Manatee River and Goff’s Cay
Some awoke more refreshed than others with recollections of a year just past. There was little time for reflection before we were on Zodiacs headed for the Manatee River. Kayaks had been set up along the beach and were soon full of guests quietly slipping into the murky waters of a huge saltwater estuary.
The stilt-like legs of red mangroves lined the river channels where we slowly cruised along, searching every ripple. “There one is...oops, never mind, just a fish.” It requires a bit of patience to find and observe manatees. Although the largest ones can get to be 3000 pounds, all of that bulk is below the murky water and not more than an occasional pair of nostrils appears at the surface. It’s not the nostrils that are so intriguing but the animal attached to them. Manatees are vegetarians, consuming up to 60 species of aquatic plants with the aid of prehensile lips that can wrap around and manipulate vegetation. They eat about 7% of their body weight per day while cruising around in these lagoons and in more open water. After 1/2 hour or so, most of our guests saw one or more of the five that were near us. Belize has a population of between 350 to 700 West Indian manatees, making it an excellent place to view these mammals that are the size of compact cars. Our Video Chronicler, Kevin Hughes, caught this most fantastic shot. It is always thrilling to see the flukes of a whale thrown into the air with water cascading down. Rarely do most people have a chance to see the tail of a manatee do the same thing. This individual has a nick in the left side of the paddle-shaped tail, but it clearly shows the water rolling off in a stream.
Our afternoon was spent enjoying the beach at Goff’s Caye. This location allows snorkelers to swim from the beach out onto one of Belize’s famed reefs. There was also an outing of scuba divers that dropped down into another reality of coral and fish. This caye is one to remember. It has a tiny patch of sand, a few coconut palms, and a line of crisp white breakers outlining the coral reef. That is the scene that surrounded us as the sun set among towering cumulous clouds glowing with the orange and greys of a perfect sunset.
Some awoke more refreshed than others with recollections of a year just past. There was little time for reflection before we were on Zodiacs headed for the Manatee River. Kayaks had been set up along the beach and were soon full of guests quietly slipping into the murky waters of a huge saltwater estuary.
The stilt-like legs of red mangroves lined the river channels where we slowly cruised along, searching every ripple. “There one is...oops, never mind, just a fish.” It requires a bit of patience to find and observe manatees. Although the largest ones can get to be 3000 pounds, all of that bulk is below the murky water and not more than an occasional pair of nostrils appears at the surface. It’s not the nostrils that are so intriguing but the animal attached to them. Manatees are vegetarians, consuming up to 60 species of aquatic plants with the aid of prehensile lips that can wrap around and manipulate vegetation. They eat about 7% of their body weight per day while cruising around in these lagoons and in more open water. After 1/2 hour or so, most of our guests saw one or more of the five that were near us. Belize has a population of between 350 to 700 West Indian manatees, making it an excellent place to view these mammals that are the size of compact cars. Our Video Chronicler, Kevin Hughes, caught this most fantastic shot. It is always thrilling to see the flukes of a whale thrown into the air with water cascading down. Rarely do most people have a chance to see the tail of a manatee do the same thing. This individual has a nick in the left side of the paddle-shaped tail, but it clearly shows the water rolling off in a stream.
Our afternoon was spent enjoying the beach at Goff’s Caye. This location allows snorkelers to swim from the beach out onto one of Belize’s famed reefs. There was also an outing of scuba divers that dropped down into another reality of coral and fish. This caye is one to remember. It has a tiny patch of sand, a few coconut palms, and a line of crisp white breakers outlining the coral reef. That is the scene that surrounded us as the sun set among towering cumulous clouds glowing with the orange and greys of a perfect sunset.
