A Day on the Sea. Part II
During a recent trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize, an island off of mainland Belize, we went on a snorkeling/ fishing trip for a day with our guide Oliver, his assistant Alex and two other couples from Texas. As I shared in “A Day on the Sea. Part I: The Food,” the food was fresh and unforgettable. The rest of that day was just as memorable.
Packed with sun tan lotion and snorkel gear, we started early morning and headed to one of Oliver’s special places on the reef. By the way, the reef off shore in Ambergris Caye is part of a barrier reef that runs from the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, through Belizean waters, ending in Honduras. This 560 mile long reef, called the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, is the second largest barrier reef in the world, behind The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Cool huh?
Anyway, Oliver grew up in Belize and knows the Belizean section of the reef like the back of his hand. Many guides don’t even know of his special places or may not be willing to take you there. Soon after heading out is when we ran into the men spear fishing for lobster that I wrote about in “A Day on the Sea. Part I: The Food.”
After purchasing the lobster, we quickly headed for an area that Oliver knows manatee to frequent. Right after anchoring, he spotted a manatee. We quickly grabbed our snorkel gear and hopped in, but the manatee was already gone. The manatee soon came back, and we had the chance to swim alongside him for a few minutes.
Sorry for the lack of underwater pictures. Wish I had an underwater camera to capture what we saw. In addition to the manatee, there were many tropical fish, including a nurse shark or two. The coral formations were amazing as well. This reef is definitely one of the places to go if you’re into diving or snorkeling.
After snorkeling and fishing at a few different spots, we headed to a small, almost deserted island for lunch. It’s called Shallow Island, or something like that and is close to Caye Caulker, another small Caye off the coast of Belize. I don’t think any of us were expecting what came next. We all thought we’d go to a part of Caye Caulker and picnic on a beach some where but instead we were surprised with a Gilligan’s Island sort of place.
We were greeted by Kilo (hmmm…wonder where he got his name?) one of the resident dogs that lives part time of the island.
Isn’t he a cutie?
We unpacked and got to work making ourselves at home.
Here’s a view of one end of the island. The owner of the island has it set up for fly fisherman. That’s the hut/cabin for the fishermen.
And here’s the view looking toward the other end of the island.
A humble kitchen area…
Some hammocks. Shhh…it’s sleeping beauty.
Playing opossum. Sneaky sneak.
A potty…
A potty in paradise.
What a view for a potty, huh?
Our son, Hank (short for Henry) tried to fish, but thanks to Kilo he didn’t have much luck. Every time a big fish came around, Kilo would jump in after it.
Hank got on to Kilo and gave him a talkin’ to.
I know Hank. You just wanted to fish. But Kilo can’t help it.
He’s a fisherdog baby. That’s what he does. It’s instinctual.
As frustrated as Hank was, Kilo was one cool dog.
You’re one cool dog Kilo.
But wait! Look!
A shark!
And there goes Kilo!
Don’t worry, it’s only a nurse shark – think large catfish kinda mouth. They’re pretty harmless, although you wouldn’t want to get your hand stuck in one of their mouths.
But still, that’s one huge fish dawg.
Crazy dog.
We certainly enjoyed relaxing and exploring the island.
The sun was beginning to drop, so we packed up, made a quick stop by Caye Caulker for some ice cream, then back out on the water for one more quick dip to snorkel before heading back to our resort, Pelican Reef Villas. What a day!
On our return flight a few days later, we just happened to fly right over the teeny island.
I can’t believe I actually was able to capture it from the sky.
And I know Kilo is down there somewhere, probably jumping a barracuda.
Greg, from Pelican Reef Villas, where we stayed, recommended the day trip with Oliver. I’m so glad he did. It was well worth every penny.
Do you have any fun summer outings to share? Do tell.
Read MoreA day on the sea. Part I: The food.
We’re on vacation this week in Ambergris Caye, Belize. It’s such a beautiful place, with friendly people everywhere. Yesterday we took a snorkeling/fishing trip with our new friend Oliver (in red).
Or is it Denzel?
No, Oliver.
Denzel is that you?
Oliver? Or Doliver?
Anyway, he was quite charming, along with Alex. And don’t let Alex fool you with that Mickey Mouse hat on. He’s got skilz. Mad skilz. There were also two super nice couples from Texas ready for the day full of adventure. With hundreds of pictures documenting the day, this post will focus mainly on the food, which is always a good thing.
Our group left out early in the morning and soon ran into these guys spear fishing for spiny lobster.
Lobster season just opened a few days ago, so the waters are covered with small groups hunting for the lobster down below.
They paddled from a larger boat that we could hardly see in the distance, and, beginning at day break, began diving for the lobster. Unbelievably hard work. When we met up with them they had already been going at it for about 4 hours. Oliver called them over so we could take a peek at their catch.
Look at those beauties.
Whoa. What a boat load.
Oliver bought some for later.
Talk about fresh! That was so cool. We continued on to snorkel for a bit and fish.
The water was crystal blue.
The guys caught a few on board.
While they were fishing, Alex spear fished and brought in a hog fish (I think that’s what it’s called)…
More lobster…
And a few other fish.
It was getting close to lunch time, so we headed to a teeny tiny island, much like Gilligan’s Island, (which I can’t wait to tell you all about in another post) to break for lunch.
Alex prepared the lobster and fish.
He added seasonings. Oh, yeah, there was some chicken too. (I’ve got a picky eater.)
He was the man to have on hand.
The filleted fish were placed on the bottom, followed by the lobster, then all was topped with onions, peppers and more seasonings.
All the while, Oliver was getting the fire ready. He used coconut shells to start the flame.
And here’s the kitchen where it all came together.
The food was covered and steamed over the fire.
We all hung around waiting and watching these guys do their thing. Here are our fellow adventurers for the day, Mike, Jarod, Sheree (she’s Jarod’s wife) and Mandy (Mike’s spouse).
Nicer folks you won’t find. It was great fun.
In no time, lunch was ready. We feasted on coconut rice…
Lobster…yum!
And fish stew.
Fresh and tasty doesn’t even begin to describe it.
My hat’s off to Alex.
A mighty fine meal indeed. And a big thanks to Denzel, uh, Oliver for a great day on the water.
I can’t wait to share the rest of the outing with you.
Wish you were here!
Read MoreEleuthera, Bahamas – Freedom!
I have a secret.
Actually I vacillate from wanting to shout if from the rooftops, to not telling a soul. It’s our favorite vacation spot, Eleuthera. (Although we haven’t been since 2007.)
I hesitate to tell about it for 3 reasons:
1) We don’t want it to change.
2) I don’t want to sound snooty.
3) Everyone’s ideal of what makes a vacation great is different.
But I’m forging ahead.
(And for the record, I’m not snooty.)
Eleuthera is one of the out islands of The Bahamas. While it’s the next island east of Nassau, Eleuthera is worlds apart from the bustling, loud, touristy, cruise ship docking neighbor to the west.
Quiet and laid back you’ll find no amusement parts, little to no nightlife or mini golf on Eleuthera. Eleuthera is all about being in and around beautiful, crystal blue water that’s teeming with colorful sea life.
This is a giant starfish. Starfish, sea turtles and other creatures can be discovered all over the island.
Eleuthera is Greek for freedom – which is certainly what you feel when you’re there. We like to drive around and explore different beaches. For a small island Eleuthera offers quite a variety of things to see.
There are gorgeous coral and rock formations to explore on the windward side of the island.
A few minutes away by car you can be on the super calm leeward side with a completely different undersea vibe.
There’s everything from soft pink sand bottoms, to grass flats to pretty rock formations.
The people are wonderful too – friendly and eager to help you find those special fishing or snorkeling spots.
These gorgeous girls were friendly. Love those uniforms – they match the sea!
There’s very little crime on Eleuthera. The place has a real small town feel.
The crazy thing is for such a lovely place there are very few tourists.
You can drive your rental to one of the island’s most popular beaches, and if you see more than 10 people on a one mile stretch of pink sand, it’s a busy day.
Eleuthera is surprisingly affordable. We’ve found it to be less expensive or comparable to many vacation destinations in the U.S. And if you can redeem some of those airline miles like we did, all the better.
We’re hoping to get back to Eleuthera this summer. We’ll see.
And maybe I’ll run into you there as well. Hey, you never know, it’s a small world.
Do you have any favorite vacations destinations you can share? Do blue waters do it for you? Or do you like snow capped mountains? Maybe you like bustling city full of life?
