The Crystal Cave

I’d heard about Crystal Cave, also known as ‘Mountain Cow Cave’, through talking to other people and tour guides in Belize. ‘Ready for a challenge’ was one tagline, another was ‘For the experienced caver’. As I had done cave tubing twice, did a self guide in St Hermann’s Cave, repelled down a 300 foot cliff face outside a cave, and also experienced ATM, I was confident I could handle this one. I was intrigued with what was called ‘Wonderland’, the extra cave inside a cave with some incredible formations.

We started with a half hour trek in the jungle to the entrance of the cave. Once inside we left our backpacks, there were some tight squeezes to get through, some crawling and other tricky maneuvers to get through in the massive cavern. There was no man-made steps or handles. We had to use our own strength to climb up, down, sidewards and underneath some incredible formations. Each corner we turned they got more dramatic and elaborate. It was very cool to be in the cave with only my friend Ruaidhri and the guide. You could say we had a ‘spiritual experience’.

Wonderland was exceptional, unlike any cave formations I’d seen before. So intricate and beautiful. It’s wonderful to know that they have been forming slowly over thousands of years. Some of the formations were pure white, while others went from white to pink and back again. Just gorgeous.

See my pictures of Crystal Cave here….
Bridgette’s Flickr – Crystal Cave

See my other Flickr pictures here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Sets

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave

One of the major attractions in San Ignacio was a day trip to the fast becoming a must see for both caving and archeology fans. A vast cave known as Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM as it is known by travelers. I didn’t know too much going in, as I prefer to not expect too much. All I knew was that it was a wet cave and that there were a few tight squeezes.

I booked with local tour operators Mayawalk Tours and I must say the guide, ‘Aaron’ was really fantastic. Very informative and really created a visual for us to imagine the Mayan people in the caves. It was amazing to me to learn that all the archeological artifacts were original. The site has only been open to tourists for less than 20 years and the Belize have been able to stop looting and human erosion. I felt really quite privileged to be in a ‘Natural Museum’ as Aaron explained, it is like a record of 1000 years of Mayan history left behind for us to see.

The cave also had some really incredible natural limestone formations inside. Some pillars and of course, stalagmites and stalactites. As well as some especially evolved creatures like crabs, spiders and crickets, most of which were partly or completely blind.


See pictures of the cave here….
Google search - Actun Tunichil Muknal pictures

See my other Flickr pictures here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Sets

Tikal Mayan Ruins, Guatemala

Once leaving Caves Branch I decided to head to San Ignacio to do some day drips. On my list was Tikal, ancient Mayan ruins just over the border into Guatemala.

I took a day trip with local tour operators Mayawalk Tours. They helped us crossed the border without any hassles and took us to the ancient city ruins set in lush overgrown jungle. We learned that only 20% of the city has been excavated. Seeing each building was quite an adventure in itself, as we needed to take walk along trails in the jungle. Sometimes seeing Spider and Howler monkeys as well as native foxes.

Some of the pyramids and other buildings could be climbed, and it was a lovely view from the top of one of the largest buildings looking across the jungle and seeing the tops of 3 of the other tall buildings. I was reminded once back on the ground that this was the same scene that was used in the original Star Wars 'Episode 4 - A New Hope'.

Some of the buildings were partly excavated and party reconstructed to show tourists how the ancient ruins were when they were discovered, then excavated, and then repaired. It was interesting to see, but knowing that the buildings were reconstructed took away from the magic a little. It was very cool to see how the jungle took over to a point where the buildings were almost impossible to see. It could be just a mound of dirt to the untrained eye.

See my pics of Tikal here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Tikal

See my other Flickr pictures here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Sets

Belize Road Trip

During my sailing trip I realised that my next step was to hire a car and drive through inland Belize. I discovered that I could hire a car and leave it some other destination. I had an idea I wanted to see some jungle and some wildlife and caves as I’d heard Belize has some beautiful places to discover.

My first day, I set out from Placencia heading North to Hopkins, a small coastal town that was supposedly a favourite amongst backpackers. The road in from the Highway was terrible and the town didn’t seem much better. I left after driving around a few streets. This was the beauty of having the car. Very independent! I decide to head further North to Dangriga, which is South Belize’s largest town. By the time I got there I was so desperate to hear Vybz Kartel's Dance Hall Reggae hit Street Vybz. So my first stop was a CD shop where I stocked up on a bunch of Dance Hall ‘Best of’ compilations. I drove around Dangriga not very impressed, the streets smelt like cat piss and so did the hostel that I decided to stay at. I decided I’d stay until daybreak, then head west inland along the Hummingbird Highway.

Belize has another Blue Hole, this time surrounded by jungle. I decided to check it out. Surrounded by a dense rain forest and plenty of wildlife was the famous sinkhole. A little green due to the recent rainfall and Hurricane Harvey but still impressive. There was also an information centre quite close so I headed there and decided to go on a small 30 minute hike to St Hermann’s Cave. Walking along the walk track I saw a woodpecker, hummingbird, lizards, frogs and lots of butterflies. Entering the cave was quite surreal, coming over a small landing I could see mist rising from the depths. The smell was damp and fresh. I was on my own and slowly walked inside the massive hole in the ground closely hugging the rope to stop me from slipping in the mud that has formed due to the recent rain. Once inside I needed to turn on my headlight, the darkness quickly surrounded me and I was absolutely alone in this cavern of darkness.

Once I finished the self-guided tour, I decided that I would come back and go through the cave with a tube. I had done the cave tubing at Jaguar Paw the day I went to the Belize Zoo. I thought if it was half as amazing as that experience it would be worth doing. This cave tubing experience in St Hermann’s Cave was very impressive as well, although much more of an adventure as there was some strong currents to maneuver through and a little climbing inside the cave. A highlight was when the cave opened up and I saw hundreds of bats flying around the ceiling. Quite a sight!

On route to the cave I saw a sign for ‘Caves Branch’, and was reminded that someone had told me about a resort in the jungle close to the Blue Hole National Park. Again, the advantage of having the car came into play. I decided to back track and check it out. A mile or so off the highway and into dense forest, the well made pebble paths led me to an entrance of what was to become my temporary home for the next 3 days. A beautiful jungle resort besides a river. Accommodations ranged from campsites to bunks in shared cabins, to bungalows and tree houses. Each accommodation was nestled in the jungle in a way that was private and secluded. You couldn’t see any other cabin or cabana from your own. It was absolutely gorgeous to be surrounded by such a natural environment. Going to sleep at night was heavenly. Gentle frog croaks and distant crickets soothed me to sleep. In the morning I awoke to the signing of tropical birds.

The resort offered a plethora of adventure tours from Cave tubing to overnight jungle and cave exploring. I decided to do the early morning ‘Bird Watching’ which I saw some beautiful birds including Belize’s mascot, the Toucan.
I also strapped on some climbing gear and reclined down a 300foot vertical wall in the adventure filled ‘Black Hole Drop’ tour. This involved about a 90-minute trek in the jungle uphill in dense vegetation. The tour guide carried a machete, and needed to use it several times to cut a path through fallen trees and palms.
We reached the spot where we were to start our descent and we said hello to a beautiful big female tarantula who has taken up residency next to the rope lines. The hardest part of the recline is taking those first steps over the edge and seeing how high up you were with nothing to hang onto but the ropes and the harnesses the only thing supporting you. It was exhilarating!

Once at the base we had lunch and then made our way inside a huge cave. The rock formations were amazing. No photographs can capture the awesomeness of the scene. We were told that it is the second largest cave in Central America. That’s saying a lot as the whole of the region is honeycombed with hundreds, if not thousands of caves!

Once back at Caves Branch resort I decided to do the evening jungle trek which involved going for a 1 hour walk in the jungle surrounding the resort, with a guide and a torch and searching for animals. We saw a few frogs, some spiders and a small monkey. Nothing too exciting, but just being in the jungle at night was pretty exciting anyway.


See my pics of my adventure here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Belize Road Trip

See my other Flickr pictures here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Sets

3 Day Sailing Adventure

My time on Caye Caulker came to an end when I decided to take the 3 Day Sailing Adventure with Raggamuffin Tours. It was an all inclusive, island hoping adventure traveling South to Placencia through the gorgeous waters of the Barrier Reef just off Belize. Everything was provided, food, tents, mattresses, bedding and of course, Reggae music to groove to while sailing the calm crystal blue waters.

We started sailing from the dock in Caye Caulker at 9am on the Friday and arrived in Placencia 4pm on the Sunday. During the day we would sail, snorkel, sail, lunch, snorkel and island hop for the night. We slept in tents on the very tiny Rendezvous Caye the first night, and on a slightly larger resort island called Tobacco Caye on the second night.

The snorkeling was very nice although the visibility was fairly poor due to the storms that the area experienced the few days before we set sail, which made the waters quite blurry.

There were 12 of us as passengers and 2 Raggamuffin Crew, Captain Kimani, and Big Shane. There were a hand full of Australians, as well as English travelers, and a few Sweeds.

It was an amazing experience.

See my pics of my adventure here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Sailing Adventure

See my other Flickr pictures here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Sets

The Great Blue Hole

A lot of tourists come to Belize just to dive The Great Blue Hole. During my travels in Mexico I had spoken to various people about the dive and the general consensous was to not bother, there was not much to see and it is an expensive site to visit because you need to pay an entrance fee just to enter the marine park it resides in.

Seeing as I had already did a days worth of diving on the reef of Belize and I had been sitting around doing nothing for the best part of a week. My friend Andre said that he was diving at The Blue Hole so I decided, why not! I’ll go and check it out, at least then I can say ‘I’ve done it!’

The Great Blue Hole is a sink hole that started to form over 100,000 years ago when it was above sea level. Centuries of time formed stalactites and stalagmites of limestone until after the last ice age, sea levels rose and the sink hole became a perfectly round hole in the barrier reef just off Belize. The hole is over 300 metres (984 ft) across and 124 metres (407 ft) deep. The dive was to be a short but deep dive. The stalactites and stalagmites are at around 40 metres. It was to be my deepest dive yet. Most people get what is called ‘Nitrogen Narcosis’ once you get to 30 metres and beyond. A kind of underwater drunkenness that happens when your body is affected by the water pressure.

We descended into the darkness, a deep blue with no bottom in site. The wall inside was surreal, quite unlike anything I’ve seen. We sank to 40 metres to see the ancient formations. Bold and beautiful, the seemingly perfectly intact structures was quite something to see. I swam between a few of the massive pillars and back out again. Floating back to take in the scenery I felt like I was on another planet. There was a certain special feeling about the place, somewhat eerie and definitely otherworldly. I loved just taking in the overall scene of the darkness below me, the seemingly vertical wall. Perhaps I did have a mild case of Nitrogen Narcosis as I was feeling quite blissful in this world below.

As we started to ascend to around 20 metres, we started to see large dark slender formations swimming around us. They were Reef Sharks. They kept to a safe distance, but one did come to about five metres from me. They are just awesome to see. There was also some very large Groupers as we got closer to the surface.

I have to say I quite enjoyed the experience of diving The Great Blue Hole, and I’m glad that I had the opportunity to see what the fuss is about.

See more pics of The Blue hole here…
Great Blue Hole pictures

Hangin out on Caye Caulker

Once Ris, the friend I made during the Marine conservation project, left to head back to England, I decided to head back to Caye Caulker. I had met and befriended a lovely local who has invited me to stay at his place for a bit. I was happy to take up the offer. Staying on a tropical island in the Caribbean. Yes please!

The island is very slow moving place. On their town logo is even ‘Go Slow’. The town is very small, with a local population of about 1000 with a tourist population of about 2000. The main mode of transport on the island is golf carts and bicycles. Needless to say the air is clean and fresh. The waters are warm, I don’t even need a wetsuit to go diving. Days are hot and sunny, with a tropical downpour of rain every couple of days. The main industry here is tourism. The main feature being the Barrier Reef. One of the largest coral reefs in the world, second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The island is small and somewhat isolated. Therefore everything needs to be imported. I’m struggling with the food a little. Being vegetarian already makes it difficult enough as you have a menu selection of lobster done in a hundred ways. And then chicken with rice and beans, or, chicken with beans and rice. Apparently the two are different, but I’m yet to discover what the difference is. The luxury of fresh fruit and vegetables is rare and expensive here. Ingredients that you find in any grocery store in Australia are almost non-existent. I had to go to 5 grocery stores to find oyster sause. I’m yet to find any cheddar or tasty cheese that doesn’t look orange, and tofu, forget it!

Days are slow and the highlights of my day are taking a nice walk around the town centre. People are super friendly here, always saying hello as you pass each other.

See my other Caye Caulker pictures here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Caye Caulker

Belize Zoo and Cave Tubing

During our time in San Pedro there were plenty of day trips you could do. I spoke to a tour operator and asked what was the best tour on offer. He recommended the cave tubing and explained a little about it. It sounded like a fun day.

We started early and caught a water taxi from San Pedro to the mainland of Belize, and to Belize City, the country’s old capital. We were met by the tour operators Tuff E Tuff Tours, and drove for about an hour and we were at the Belize Zoo. To our delight we were the only ones doing the zoo tour so we had a guide to ourselves. There is nothing better than personal attention on a tour. The Belize Zoo has an interesting history. Back in 1983, a young woman was the animal handler for a documentary about Belize. Once the production finished she took on the role to care for the animals as they had been domesticated. She set up the zoo and used it as an educational base. The zoo also took in injured animals and started a breeding program for endangered species. All the animals now at the zoo have been injured, orphaned or born in captivity. Some animals are rehabilitated and set free but they have found that these animals return to the zoo on their own. It was lovely to see as well that the zoos enclosures were large, full of trees and places for the animals to hide. We soon discovered that sometimes it took several minutes to see the animals.

I was excited to see Ocelots for the first time. The smallest of the big cats with a short dappled coat. Absolutely stunning!

The most interesting (if not freaky) was the Howler Monkey. One prompt of a call from the tour guide and the monkey was off. It had an incredible howl that rang through the zoo treetops.

I also was lucky to handle a local boa constrictor. I love the feel of their pure muscle sliding over my skin.

After about an hour at the zoo, we were off to the second part of our day, Cave Tubing. A 20 minute walk in the jungle wearing our swimwear and holding a large inflatable tube we saw some interesting things along the way including Leafcutter ants and a Tarantula.

The start of the tube ride was a pond with a looming limestone wall that came up and over the pond. The formation was an incredible site. We could see the entrance of the cave as we swam in the crystal and cool waters of the river. We were greeted by a small group of people floating from upstream. Apparently you could float down the river for 6 hours. We were taking the 90-minute version.

Once we started on the tubes it was only a minute until we came across our first small rapids. It involved lifting yourself up so any rocks underneath us didn’t bruise you. Soon we were in the cave and it opened up to a huge space inside. Stalactites, stalagmites and crystal formations soon appeared and they took many shapes and sizes including Mary holding baby Jesus ‘Use your imagination!’ the guide said, a giant mushroom and a Toucan the Belizean animal mascot. Towards the end of the cave we saw some tiny bats that call the cave home. They were almost invisible stuck to the rock, only becoming visible once they flew.

It really was quite amazing to be inside a massive cave for an hour floating down a tube. Quite surreal!

See my other Zoo pictures here…
Bridgette’s Flickr – Belize mainland and zoo

Tarantula!

When I was on my diving Cenote adventure, I made my way to the bathroom and found a Tarantula against the wall. I realised after a few seconds that they were not poisonous and made my way back to our group to tell them. The dive instructor said ‘lets go get him’, and we walked back to the bathroom and looked for something suitable to move him/her out of the bathroom and back into the jungle. He coerced the spider into a small bucket and walked outside and placed him on the dirt. I managed to get some video footage of him making his way back towards the bathroom and towards a small dog that we intercepted. You can her my admiration for this beautiful creature, but also my shrieks of fear as it starts to quickly move towards me.


See my other Tarantula pictures here…
Bridgette Gower’s Flickr - Tarantula

Watch my Tarantula video here…
Tarantula!

Swimming with sharks

On Caye Caulker there was several diving and snorkeling trips you could do. The main one was a trip to the nearby reef to swim with Manatees (dugongs or sea cows), sharks and rays, and snorkel Hol Chan, a famous coral reef site.

The trip was recommended to us by a fellow volunteer at the GVI Project. He suggested Raggamuffin Tours as the company to book with. After speaking to them about the tour, we were convinced it was going to be a great day. Sailing in a 20-footer sailing boat for the day on the gorgeous Caribbean and swimming in a pristine Marine reserve with some incredible animals.

It was a stunning day, and soon there were 3 appropriately coloured boats, red, yellow and green (very Jamaican mon), with 20 people each on our way to experience some of the best snorkeling Belize has to offer.

The first stop off point was to see the Manatees, also known as dugongs or sea cows. Unfortunately we were the last boat to arrive and by the time we were in the water, the previous tour groups had frightened them off. Obviously this was disappointing, as I have never seen one in the wild before.

Next stop after a half hour sail was Shark Ray Alley. This was considered by most people to be the highlight of the day. Here in this Marine Reserve you can safely swim in a natural habitat with Nurse Sharks and Southern Stingrays. Regulations in place help keep this pristine environment looking beautiful and abundant with marine life. Emphasis was put on not touching the coral or the fish. AS soon as we arrived at the site we were greeted by hundreds of Horse-Eye Jacks, Crevalle Jacks and Almaco Jacks. Their numbers and friendliness was quite something to see from the boat. They reminded me of a leopard or cheetah, so slick and sporty, they dashed with incredible speed to snatch food that was being thrown to them from the boat. Soon we started to see sharks approaching the boat. It was time to get in, I couldn’t wait for the slow European tourists to put their masks on while they stalled in nervousness. Being the independent woman I am, I decided to jump off the other side of the boat and make my way to the sharks. Looking through the clarity of my mask I could see lots of sharks and rays. The water was only about 3 meters deep so I was able to duck-dive to the bottom for a few seconds and be with these beautiful creatures. I stayed in the water with them for about 30 minutes. FANTASTIC!

The next snorkel spot was Hol Chan. This was the most impressive snorkel site I have ever seen. The coral was very old and still very much in tact, which was great to see. There was plenty of juvenile fish here including some very cute Sergeant Majors and the illuminating Yellowtail Damselfish. An incredible delight to see, as they seem to sparkle like a little disco ball.

Also seen here were enormous black groupers, about 5 feet long. They were friends with a resident Green Moray Eel and a gorgeous Green Turtle.

See more pictures here…
Bridgette Gower’s Photostream – Swimming with sharks

Watch my video of swimming with sharks here…
Swimming with sharks

Moving onto Belize

After 6 weeks in Mexico I was ready for a change and a new beginning. Charissa Scott, a Welsh woman who was at the Marine conservation camp, and I decided to head there together to do some more diving and check out the local scene.

We decided to cross the border via water taxi from Chetemal. Immediately we discovered Belize was a VERY friendly place. The language is English which made it instantly easier for us to mingle with the locals.

Our first stop, after a very easy immigration and customs process was San Pedro. We only had an hour here but that was enough time to walk around the streets and realise that we wanted to come back here. We caught the boat for the second leg of our trip to Caye Caulker.

We found some lovely beach cabanas and decided to stay for three nights. This little gorgeous island is a tourist mecca. There are no cars on the island and most people get around on push bikes or ride in golf carts. The logo for Caye Caulker has a tagline “Go Slow”, and we soon understood what that meant, when we sat down for our first meal. The service is very casual, often taking a half hour before you get any attention for ordering your meal. Then about an hour before you eat.

The main attraction to the island (Caye) is the water activities. You are spoiled for choice for diving, snorkeling, para sailing etc. We decide to go on a dive out to the outer reef with Belize Diving Services. From 4 operators we spoke to, they seemed the best equipped and professional.

On route to the dive site we did have a number of dolphins riding our the bow of the boat. The diving itself was nice, but there was very little that I hadn’t seen before. There was quite a number of Southern Stingrays though, and the fish seemed very relaxed around divers. We had some very friendly barracudas and a HUGE Green Moray Eel, about two meters long with a head the size of a basketball.

Watch the dolphins riding the bow of our diving boat here…
Dolphins Belize

See more pictures of Caye Caulker here...
Bridgette's Photostream - San Pedro

Diving Cenotes

If you are a diver and you come to Mexico, high on the list of things to do is to dive in a Cenote. A Cenote is basically an underground cave, that is full of water. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands here and can offer a very different diving experience.

The closest and the best (so our dive leader told us) to Playa del Carmen is that of Cenote Chac Mool .

Walking into the jungle with my diving gear and two full wetsuits was a strange experience. I was quickly getting very hot in all this gear and the immense heat. But once I got into the water I could see why the two wetsuits were needed. It was COLD!!

The cenotes are fresh water on the surface, and at some depths that water is salty. The density keeps the salty water at the bottom. Seeing the layers of the different waters is something extraordinary to see and they call this the Halocline zone. It is almost like going into another dimension or timeshift like in Stargate. Almost impossible to capture on film it really is something one needs to experience first hand.

During the dive we surfaced in an air pocket to see stalagmites, stalactites and tree roots. There was a small amount of fresh water fish in the cenotes and we also saw a crayfish. Sometimes you could see beams of sunlight coming into the fresh water and you could see thru to trees above in some patches.

See more pictures here…
Bridgette Gower’s Photostream – Diving Cenotes

Diving in Cozumel

“Some of the best diving in the world” is what I have heard about Cozumel. It was made famous by Jacques Cousteau when he visited here in 1960 and introduced the world to the amazing corals and tropical fish on Palancar Reef. I had high expectations. I was not disappointed.

A bottlenose dolphin greeted us as we entered the area, and once we stopped at the dive site there was a loggerhead turtle basking on the surface.

Once descended I was immediately impressed with the absolute beauty of the reef. Large colourful coral and fish enmasse lured me in. Within 2 minutes of the dive, we saw a Nurse Shark. I was also very happy to see a pair of Scrawled Filefish, which was on the target fish species on the Marine Conservation Project, but didn’t see one. Also on the target fish list was the beautiful Sargassum Trigger, a massive Goliath Grouper, about 4 foot long, and the very elusive Queen Parrotfish. Also quite prevalent on the reef, unlike at Punta Gruesa were Queen Angelfish.

About a third of my way through the first dive I became incredibly thankful of all my diving training when the cap of my regulator broke and I found I was breathing water. I quickly yanked out my secondary air source hose and started to breath again. Yes, I was in Mexico! But this kind of thing can easily be avoided by diving companies if gear is maintained regularly. Needless to say, all the other divers and the staff were not impressed with the equipment I hired. Neither was I and I was sure to complain once I returned the gear.

My diving continued without any other problems and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The current was quite strong and I enjoyed the feeling of flying over the reef. I saw many lobsters hiding away in caves, some lovely big Midnight Parrotfish, and Ocean Triggerfish.

I was really impressed with the diving here. It’s going to be really hard to top.

Tulum Ruins

A visit to the Tulum ruins was to be my first visit to any of the many ancient Mayan ruins that graced Mexico, Middle and South America. My first impression of them was that the Mayan royalty and people of power must have lived a very lovely life. The location of Tulum is absolutely stunning with a wealth of natural beauty.

The site of the ancient ruins has been kept as natural as possible. Unlike many ancient sites that have become so commercial and ruined by tourism, Tulum remains relatively unscathed.

It took about 2 hours to walk slowly around the site, stopping to pose for a few pictures here and there as well as having a little swim in the gorgeous beach that the Mayans would have used.

See more pics here…
Bridgette’s Flickr Photostream – Tulum Ruins

Swim with Whale Sharks

On our first day off after completing our Marine Conservation Project, Charissa & I decided to swim with Whale Sharks. After visiting several dive shops and speaking to a few people to get a sense of the experience we decided to book with an Eco Tour Group who emphasized conservation and protection of these beautiful creatures.

Swimming with Whale Sharks has been a dream of mine for many years and this was the first time I have been in the right place at the right time to see them. I quickly learned that I had timed it perfectly. Yesterday they saw 20 sharks!

Whale Sharks congregate here during May to September to filter feed on plankton and other small marine creatures. Swimming with them was a major business in and around the Caribbean. When I heard at first that there was going to be 50 boats a day visiting the sharks I was concerned that it was a huge invasion of their behavior and felt bad about my decision to do it. I also knew that in some countries they have them in aquariums, which I believe is a disgusting abuse of this magnificent animal. It reminded me that seeing them in their natural state was far better than seeing them in an aquarium.

We arrived in Cancun to the boat that would take us 1-hour north. There were 10 of us plus 2 dive leaders in the boat. We were briefed on the rules for the day which included only 2 people at a time would swim with the shark, not touching the shark, staying 2 metres from the sharks head and 4 metres from the sharks tail. I was happy to adhere to these rules. Even though these are gentle giants, they could certainly inflict some damage if you were too close to the tail, or the head, however they don’t really have teeth that would cause much damage. We were also given a short lecture about the Whale Shark explaining their anatomy, diet, behavior and habitats.

After only 20 minutes in the boat, other operators in the area had passed on coordinates via the radio. We were not far away. It was only minutes and we slowed the boat to 1 or 2 knots. It was then we started to see evidence of the sharks by their dorsal fin and tail swimming the waters surface. We soon realised that there was probably at least 50 sharks here, perhaps more. The boats were very spread out, kilometers apart, and there were sharks without boats next to them. Happy Days! I didn’t feel so bad about invading their territory.

Our first encounter was an extreme close-up look at one shark came alongside our boat and proceeded to go directly underneath the bow. Incredible!

My first swim, I decided to just go solo, leaving the camera behind so I could just enjoy the experience. I found myself quickly next to the shark and swimming at a furious pace in order to keep up. Adrenaline was pumping hard from excitement! Swimming with this creature was surreal. At least 5 times the length of my body, a head as wide as I am tall, and whose tail is taller than I am, this enormous animal swam with such grace and elegance. I had a good 5-minute swim before I was completely exhausted and stopped so the boat could pick me up.

The second swim, I decided to take my camera and try out the new housing I bought for the occasion. We got in the water and swam furiously towards the shark, but this one was too fast for us to catch up with and we never got more than 4 meters from the tail.

Our 3rd and final swim was by far the best and longest. A whole seven and a half minutes right alongside a huge slow swimming male. I got so close I could have touched and at one point I was only centimeters away when he changed course I was just above his pectoral fin. I kept up with his head for a time, then allowed myself to drop back alongside and went behind the tail, then came up on the other side and up to the head again. I watched him as he swam mouth agape scooping up plankton and fish roe off the surface of the water. He even had a few small fish riding the bow in front of his enormous mouth. Underneath him were a few remoras enjoying the ride.

What an experience! At the very end of the swim, I dropped back to wait for Charissa to join me so we could get back on the boat. She pointed to something in the water. A marlin was following the shark. What a bonus!

On the return trip we spoke to the dive leader and he estimated that there was probably over a 100 sharks there that day. AMAZING!!

Watch my video here...
Whale Shark encounter in Mexico

See more pictures here...
Bridgette’s Flickr Photostream – Whale Shark Swim

Giant Iguanas

On Banco Chinchorro we were greeted by several friendly Giant Iguanas.

Marine Expedition Base Camp Week 5 – final week

Week five on the Marine Conservation Project was all about practicing the monitoring procedure to start collecting data. It was at this point that many of us that signed on for the five week project, came to realize that it was unlikely that our efforts would achieve data collection that would be sent on to the Amigos de Sian Ka’an, A.C. (ASK) and the University of Quintana Roo. This was due to the strict guidelines in order to ensure the collation of data was accurate. Knowing this was a little disappointing, however after discussions with staff and a conclusion lecture about what our 5 weeks meant assured us that we didn’t waste our time. Incidental sightings of mega fauna, like turtles, sharks and rays that we collected that would be sent on. Also we recorded any sighting of lionfish, as their numbers have become a big problem in the Caribbean. It was explained that our project is the only group that participates in bird monitoring in the whole of Mexico’s state Quintana Roo. We also did weekly beach cleans that we collected information on different types of rubbish and quantities. This information was all sent onto different relevant bodies.

I can safely say though, if nothing else, my diving has improved so much that I am now very confident at depths over 20 metres, am using less air while diving and almost perfect buoyancy which means that I am unlikely to damage any coral while diving due to touching or grazing the reef. Other skills of setting up our own gear daily, using compressors to fill the tanks, and being on the base radio were all great skills to have. Above everything else, it is absolutely wonderful to know now what kinds of fish species I am looking at when I’m diving. It makes it so much more exciting when you know it’s something rare that you are seeing.

On the Wednesday of week 5, I had my 50th dive. A friend of mine, Charissa Scott from Wales, also had her 50th dive a week before but didn’t get the chance to celebrate it. So we took it upon ourselves to celebrate it by doing a naked dive! Now this in itself was also a chance to improve our skills underwater. We got into the water with a bikini and all of our SCUBA gear on, then descended to 12 metres where one at a time, disconnected our BC (Buoyancy Control) vests so we could remove our bikini. Then holding our purpose made signs strategically placed, we took photos. Stylin!

The remainder of the week was fun diving and I had some beautiful dives in which I saw a Scrawled Cow Fish and some African Pompano. Very cool to see!

The last day or two was bitter sweet, knowing that I would be now moving on to do some solitary traveling and starting my own adventures, but leaving behind a great group of people and some great friends I have made while on the project.

On the whole I thought the project was fantastic and all the staff were inspiring in different ways. I am very impressed with GVI as a well-run international company with a fantastic philosophy and amazing partnerships.

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Bridgette’s Flickerstream of Punta Gruesa

Marine Expedition Base Camp Week 3 & 4

Week three and four on the Marine Conservation Project was spent continuing the fish spots with the adult and juvenile species, but now we also needed to size each fish to the accuracy of 1cm. This seems like a fairly easy process however it is a little difficult as water magnifies the fish. After a few sessions I found my accuracy was almost perfect. Next step was to start monitoring. This is when things got quite tricky.

Imagining floating at a constant depth of about 15 meters, only using your breath to maintain buoyancy, holding a one-meter T-bar in front of you to count fish in a 2 meter cubed box, navigating a perfect straight line for 30 metres using a compass while being swayed gently with the current, and holding an A4 slate with various species of fish listed on it, then recording a tally of the fish species and size as you swim slowly along the 30 meter transect line. Hearing it is one thing, doing it is a whole set of challenges all wrapped together. The first time I tried the transect I felt quite overwhelmed. The second time however, I felt much more comfortable and a lot more confident that I could actually collect some data that could be used for the research of the biodiversity of the coral reef.

Some of the highlights while diving during week two and three were seeing Nurse Sharks, turtles, Southern Stingrays, Spotted Eagle Rays, Tarpons and Barracuda.

Some days ended up being non diving days due to weather. On these days we had lectures on Mangrove, lagoon and reef ecosystem relationships, Taxonomy and First Aid.

On our day off on week 3 a group of us decided to goto the Northern hemispheres largest coral atoll called Banco Chinchorro to do some diving and check out the giant iguanas and crocodiles on the island. It was a 2 hour boat ride from Mahuahal in choppy seas. As we got close to the island we were greeted by a pod of about 20 dolphins. They stayed with us for about 5 minutes, riding the bow of the boat and swimming besides us, jumping out of the water. It was a lovely surprise and everyone was very excited to see them. Some people seeing dolphins for the first time. It was a lovely reminder that it is so much nicer to see dolphins in their natural environment rather than in a place like Sea World. The diving at Banco Chinchorro was lovely. The coral was extensive and regularly we would see single pieces of coral and sponges that were bigger than us. On the dive we saw a Spotted Batfish, a nurse shark, Loggerhead Turtle, as well as heaps of Parrotfish, Wrasses and even saw a few Spotted Trunkfish.

Towards the end of week four I had an amazing dive with bunch of Barracuda, walking back into shore I was stung by a stingray in the foot. The pain was intense and felt like a stinging ache in shot in waves in my foot sending it into spasms. The treatment was to immerse my foot in scalding hot water. NOT FUN! Pain subsided in about 90 minutes luckily. I'm bruised at the point of entry. The pain disappeared completely and I was left with a small bruise which I still have now 4 days later. No current problems with the wound. I’m now waiting for my stingray superpowers to metamorphasise!

I just had an awesome snorkel with giant puffer fish, 4 squid, lots of surgeon fish, trumpet fish and juvenile damsels. One squid hung around us for a good few minutes then flashed translucent and inked right in front of us! So cool to see that right in front of you!


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Bridgette Gower’s Photostream

Marine Expedition Base Camp Week 2

After a day and a half time off in the nearby peaceful town of Mahuhual, I had my antihistamines and cortisone cream supplies ready for round two with the Mosquitoes and Bastard flies. I felt confident I could combat them his time.

Having already passed my fish identification exam early in Week 1, I was well on my way to starting the fish monitoring program. This program has been setup with Amigos of Sian Ka’an for the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and the University of Quintana Roo to monitor the fish numbers in the area to record how their numbers have been affected by tourism, local fishing and other impacts. The data collected is part of a long-term research project spanning several years. There are 70 fish that are on the initial target list ranging from Parrotfish, Snappers, Grunts, Groupers, Triggerfish, Butterfly Fish, Angel Fish, Filefish and Barracudas. We also report any mega fauna such as dolphins, stingrays and turtles. Although we are yet to see dolphins, I have seen two Leatherback Turtles and a Bull Ray. One diving group saw a massive two meter Spotted Eagle Ray the largest they have reported. We are also counting the number of Lionfish seen as they have become a pest in the area and their numbers are getting out of control. They will predate on any breed of fish and they have no predators in the area. Such a shame to view such a beautiful and highly evolved fish as a pest!

Once I had done two or three trainee fish spots with an instructor, it became evident that the majority of fish on the reef were Ceaser Grunts and French Grunts. You would often see them swimming in large schools, sometimes with Blue Stripped Grunts. On most dives you would see a range of Parrot fish, including the Princess Parrot, Redband Parrot, Stoplight Parrot and Striped Parrot. Occasionally we saw the huge Midnight Parrot and the Rainbow Parrot, at about a metre long. Awesome! Also seen regularly is the very cool Black Durgan, part of the Triggerfish Family. A stunning fish with Dorsal and Anal fins that move from side to side like vertical wings. One of the nicest to be around are the Grey and French Angelfish, always swimming in pairs, can grow to about 20-30cm long and are quite friendly, often coming right up to divers and staring us in the eye, then just hanging around while we continue to look around.

My fish spot dive records are at 100%, so now it’s time to learn the Juvenile fish list! Some of the juveniles are on the adult list and they look completely different. Plus there is a whole range of Wrasse’s and Damselfish we need to learn, as well as the Banded Coral Shrimp and the Long Spine Sea Urchin.

The weather turned bad during Week 2, and we had to goto Plan B for two days. This meant catching up on Lectures on Ecology of the reef, Threats to the reef and Coral. Also it meant time on some base activities such as a beach cleanup, convincing me completely that plastic is humans gift of cancer to planet earth. The amount of eroded broken off small pieces of plastic lying on the beach is truly disgusting and it is killing our marine life as many of them mistake it for food.

Also there was time for some beach volleyball, swimming, snorkeling and laying around in hammocks. Nice!

The last part of week two was not so pleasant for me as I got some kind of stomach bug and was making many visits to the toilet and many visits to the floor as I was regularly feeling faint. I decided to ride it out in the Hotel Nationale in Mahuhual for a day and then continue with my day off here. Once I got enough strength to stand up I looked at my legs and discovered that whilst in my comatosed state, the flies and mosquitoes used me as an all you can eat buffet and feasted on my legs. Up till this point, I was winning round 2, but they got the best of me in my weakest hour.

As I am typing this, feeling a lot better and have my strength back, off to Chetumal on the border of Belize tomorrow for some much desired supplies like more cortisone cream and mosquito repellent, (not sure if it helps that much) tofu, cordial, chocolate and olives.

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Bridgette Gower’s Photostream

Marine Expedition Base Camp Week 1

The GVI staff met us at the Hotel Colorado and we were briefed on some basics on safety procedures and general information. My first impressions of GVI were that they were very organized and do things by the book following strict procedures, rules and regulations. It was very impressive.

A 5 hour bus trip South to Mahahual and then a taxi ride to the base camp. My first impressions of the camp was that it was isolated, serene, beautiful…. But very basic conditions. Our cabins are basic bungalow type structures with thatched roofs and bunk beds. A sand floor, with limited storage meant that a hammer and nail was quickly sought to create some makeshift hangers for clothes and other items. Mosquito nets were essential as we very quickly discovered. Most people started getting bitten straight away from the local parasite ‘Bastard Flies’. Appropriately named as people say ‘Bastard!!’ when they bit you. Sometimes welts about 5cm across would appear. We were all quickly covered from head to toe in bites and quickly learned the ‘Punta Gruesa dance’, waving arms and legs about constantly to avoid any bugs landing on us. The camp runs on minimal electricity provided by solar panels. There is no electricity in the cabins and it is really only used for absolute essentials. We are allowed 1 ‘army style’ showers every 4 days. So we are turning water off when not using it, and standing over a bucket to collect the water to flush the toilets. That’s right, no flushing toilets, only bucket flushing! It’s amazing how one can adapt to such a simple life!

Participants in the Marine exhibition were assigned to either Fish or Coral. Mine was fish, and I have to say I’m very happy about. After getting the textbook ‘Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas’, I was overwhelmed and concerned that I would not be monitoring until the last week of the exhibition. So I decided to knuckle down in the first 48 hours and study the fish. I had to learn 70 fish by Family and Species. After several revision and flash card sessions I decided to take a test and got 85%. ‘Not bad for a first test’ the scholars said. So I madly studied for another 24 hours and then decided to have another test. 98%. Success!! A pass was 95%. The next step was to start identifying the fish underwater which was a whole other ball game because guess what…. Fish move!! Sometimes you only get a glance and they’ve hidden under a rock. The way this was practiced underwater was we would dive with a staff member, they would point to a fish and we would write it down on our slate and either give us the ‘Ok’ or ‘think again’ signal. I managed to get most of them correct although I was having problems with differentiating between Blue Striped Grunts, Caesar Grunts, and Grey Snappers. Apparently this is very common at first and to the untrained eye, you would understand why. They all look the same! By my third ‘Fish Spot’ dive I was getting 100%.

I’ve now declared war on the bugs and are constantly wearing long pants and long shirt and always wearing insect repellent and burning citronella coils.

Daily life at the base involves getting up at 5.45am ready for chores or duties at 6am that rotate on a daily basis between Kitchen – cooking, cleaning and preparing the Palapa (eating area), Communal – cleaning toilets and bathrooms, Grounds – raking the sand on the base to stop sand flies breeding, and Boats – preparing the boats and dive shop for the day ahead. I must say having done all the duties that I enjoyed the kitchen duties the best, and everyone else seemed to enjoy me being on kitchen as we received a lot of compliments on our days cooking as well as a camp acknowledgment of a ‘Michelin Star’ for outstanding achievements on duties! All that Galley experience on the Sea Shepherds ships obviously came in very handy!

The first week went by fairly quickly and a lot of it was understanding how the camp runs. Whenever you are not diving there are other volunteer duties on base that are required in order for the day to run effectively. They include Radio – a CB radio setup, for the boats so that they are in contact with the base. As well as Compressor – to fill the diving tanks with air so we can dive. If you are not on a particular duty you can relax and enjoy the surroundings. Although there isn’t really much time for this as there is always something to do to help out.

Our first day off came fairly quickly but certainly we all felt as though we could do with a break from the bugs and would love to have a proper shower and sleep somewhere, which had a floor and clean sheets! I have befriended a group of the older crowd from the exhibition and we decided to head into the local town of Mahahual for the night. We found a very cute little hotel on the beach with some lovely cabins and a lovely Texan owner who gave us a GVI discount and some very handy info about the town. Free Wifi, allowing me to catch up on my Internet, Skype and phone time, as well as upload photo’s onto my laptop etc.

So tonight we head back to camp after getting some washing done, restocking on some much needed pharmaceuticals (mainly to combat mosquitoes and bastard flies) and another set of long sleeve pants and top for round 2 of the war on mosquitoes.

Cancun & Playa del Carmen

On arrival and check in at Sydney airport I quickly learned that I got a complimentary upgrade due to some mix up with putting me into a group booking. Lovely! So I had a lovely window seat in Premium Economy and sat next to a nice old man who helped me find blankets and pillows and ignored me for the next of the flight. A Stilnox tablet after lunch and I was out for the majority of the flight and quickly arrived in Dallas/Fortworth, Texas. A quick transit through the airport and back to another gate and another plane due for Cancun, Mexico.

On arrival in Cancun I anticipated being met by a nice young Mexican, smartly dressed in uniform, holding a sign with my name. Ideally he would escort me to a nice car that would chauffeur me to the Hilton. Alas, my fantasy was just that, and there was no one holding a sign with my name on it, nor a sign for the Hilton. I stood around the waiting area for minute or so, obviously looking quite lost because I had plenty of Mexicans asking me if they were going where I was going. Eventually a man came walking around and I heard a version of my name being spoken, something like ‘Gover, Gover’. “Yes… Gower’ I said, he showed me to his van. Lesson 1: Don’t expect too much from Mexico.

I arrived at the Hilton and had my first Mexican meal. Chicken Fajitas and a Margarita! Nice! Life was good! The next day I decided to go to the nearest phone company where I could arrange a Mexican SIM card. Tel Cel was suggested as the phone company. AUS $14 got me a SIM card and AUS $40 got me 3GB/1 month of data. Pretty good really! They even set it all up for me and made sure it was in English and everything before I left the shop! Sweet! I was now connected to the world via Facebook. I spent the next couple of hours checking out the shops at the shopping centre La Isla, and had some lunch, Chicken Burrito and a Margarita – Yum!!

Cancun, is very touristy, specifically developed for the American tourist market. Not my cup of tea really, as I suspected, but I was ok to visit for a couple of days. Next stop Playa del Carmen, an hour South down the Yukatan Peninsula. I caught a cab into the centre of Cancun to the main bus station, then catching a bus to Playa. It was a fairly easy process, even with basic Spanish.

My first impression of Playa del Carmen is that again it was very touristy, and quite similar to Kuta, Bali. Perhaps it’s the proximity to the beach. I decided to be brave and chance it with a very local restaurant as I was starving and couldn’t be bothered to look for something decent. I quickly learned that they didn’t speak any English and also, I didn’t speak any Spanish, because everything I thought I was saying was promptly greeted by a blank stare! At least they were smiling.

That afternoon I succumbed to a climate change cold, and started to feel quite exhausted and stuffed in the sinuses. I took it pretty easy and didn’t do too much but hang out at the very cute little Hotel Colorado.

The next day I thought I would brave the heat and head to Walmart to get the last of my supplies before I head to the GVI base. On the way I detected an Australian accent and got talking to some Aussie guys. One of them lived in Playa running his own business and the other was traveling. Finding my supplies in Walmart I was waiting in the checkout and felt suddenly quite ill. I realized I was going to pass out and I put my head down to try and get some blood to it. Nope, that wasn’t enough, I had to sit down. So I did, right at the checkout. I almost lost consciousness and couldn’t talk. People around me were helping me and got me a cold drink and some smelling salts. Then a wheel chair! Drama! They wheeled me out of the checkout area and I managed to pay and get my supplies without speaking. They then wheeled me out and got me next to the ice machine and gave me some ice to cool me down. I eventually gathered enough strength and was able to walk out of there unassisted. Whoa! That wasn’t fun! I think it was a combination of my low blood pressure, the heat, my cold and exhaustion from preparing to leave Australia.

Later I met up with some other girls who were also staying at the Hotel Colorado, and who were also going on GVI expeditions. We decided to go and have dinner down on the main street of Playa Del Carmen and check out the local scene. Lots of men walking around with guitars wanting to sing to you for a tip. Street hawkers trying to lure you into their shops to spend much needed Pesos. Playa is very touristy and completely aimed at tourists, mainly American, on their annual summer break, catching a bit of sun. Plenty of diving operators and tour operators. We saw a man with two lion cubs, luring people in for photos then asking for a tip. I hate to think what the future is for those beautiful creatures. : ( Also a man with very cute little monkeys and iguanas.

We checked out a few touristy shops and headed back to the hotel. The GVI staff were going to meet us at the hotel at 7am to take us to the Marine Exhibition base camp.