Swimming with Sharks

After our time in Guatemala and the Cayo District, we came back to the island for some beach time. We took several walks along the beach and spent a few afternoons lazing in hammocks, reading books, and downing a few cold ones. It was very relaxing.

However, my parents wanted to see the reef, and we wanted to show it to them! My mom wasn't too keen on snorkeling, so we booked a tour on a glass-bottomed boat and headed out to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley. The boat had a long, clear glass bottom, and it was really cool to be able see the bottom for the entire trip out to the reef.

When we reached Shark Ray Alley, it didn't take long for the horse-eyed jacks to arrive, followed very shortly thereafter by the first nurse sharks, and then the southern and rough-tail stingrays. Although I have mixed feelings about the feeding of sharks and rays, I think it is likely a net benefit, because for the tour operators it makes a very clear connection between healthy, living sharks and their income. For the tourist, I think it is also a net benefit, because it provides a (mostly) safe way to get very, very close to these magnificent animals.

Earlier that morning Amy was called in to assist with a birth at the clinic where she volunteers. The birth went very smoothly for the mother and she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. While Amy was at the clinic, several people came in with severe reactions to jellyfish stings, which they received at Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan.

Needless to say, this gave us all pause, but we decided to go for it anyway. I saw many, many jellyfish in the water, but they were fairly small, and not the Portuguese Man o' War that people thought they had run into. None of us got stung, but one of the other children on the dive was pretty freaked out by the prospect, and I think this was a bit contagious because after a few minutes in the water with the sharks Liam and Lochlan both got back on the boat. But while they were in the water, they seemed to have a great time swimming with the sharks and rays.

On our way out to the reef

The first sharks appear

In the water--with the sharks! (These are all harmless nurse sharks)

Blue tang

Horse eyed jack

That's a lot of sharks!

Southern stingray

Me and Dad

Amy and Mom take a selfie

At our next stop, Hol Chan, we swam out to a fairly deep passage through the reef, and saw lots of amazing fish. My favorite encounter was with a spotted eagle ray, which cruised around about 15-20 feet below us for several minutes before heading out past the reef. We also saw a very large green moray, and two sea turtles (I believe they were both green sea turtles).

Blue-striped grunts

Parrotfish

Green sea turtle

Spotted eagle ray

A fish's eye view from under the boat

After the snorkelers rejoined the boat, we passed over the reef and my folks got to see some of the coral and fish up close. Unfortunately the boat did not spend as much time as I expected over the reef, but I think it was enough for my parents to get a sense of the reef and just enjoy some time out on the water.

In addition to our beach lounging and reef excursion, my parents got to see Liam sail in an Opti (and we all learned that he was promoted from the beginner group to the B group!), eat at a genuine Salvadoran Pupuseria, and pay a visit to Palapa Bar and add some saguaros and mountains to the graffiti.

Pupusa time!

Mom even got help prepare the pupusas

Some of the colorful furniture we saw during our beach walk

The ladies enjoying a beverage on the upper deck of Palapa Bar

The lads enjoying a cold cerveza

Last day with Grandma and Grandpa!

The two weeks my parents were here absolutely flew by. We all enjoyed their company tremendously and we were sorry to see them go. But they are on to new adventures of their own--they just bought a new house on a golf course! I think they had a good time here in Belize, but they were also looking forward to returning to Phoenix and getting settled in the new house.