Tag: Snorkel

Shark Ray Alley Revisited

Posted on | by tmeerkat@yahoo.com | Leave a Comment on Shark Ray Alley Revisited

I know I asked in my last post if I need say more, and the answer is yes. I cannot leave a post with no writing, so…

We had signed up for a snorkeling trip to Shark Ray Alley two days ago, and were told that we would be able to go, weather permitting. We woke up this morning disappointed that the weather didn’t seem to be permitting it. Fortunately, when we went to talk to the activities coordinator, he said that it would be going out. Unfortunately–yeah, this is one of those–when the group of us went down to get outfitted, we were told that it was rough and murky and we may want to cancel. David and Anita decided that the trip was not for them, but Sarah and I decided to tough it out.

As we waited to get onto the boat, one of the heaviest downpours of our whole trip drenched everything. We were undercover at the time, but the wind was blowing the rain on us as we huddled under the palapa on the dock. It looked like we were going to be getting wet on this snorkeling trip!

The rain stopped, and we boarded the boat. Within a minute, we were out from under the clouds and speeding along the shores on a pleasant, sunny boat ride.

At our first spot, our guide showed us large schools of fish, and lots of coral. The fan-coral is still my favorite, with its intricate designs, but there were many other types as well. I saw some larger fish that I had never seen before, as well. I was having some trouble with my mask fogging, so I actually saw more with the pictures and video that I took on the snorkel than I did while actually in the water. After about 45 minutes, we got back on the boat and headed to Shark Ray Alley.

Even as we were tying the boat up, we saw a dark shape gliding towards us just under the surface of the water. After the guides threw in a little bit of chum, the water started churning with the dozen or so sharks that came in for a free meal. That was when we were told that the pool was open, and I was the first to slide into the water. I almost landed on top of a shark.

It was fascinating being in the water with all of these large creatures that movies such as Jaws had taught us to fear. These were nurse sharks–humans were not a part of their diet. They were quite used to eating in front of people, though, so they were not shy. We were not allowed to touch the sharks, but I did get pretty close to them to get some of the pictures that I took. Even if I’m the only one saying it, some of them were pretty good.

I’m not quite sure how long we stayed there, I wasn’t really keeping track of time. I was taking hundreds of pictures and video, swimming along with six and seven foot sharks. I think I can safely say that this was my favorite part of the trip, and I have the photographic proof that will allow me to relive the experience whenever I want to.

Our last full day in Belize was finished off with another trip to Portifino for dinner. It was as good as before, but I was worn out and ready for bed by the time we got back to Captain Morgan’s Retreat.

NOTE: Video link to come…

Snorkeling

Posted on | by tmeerkat@yahoo.com | 3 Comments on Snorkeling

Today I got up early and watched the sun rise from our deck. The family met for breakfast, and then we boarded a boat for an ocean adventure. Sarah and I were going to do a three tank dive, and the rest of the group was going to snorkel. We got as far as the next island over before the boat broke down. They pulled up to a dock, made a few calls, and decided that for safety, they needed to cancel the trip. We were all disappointed as we headed back to our island, however it was better than getting stuck in the middle of the Caribbean.

 When we got back, one of the members of our party got Thatch Caye to comp us a snorkel tour. We went out to a reef called the Aquarium, and snorkeled for an hour. We were going to go to a second place but had to cut the trip short due to one person getting sea-sick. The time out there was fun, however, and the boat ride was a good sight-seeing tour. 

Once we got back, we had lunch, and then I decided to try paddle-boarding around the island. The west side went just fine, and I was at the northern point in no time. However, the wind was kicking up around here, and paddling was difficult. I eventually had to kneel on the board. As I went around the northern point to the east side of the island, the wind really kicked up, and I had to start dealing with chop. It was a struggle making it from the north point to the south point on the west side, and by the time I got there I was exhausted. I jumped into the water on a particularly white sand-bar, and cooled off before hopping back on the board, standing up, and traveling back to my starting point.

To celebrate my exertion, I went to the bar and had a Zombie. Omar, our bartender, liked the idea of the drink so much that he made it the drink of the day. I have a feeling that relaxation is big in my immediate future. I have a good book and a hammock that I intend to make use of. Perhaps I’ll share that hammock with another Zombie.