Goffs Cay, Belize
The first day of our exploration through the Reefs and Rivers of the Maya World could not have begun any better! We awoke to flat calm seas and a beautiful sunrise over the azure Caribbean. After some early morning coffee, most of us headed ashore to the mouth of the Manatee River where our kayaks awaited us. The kayakers began their self-guided exploration of this river in search of the elusive, endangered West Indian Manatee. Once the kayakers were underway the rest of us cruised in Zodiacs in search of the same strange and yet somehow endearing creatures. Once confused with Mermaids, by sailors who had clearly been at sea too long, the Manatees were elusive indeed this morning, not a sign of them, at first! However the mangrove forest was so serene, with the lush vegetation reflected in picture perfect fashion by the surface of the river.
Then suddenly there was a shout, “there they are” and the Zodiac team had found the manatees, but the kayakers had to wait their turn as they were already upstream! After a couple of hours exploration as we were returning everyone got to see the Manatees that surfaced to bid us farewell as we headed back to the ship for brunch.
After brunch we distributed snorkel gear as we repositioned to a tiny islet by the name of Goff’s Cay our base for the afternoon and evening. This beauty of a miniature Castaway-like setting was the perfect place to practise our snorkelling and have a checkout dive. We watched a spectacular sunset and returned to the ship for recap and dinner. The best was yet to come!
After dinner we returned to the beach for a bonfire under a dramatic sky, stars everywhere and a crystal clear view of the Southern Cross! While enjoying the bonfire the crew surprised us all - they arrived with a guitar and we sang songs around the flames and danced beneath the Coconut Palms – who will forget the Limbo dancers?
The first day of our exploration through the Reefs and Rivers of the Maya World could not have begun any better! We awoke to flat calm seas and a beautiful sunrise over the azure Caribbean. After some early morning coffee, most of us headed ashore to the mouth of the Manatee River where our kayaks awaited us. The kayakers began their self-guided exploration of this river in search of the elusive, endangered West Indian Manatee. Once the kayakers were underway the rest of us cruised in Zodiacs in search of the same strange and yet somehow endearing creatures. Once confused with Mermaids, by sailors who had clearly been at sea too long, the Manatees were elusive indeed this morning, not a sign of them, at first! However the mangrove forest was so serene, with the lush vegetation reflected in picture perfect fashion by the surface of the river.
Then suddenly there was a shout, “there they are” and the Zodiac team had found the manatees, but the kayakers had to wait their turn as they were already upstream! After a couple of hours exploration as we were returning everyone got to see the Manatees that surfaced to bid us farewell as we headed back to the ship for brunch.
After brunch we distributed snorkel gear as we repositioned to a tiny islet by the name of Goff’s Cay our base for the afternoon and evening. This beauty of a miniature Castaway-like setting was the perfect place to practise our snorkelling and have a checkout dive. We watched a spectacular sunset and returned to the ship for recap and dinner. The best was yet to come!
After dinner we returned to the beach for a bonfire under a dramatic sky, stars everywhere and a crystal clear view of the Southern Cross! While enjoying the bonfire the crew surprised us all - they arrived with a guitar and we sang songs around the flames and danced beneath the Coconut Palms – who will forget the Limbo dancers?
