Swimming with the Fish ... and the Sharks and the Stingrays

Along with most of the group, I decided to do the full day snorkel trip to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve north of Caye Caulker. We loaded up our sail boat, then headed out to sea - our captain relaxing in the back of the boat leaning against the rudder and the guide cutting up shrimp and limes for ceviche.

Our first stop was outside of the marine reserve so that we could get used to snorkeling and swimming with the fins. There was some coral and a few small colourful fish - about the same quality and quantity as when I went snorkeling in the Dominican Republic.

Our second stop was at a place called "Shark and Stingray Alley" and the name doesn't lie! After we dropped anchor, the captain threw bait over the side and a bunch of large fish appeared. Soon after, a group of nurse sharks chased them away and started fighting over the food. Once the feeding frenzy had died down, we got out of the boat (the side opposite where the bait was being thrown) and into the water. I was the first one in and the first one around to the other side of the boat, looking at the masses of fish under the boat, when all of a sudden they turned and came at me. What I didn't realize is that the captain was throwing bait around me! It freaked me out a bit - some warning would have been nice! The guide is known by one of the stingrays (who appeared after we got in) and the stingray came right up into his arms to be held and let us touch him.

We separated into two groups and set off to see if we could find a sea turtle. We found a few, but weren't able to get too close to them - they are amazingly fast under water! We saw a lot of different types of fish, too, with the guide pointing out them out and telling us what they all were called. Then it was back to the boat for lunch while we sailed to the third spot.

The final spot was AMAZING! Unfortunately, nobody brought or rented a waterproof camera so I don't have any pictures, but it was just like what you would see in a National Geographic film or in a tropical fish tank at an aquarium. There were large schools of fish, more rays, turtles, moray eels, sharks, barracudas ... it was awesome! There was also a lot more coral in this area, though most of it was grey and brown, the beautiful coloured and textured coral is in a different area of the reef. We got back on the boat and had ceviche with nachos and a LOT of rum punch was drunk. My stomach isn't a fan of the ocean, so I was avoiding the punch, but the rest of the group had a lot to drink on the way home!

We spend the rest of the evening relaxing on the island, watching the sunset and later hanging out at the reggae bar. The island isn't that big, so there aren't that many places to go.