a sailing and snorkeling tour with Ragamuffin Tours and snorkeled at Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, which was an incredible expereince!

After Half Moon Caye at Lightouse, Caye Caulker is my second favourite place in Belize and I wish I could have spent more time there. As for Michelle, she is currently taking a break from her studies and is touring Central & South America, before continueing on to tour North America (including Canada), South Africa, Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, lucky Girl!! The trip Michelle is doing is exactly the same tour I am planning on doing in a few years after I've finished working in Belize for the winter. Michelle and I are hoping to hook up again when she visits Canada, although she has a lot of relatives to see in Quebec and especially Montreal.

Whatever the future holds we had an unforgettable time in Caye Caulker and I am glad our paths crossed, even if it was for the briefest of time! Au Revoir Michelle and Au Revoir Caye Caulker.

Tribute to Andy Palacio, who passed away on Jan 19th, 2008.

Andy Palacio in concert who died Jan 19th at the young age of 47, R.I.P!

Belize’s most internationally recognized musician, Andy Palacio, finally succumbed to heart and respiratory failure, the result of a series of strokes. His death occurred around nine Saturday night. Belizeans were not unprepared for the loss as from the middle of last week Andy sought medical attention following complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. He was hospitalised on Wednesday and on Thursday, flown to the United States for treatment. Although scheduled for admission to the University of Chicago Medical Center, when the air ambulance stopped in Mobile, Alabama for customs and immigration clearance, Palacio lost consciousness and was hospitalised there on life support. With nothing more that could be done for him, his family finally requested that Andy be returned home to spend his final days. In the last year Andy saw his album Watina hit the top of the European world music charts and, along with producer Ivan Duran, won the prestigious WOMEX Award from the World Music Expo. He was also named an Artist for Peace by UNESCO and bestowed with the Order of Meritorious Service by the Belize Government. On Friday morning Andy’s memory will be honoured by the National Institute of Culture and History and a tribute concert will be held on Friday night. He will receive an official funeral along with a traditional Garifuna burial in his birth place, the village of Barranco, on Saturday. Palacio, forty-seven, is survived by his mother, a brother and sister, five children and two grandchildren.

I had the pleasure of watching this incredible musician in concert on Nov 17th, when he performed a free concert in Dangriga. It is a sad day for all Belizeans and for those people who have embraced the culture of Belize.

You can learn more about Andy Palacios music and work at the following link.

http://andypalacio.calabashmusic.com/

Half Moon Caye revisited, TWICE:)

These two pictures show a little of the winds and waves out at HMC in early January!

The picture above shows just how isolated Half Moon Caye is being located over 50 miles offshore from Belize!

Above and below are various pictures of the Student group at HMC.

This large Green Moray Eel was sighted near the dock at Half Moon Caye.

The old Lighthouse at Half Moon Caye taken from the top of the New Lighthouse.

Here is an fantastic picture of Half Moon Caye taken from the new Lighthouse.

Guests with sail hoisted taken advantage of a nice steady breeze.

I was fortunate enough to visit our base at Half Moon Caye twice in the last 4-5 weeks. The first visit was to help with logistics of bringing in a large group of students in from HMC. This group from a University in Seattle had been out at the Caye for a few weeks and were returning home just in time for Christmas. I went out on the large boat with supplies for the staff that were staying out there to watch over the camp for a few days. This student group are studying Marine Biology and the marine diversity at Lighthouse is a magical place for anyone who has a passion for the wondrous creatures found in the oceans of the Caribbean and the coral reefs that support this myriad of marine life. All the group agreed they had an unforgettable experience at Half Moon Caye.


In early January I returned to Half Moon Caye again, this time to close down our camp for a few weeks. Our journey out to the Caye was an eventful one as the winds had picked up during the worst cold front Belize had seen since 1992. Not that the waves and wind bothered me, in fact I slept during most of the 2 hour trip to the Caye:) Due to the cold front we ended up staying an extra day to avoid the high winds and large waves, a good idea since out journey to Dangriga would take 3 hours in a small 25' skiff! Even when we did brave the seas the next day there were still a number of large swells that made for an exciting ride!!!!