Barracuda!!! As we went out to the beautiful Caribbean Sea for our first snorkeling adventure, we looked over the side of the boat and saw a two foot barracuda staring back at us. Phased by nothing, we hopped into the water and saw some of the most amazing and impressive fish that any of us have seen. Mr. Gels said these reefs and fish were better than the Great Barrier Reef, and this waters far surpassed the seas of Thailand and Vietnam.
Our three stop snorkeling excursion began by an hour snorkel near a part of the Belize Barrier Reef (the second largest barrier reef in the world). The water was a majestic turquoise, clear enough where the students that chose not to snorkel could clearly see much of the marine life. The reef itself was very impressive, with large brain coral, cactus coral, and many other types. We also saw fish big and small, white, gray, yellow, blue, green, purple, and any combination of the above adjectives. We felt like were in Finding Nemo. As we swam throughout the waters, we were hit by various warm and cold patches, and we ran into many schools of fish. There was more of a variety of fish than any of us had experienced.
Our second stop on the tour was to Shark Ray Alley. Here, we were able to swim with the docile Nurse Sharks and gigantic Rays that must have been 3 feet in diameter. Our guides attracted the Rays and Sharks by dropping food into the water, which caused the animals to swarm. We all got a chance to touch the Rays, which were slimy, and most of us swam with the Rays and sharks for a half hour. The experience was surreal.
Our final stop on our snorkeling tour was to a reef garden, which was an hour for us too just explore the reef by ourself. There was another spotting of a nurse shark there, as well as more of the same fish we saw at our first stop.
Caye Caulker has exceeded expectations, as has the entire trip thus far. We look forward to hearing your comments!
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