PicsFromTrips

underwater sights around Belize The one day we motivated to get off of the island we went snorkeling in the nearby barrier waters. Belize has the second largest barrier reef (second only to the Great Barrier Reef) which is visible from the Caye Caulker beach - manifested as a break in the waves about a mile off shore leaving the island waters pretty calm. The boat ride out was relatively quick (after a bit of a wait (island time!) though the water was a little on the rough side. Underwater, I was playing around with a new toy - a waterproof bag for my point-and-shoot camera. At the time it's really tough to know how (if) the shots will come out but after the fact I was pretty happy. After our first dive stop we motored over to Ambergris Caye and the town of San Pedro (this was another possible island destination for us and I'm happy to say we made the right choice). We ate lunch at a random spot and also purchased some Dramamine as we were both feeling a bit off from the rough seas. The afternoon dives were interesting - the first (at shark ray alley) lived up to its name and we had the opportunity to swim with sharks and rays which was pretty awesome. The second stop, at the choral gardens, was a disaster. The tide was incredible and immediately swept us away from the boat as soon as we jumped off. We drifted further and further away, completely unable to swim against the tide, until the boat unanchored and swung around to pick us up. Feeling incredibly ill at this point, I was ready to call it a day, but the guide was visibly uncomfortable bringing us back too early so instead we sat in the swells and ate some fresh fruit (well, others ate the fruit, I watched and burped). After this we motored back (and once in motion I felt fine) but took the long way back so we passed around the North part of Caye Caulker where we stopped off at a newer resort/bar and then drove through "the split" which is a popular part of the island for swimming and sunning.