Lighthouse Reef, Belize
After we navigated all night on some of the wildest waters of the Caribbean Sea, this morning we all discovered a unique site, far beyond what we could have ever expected. Was it a dream, or was it a real place on earth?
Half Moon Caye National Monument, the first reserve ever created in Belize - back in March 1982 - was sitting there just a few waves away from the Sea Voyager. This is the only red-footed booby nesting colony off the coast of Belize, and it was waiting ahead of us on this new day of expedition.
Surrounded by some of the richest coral reefs in the world, and located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef - the most eastern of the three atolls in Belizean waters- our Zodiac captains took some of us to a wonderful white sand beach loaded with all sorts of colorful shells. Some of our companions, went straight for an early morning dive, taking advantage of the clearest waters with the best possible visibility. The first hours of the day could not be better.
Some of the ones ashore jumped into the turquoise waters for a delightful snorkel that opened their eyes to the beauties of the marine life. Some other enthusiastic folks went for a walk in the 45 acre island, heading to the platform from where the red-footed boobies -as well as magnificent frigatebirds, ospreys, white-crowned pigeons and spiny-tailed iguanas- can be observed. The “Ziricote” or geiger trees with bright red blossoms were the perfect background for all this birdlife. Later on, our adventurous divers admitted they have just had the best underwater sights ever, as they explored the reef’s wall. Definitely, Half Moon Caye is a natural paradise.
After we navigated all night on some of the wildest waters of the Caribbean Sea, this morning we all discovered a unique site, far beyond what we could have ever expected. Was it a dream, or was it a real place on earth?
Half Moon Caye National Monument, the first reserve ever created in Belize - back in March 1982 - was sitting there just a few waves away from the Sea Voyager. This is the only red-footed booby nesting colony off the coast of Belize, and it was waiting ahead of us on this new day of expedition.
Surrounded by some of the richest coral reefs in the world, and located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef - the most eastern of the three atolls in Belizean waters- our Zodiac captains took some of us to a wonderful white sand beach loaded with all sorts of colorful shells. Some of our companions, went straight for an early morning dive, taking advantage of the clearest waters with the best possible visibility. The first hours of the day could not be better.
Some of the ones ashore jumped into the turquoise waters for a delightful snorkel that opened their eyes to the beauties of the marine life. Some other enthusiastic folks went for a walk in the 45 acre island, heading to the platform from where the red-footed boobies -as well as magnificent frigatebirds, ospreys, white-crowned pigeons and spiny-tailed iguanas- can be observed. The “Ziricote” or geiger trees with bright red blossoms were the perfect background for all this birdlife. Later on, our adventurous divers admitted they have just had the best underwater sights ever, as they explored the reef’s wall. Definitely, Half Moon Caye is a natural paradise.
