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Two views from the cayes |
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Belize is semi-tropical and water temperatures range from the low- to mid-eighties Fahrenheit. The Barrier Reef runs the length of the country and then some, and the majority of diving is done near the cayes (pronounced "keys"), small islands between the reef and the mainland. From Placencia, it's about a 45-60 minute boat ride to any given dive site. We'd ride out to one of the cayes, drop off our extra gear, then head out for our first dive. Afterwards, we'd return to the caye for lunch and a between-dive break before heading out again. I don't think there is anything more relaxing than laying in a hammock on a tropical isle, surrounded by blue seas and palm trees, watching the pelicans dive bomb as they fish for lunch.
During my week in Belize I made six dives - two each on three separate days. My first impression of the the underwater world was the pristine condition of the reefs - they were covered with sponges and hard corals, and nowhere did I see fishing line or trash littered about. And we never ran into any fishermen or other divers, either (although I'm sure this was due as much to the fact that we were there off-season as it was we were in a less popular tourist area).
I was, however, disappointed in the amount of sealife I saw. In Fiji and the Sea of Cortez, the reefs were swarming with innumerable fish in all colors of the rainbow. But not so in Belize, and I'm not quite sure why that is.
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Two more views, this time of pelicans |
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