Half Moon Caye, Lighthouse Reef
Our morning started with calm seas at the south western edge of Belize’s furthest eastern reef. As we finished breakfast the ship anchored on a large shallow patch of sand. Looking over the side of the ship the color of the water was turquoise as the bright sun reflected off the bottom and passed through the clear warm water. Gathering up our snorkel equipment, cameras, and binoculars we boarded Zodiacs for a ride across the southern end of Lighthouse Reef to Belize’s first national park, Half Moon Caye. Progressing toward the island, one’s dreams of the perfect tropical paradise became more and more evident. It did not take long after landing for the first snorkelers to get into the water and swim slowly in search of coral and associated wildlife. Others decided first to walk along the coconut palm-lined shore and into the ziricote forest to view the colony of nesting seabirds. A 20 foot high platform was constructed by the park to give people literally a bird’s eye view of the nesting red-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. Some people lingered at the platform in order to observe the behavior of these beautiful birds. Nearby we could look into the nest of a booby and see a small fluffy youngster begging for food. Across the shrub tops there were frigatebirds in various stages of nesting. Bryan remained on the platform during the morning to talk with people about the behavior and ecology of these birds. At one point we observed a struggle between a booby and a frigatebird. The reason for the confrontation was not determined, but for a while it looked like one or the other could be damaged. Fortunately there was no injury and the bustle of the colony continued.
Back at the beach the snorkeling continued in earnest. Water clarity was unlimited and fish abundance was spectacular. A small octopus swam almost at some of our feet in the very shallow water near the landing. A great variety of fish and coral was there to be seen and observed at our leisure. Some people snorkeled then walked quietly along the beach or inland. Others sat in the shade of a palm to catch up on a novel they had meant to be reading but had been too busy on the previous days to even to finish one page. The morning was relaxing and rewarding. Everyone stayed until it was time to return to the Sea Lion for lunch.
In the afternoon because the wind had suddenly kicked up we decided to move to a spot we hoped would be protected at the very southern end of Turneffe Reef. By mid-afternoon there was a scouting Zodiac searching for an appropriate snorkel site. Many people took this last opportunity to see the fish and reef of Belize. A light current passed along the outer edge of the reef so we snorkeled and drifted toward the anchored zodiac. This final outing was a grand finale to our time on the Sea Lion and as the sun dropped below some distant clouds, the final recap included a couple of video segments filmed by our undersea specialists.
Our morning started with calm seas at the south western edge of Belize’s furthest eastern reef. As we finished breakfast the ship anchored on a large shallow patch of sand. Looking over the side of the ship the color of the water was turquoise as the bright sun reflected off the bottom and passed through the clear warm water. Gathering up our snorkel equipment, cameras, and binoculars we boarded Zodiacs for a ride across the southern end of Lighthouse Reef to Belize’s first national park, Half Moon Caye. Progressing toward the island, one’s dreams of the perfect tropical paradise became more and more evident. It did not take long after landing for the first snorkelers to get into the water and swim slowly in search of coral and associated wildlife. Others decided first to walk along the coconut palm-lined shore and into the ziricote forest to view the colony of nesting seabirds. A 20 foot high platform was constructed by the park to give people literally a bird’s eye view of the nesting red-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. Some people lingered at the platform in order to observe the behavior of these beautiful birds. Nearby we could look into the nest of a booby and see a small fluffy youngster begging for food. Across the shrub tops there were frigatebirds in various stages of nesting. Bryan remained on the platform during the morning to talk with people about the behavior and ecology of these birds. At one point we observed a struggle between a booby and a frigatebird. The reason for the confrontation was not determined, but for a while it looked like one or the other could be damaged. Fortunately there was no injury and the bustle of the colony continued.
Back at the beach the snorkeling continued in earnest. Water clarity was unlimited and fish abundance was spectacular. A small octopus swam almost at some of our feet in the very shallow water near the landing. A great variety of fish and coral was there to be seen and observed at our leisure. Some people snorkeled then walked quietly along the beach or inland. Others sat in the shade of a palm to catch up on a novel they had meant to be reading but had been too busy on the previous days to even to finish one page. The morning was relaxing and rewarding. Everyone stayed until it was time to return to the Sea Lion for lunch.
In the afternoon because the wind had suddenly kicked up we decided to move to a spot we hoped would be protected at the very southern end of Turneffe Reef. By mid-afternoon there was a scouting Zodiac searching for an appropriate snorkel site. Many people took this last opportunity to see the fish and reef of Belize. A light current passed along the outer edge of the reef so we snorkeled and drifted toward the anchored zodiac. This final outing was a grand finale to our time on the Sea Lion and as the sun dropped below some distant clouds, the final recap included a couple of video segments filmed by our undersea specialists.
