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