Manatee River and Goff’s Cay, Belize
We started out early this morning, paddling in kayaks and cruising in Zodiacs on the quiet and still waters of Manatee River. Elegant mangroves lined the shoreline, and the clouds hung low. An outrageous surprise surfaced near the Zodiac...an American crocodile! The first we have ever seen this season. It didn’t seem to bother the manatees, whose noses were spotted as they came up for air a few times during the morning (looking like floating coconuts, with which they have been confused on numerous occasions).
The afternoon was also lovely for everyone. Snorkeling and dive briefings under our belts, we were all itching to get into the sea. By mid-afternoon, the SCUBA divers had a successful checkout dive, and snorkelers were successfully snorkeling (some for the very first time!). Both groups active off of a tiny little island called Goff’s Cay. As the sun got lower in the sky, the clouds formed dramatic shapes as rain clouds edged the horizon and the light turned golden. We were mostly quiet at this point, putting on hold our comments and questions about the marine life we had just seen nearby. On shore, we were all looking west as rays became purple, then lilac. Brown pelicans fished from their lookout posts at the end of the dock. They were pretty quiet, too.
We started out early this morning, paddling in kayaks and cruising in Zodiacs on the quiet and still waters of Manatee River. Elegant mangroves lined the shoreline, and the clouds hung low. An outrageous surprise surfaced near the Zodiac...an American crocodile! The first we have ever seen this season. It didn’t seem to bother the manatees, whose noses were spotted as they came up for air a few times during the morning (looking like floating coconuts, with which they have been confused on numerous occasions).
The afternoon was also lovely for everyone. Snorkeling and dive briefings under our belts, we were all itching to get into the sea. By mid-afternoon, the SCUBA divers had a successful checkout dive, and snorkelers were successfully snorkeling (some for the very first time!). Both groups active off of a tiny little island called Goff’s Cay. As the sun got lower in the sky, the clouds formed dramatic shapes as rain clouds edged the horizon and the light turned golden. We were mostly quiet at this point, putting on hold our comments and questions about the marine life we had just seen nearby. On shore, we were all looking west as rays became purple, then lilac. Brown pelicans fished from their lookout posts at the end of the dock. They were pretty quiet, too.
