12th Oct. 2016
We never start a day thinking “oh, this is going to be miserable” – but you don’t always know when you sign up for something just how good it is going to be. It is a particular treat when the bonus “we’ll just have a quick stop over there” parts actually turn a good day into a great one. That’s how it has been today. We’ve had a great day, on a snorkel trip off Caye Caulker – turtle-y terrific, you might say. And I have the pictures to prove it!
As well as the prospect of escaping from the 30+ degree heat, I am excited because it is a chance for me to break out the underwater housing for my little Sony camera that I have been lugging around for the past 5 weeks. I’m hoping that I’ve learned some lessons from previous use with the camera underwater – and that the fish stay still and pose for pictures! Janet is excited because, as we are selecting our snorkelling kit, she discovers that they have face masks with prescription lenses (and she can remember her prescription)! It comes as a shock to her that the underwater world is not all in blur-o-vision.
It turns out that there are 8 in our group – and once again, we are the oldest by some way. Just before we cast off and head out, Andrew, our captain, explains that parallel to the coast of Belize is a barrier reef that at 300km long is just shorter than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. One 7.8 sq km part of the reef is set aside as the Hol Chan Marine reserve where fishing is prohibited. This is where we will spend the bulk of the day. It takes about half an hour on the boat to get to our first stop and we join half a dozen other small boats moored to buoys fixed to the sea bed.
We all swim out as a group with Andrew in the lead and one of the crew bringing up the rear. Going as a group has its downsides as it can get a little busy as we all peer at the same thing. However, it is mostly a benefit as Andrew points out marine life & features and is able to name fish for us. He is even able to coax a Moray eel out of its hole by making clicking sounds banging his palm on top of a clenched fist.
The water varies in depth from c. 6’ to 30’ and is just the right temperature to cool us down from the heat of the day. There certainly was plenty visible from the surface. Even more notable than the quantity of fish was the size of the fish we saw – and how unconcerned they were about humans in the water. I’m sure that, had I wanted to, I could have reached out and touched them. That’s what a no fishing policy will do, I guess.
We spent about an hour swimming in a circle along the reef and then across the channel that leads through it out to the ocean. Once back on board, we are about to head off for our next stop when Andrew has a quick chat with the crew of another local boat. “Quick change of plan” he says “we’re going to put in a bonus stop for you”. Whilst there is no fishing in the reserve area, there is outside of it and one of the local specialities is conch (as in the shells). Apparently, a conch fisherman has brought his catch into the reserve and is cleaning his catch – throwing the guts of the conch overboard. This ‘free lunch’ has attracted a turtle and some Stingrays and so we head off again to find them.
Oh my! We have been swimming with turtles before and it was magical. This was a very different experience, but what a treat. Not only was a large turtle swimming around under the fishing boat but so were half a dozen or more Stingrays – each 5’ or so across – and a whole host of other fish. It was spooky floating in the water, watching the fish in front of you when all of sudden you glance down and see a Stingray sliding past underneath you like the destroyer at the start of Star Wars.
Whilst it was an astonishing experience, on reflection I suspect there were a couple of negative elements. Firstly, the sea bed here was completely covered in conch shells – so this clearly is a regular occurrence. I suspect that not only did the conch not volunteer for this venture but I wonder to what extent the turtle and the Stingrays are becoming dependent on being fed in this way. It was a similar experience with our next stop ‘Shark Ray Alley’ where this time Nurse Sharks came to the boat to be fed.
Our next surprise was that we too were fed lunch. Like the turtle, Stingrays and sharks, nobody asked what we wanted but nevertheless, we were very grateful to be fed! (And happy that it was chicken-burger and not conch intestines!). On Caye Caulker, several of the tour operators advertise trips to see Manatees. Whilst the trips went to a different area, Andrew explained that they did come to this part of the reef during the summer but tended to migrate further south, in search of warmer water, come October. Nevertheless, we then went out on an (unsuccessful) guided swim to see if we could find any. If nothing else, this made up my mind that I wouldn’t sign up for a dedicated Manatee trip tomorrow.
On the way back, Andrew had another couple of bonuses for us – but not before the boat ran out of petrol. Fortunately, we’d nearly made it back to Caye Caulker, but even so, it could have been worse than embarrassing had in not been in range of a telephone signal. While we were waiting for petrol to be brought out to us, we had a chance to chat about the turtle and the Stingrays and Andrew had a chance to explain about the Tarpon reserve. Tarpon are game fish and there is a breeding site for them close to Caye Caulker and we can go and hand feed them.
As we get in close, we can see the Tarpon swim out to meet us (so, again, are they becoming dependent on this food source). These ones are apparently youngsters and are ‘only’ 3 or 4 feet long – sleek and look to be solid muscle. Andrew has some sardines that we can hold out by their tails a foot or two above the water. After a moment or two, there is a flash and a splash as a Tarpon jumps out of the water and grabs the sardine out of your hand – with a definite feel of its jaws around your fingers too. It all happens so quickly that the sardine is long gone before you pull your hand back in shock. [Thanks to Olivia and Sam for capturing and sharing this slow-motion video of the Tarpon grabbing a sardine].
In the evening, we reflect on another good day. We both really enjoyed the experience and we did a lot of swimming – and I am really pleased with how the underwater pictures came out. It was definitely the bonus parts that were most memorable – swimming with the turtle and Stingrays along with feeding the Tarpon. However, these parts were the parts that felt most like a show and not the natural habitat – to what extent was this a zoo without the cages??