Lighthouse Reef, Belize
Today is the last day of 2003, but certainly not the last day of our fun. We motored through the night to arrive at Lighthouse Reef just around sunrise. This beautiful atoll is beyond the protective barrier of the Mesoamerican Reef, and conditions are nearly perfect for a healthy coral reef community. Warm, clear water and the shallows that once surrounded an ancient island provide ideal habitat for numerous coral species and the reef fish associated with them.
We spent the entire morning ashore at Half Moon Caye, snorkeling, scuba diving and walking across the islet to a colony of nesting magnificent frigatebirds and red-footed boobies. Snorkelers swam over eel-grass beds and coral rubble to reach the patch reefs just offshore. Arriving there, they found schools of blue tangs and oceanic surgeonfish, several species of parrotfish, various damselfish vigorously defending their territories and the large “donkey dung” sea cucumber. In between snorkel outings, folks hiked the short distance to the bird colony, seeing ctenosaurs lazing in the branches above the trail and large land crabs scuttling by. At the nest site, there is an elevated viewing platform, enabling birdwatchers to see dozens of red-footed boobies, awkwardly perched in the trees, and several male magnificent frigatebirds with their scarlet throat pouches inflated.
During lunch and a siesta, the Sea Lion repositioned to Long Caye for our afternoon’s activities. Most folks snorkeled over the shallow reef fringing the caye, and got great looks at a variety of colorful reef fish. Two rounds of divers submerged at “The Aquarium” – an aptly named dive just at the edge of the reef. Hundreds of fish, representing dozens of tropical reef species, filled the water column. Fish with names like French angel, rock beauty, Creole wrasse, schoolmaster, fairy basslet, blue chromis, black durgon and the list goes on …
In short, it was an excellent way to ring out the old year. Now we’re all off to the beach for a bonfire and fiesta to ring in the new.
Today is the last day of 2003, but certainly not the last day of our fun. We motored through the night to arrive at Lighthouse Reef just around sunrise. This beautiful atoll is beyond the protective barrier of the Mesoamerican Reef, and conditions are nearly perfect for a healthy coral reef community. Warm, clear water and the shallows that once surrounded an ancient island provide ideal habitat for numerous coral species and the reef fish associated with them.
We spent the entire morning ashore at Half Moon Caye, snorkeling, scuba diving and walking across the islet to a colony of nesting magnificent frigatebirds and red-footed boobies. Snorkelers swam over eel-grass beds and coral rubble to reach the patch reefs just offshore. Arriving there, they found schools of blue tangs and oceanic surgeonfish, several species of parrotfish, various damselfish vigorously defending their territories and the large “donkey dung” sea cucumber. In between snorkel outings, folks hiked the short distance to the bird colony, seeing ctenosaurs lazing in the branches above the trail and large land crabs scuttling by. At the nest site, there is an elevated viewing platform, enabling birdwatchers to see dozens of red-footed boobies, awkwardly perched in the trees, and several male magnificent frigatebirds with their scarlet throat pouches inflated.
During lunch and a siesta, the Sea Lion repositioned to Long Caye for our afternoon’s activities. Most folks snorkeled over the shallow reef fringing the caye, and got great looks at a variety of colorful reef fish. Two rounds of divers submerged at “The Aquarium” – an aptly named dive just at the edge of the reef. Hundreds of fish, representing dozens of tropical reef species, filled the water column. Fish with names like French angel, rock beauty, Creole wrasse, schoolmaster, fairy basslet, blue chromis, black durgon and the list goes on …
In short, it was an excellent way to ring out the old year. Now we’re all off to the beach for a bonfire and fiesta to ring in the new.
