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Swimming with, um, Sharks? The next morning, on Monday – and still thinking about that yummy lobster dinner – I walked back into town and signed up for a half-day sailing/snorkeling trip out to the reef. The coral reef near Belize is the second-largest in the world; only the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is larger.
Around noon, and with about 20 others, I boarded the sailboat, a wide-beamed 50-footer with twin masts called "Ragga Girl" that was manned by a jovial – well, mostly – crew of five. We sailed north for an hour and dropped anchor in about 15 feet of water, then several folks in our group donned their masks and snorkels and dove into the water to explore. The crew threw some “chum” (fish parts) into the water to attract nurse sharks and, considering all the people swimming nearby, I asked, “Um… Is that safe?” “Oh yes, mon,” said the captain. “Those sharks are tame. You can even pet them, if you’d like.”
So trusting grizzled Captain Jack, I put on my mask, jumped in and did just that (their skin felt like wet sandpaper – about 400 grit). I was so mesmerized by the nurse sharks that I almost didn’t notice two huge manta rays swimming below me. They were tame, too, and gracefully flowed through the water while flapping their large wings like nothing I’ve ever seen.
All of us eventually climbed back onboard and the boat weighed anchor and sailed north for a half-hour towards Ambergris Caye, then dropped anchor inside the reef near a place called the Hol Chan Channel. The waters here were calm but I could clearly see waves crashing against the coral reef a half-mile further offshore. Once again we donned our snorkels and fins, and this time we each paired up with a partner.
I partnered up with a young woman who told me her name was Holly. She was a 30ish flight attendant from Chicago who had some vacation time stored up (and infinite free miles) so she had decided to fly to Belize for the weekend to check it out. Like 90% of tourists who visit Belize, Holly traveled from the International airport straight out to the keys and didn’t explore the interior part of the country, which I thought was a shame. I suggested to her that next time she comes to Belize, she should visit the mountain villages like San Antonio and Succotz. “It’s a totally different world there,” I said.
Holly and I dove in and swam in the 80-degree water, awestruck by the colorful coral and beautiful tropical fish that darted about. I dove down as deep as I could a few times – not very deep, to be honest – and saw underwater sights that were amazing. But then we both noticed a large barracuda hovering nearby, flashing an impressive array of very large and razor-like teeth. Holly had a navel ring that glinted in the sunlight, which seemed to attract the barracuda’s attention, so she covered it with her hand. Wise move, Holly!
After seeing the barracuda, Holly and I decided to swim closer to the group – there’s strength in numbers, we figured – and one of the young women there was struggling a bit in the water, having a challenging time staying afloat. “I’m not a very good swimmer. Would you mind assisting me,” she said with a British accent (and a bit of fear in her eyes). “Sure,” I replied and extended my arm towards her, which she grabbed gratefully. She calmed down and, after a few minutes, actually started enjoying herself.
After about a half-hour, and thankfully with no barracuda incidents to report, we all got back onboard the sailboat, the crew pulled up the anchor and hoisted the sails, and we headed back to our dock, which was an hour away. The captain cut up a conch that a crew member had caught – a tough and chewy but sweet meat and quite delicious. Then Captain Jack brought out a huge bottle of rum and the crew made several large pitchers of rum punch, which they copiously doled out to the pliant guests.
I sat down alone on the bow as the boat sliced through the water and the novice swimmer came forward and thanked me for being helpful, then she sat down next to me and introduced herself as Angie. She turned to her woman friends and, in her British accent, said with a joking smile, “This is the gentleman that saved me out there.” We all talked, drank rum punch, told some traveling stories, drank more rum punch, laughed a bit, and drank some more rum punch. It was a blissful afternoon and one that Jimmy Buffett would’ve enjoyed.
Above left: This is the unofficial motto of Caye Caulker. It applies not just to traffic speed but to just about everything here. Above right: The beach on Caye Caulker.
Above left: And here's the Main Street. Above center: Rum drinks here are really cheap (remember, the Belizean dollar is pegged at 50 cents American). The island's most popular drink, as shown, is the cringingly-named "Panti Rippa." Above right: Jimmy Buffett once wrote a song called "Defying Gravity" but I'm not sure if this is what he meant.
Above left: These are the three modes of transportation on Caye Caulker: golf cart, biking and walking. There are only a few cars allowed on the island. Above right: Soaking up the sun on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Above left: And soaking up some rum drinks. I love this picnic table. Above center: On Monday morning, I headed up the beach to go on a sailing/snorkeling trip. Above right: And here's our boat, the "Ragga Girl." There were about 20 folks and it was a fun cruise.
Above left: That's Holly, my diving partner, on the left in the brown suit. You can't quite see her navel ring, which glinted in the sunlight as we were swimming and attracted the unwanted attention from a razor-toothed barracuda. Above right: I swam with these nurse sharks – but only after being repeatedly assured that they were harmless. Their skin, like that of most sharks, feels like sandpaper.
Above left: One of the jovial crew members. This guy could freedive (i.e., without scuba gear) 30 feet down. Above center: Looking for buried treasure – or maybe just some coral – near the reefs, about a mile offshore. Above right: We found instead a few conch shells.
Above left: Passing out rum punch to cheerful guests after our swim. Above right: That's Angie, in the black top, who I "rescued" in the ocean. She and her three smiling friends were from England and were spending two months touring Central and South America.
Above left: Cutting up a conch. The meat is chewy and delicious – like eating a tasty rubber tire. Above center: Sunset on Caye Caulker after we returned from our sailing adventure. Above right: Ruben is a master carver and sells his goods on Main Street in Caye Caulker. This beautiful and colorful hardwood is from the Ziricote tree, which is native to Belize. I bought several of his carvings, including the shark.
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