On the first full day of our season here, Belize welcomed us back in her usual glorious style! This small nation on the Caribbean coast of Central America is home to many treasures on land and beneath the sea, and certainly none of them are more wondrous than the three great atolls that rise like submarine plateaus from the depths beyond the barrier reef. Nearly unique in the entire Caribbean basin, these enormous ring-shaped reef systems are themselves a microcosm of Belize’s delightful balance of the terrestrial and the marine. Here and there, like emeralds dropped onto an aquamarine field, coral cays lush with palms, mangroves and zircote trees rise above the lagoons, giving homes and nesting refuges to iguanas and ctenosaurs, red-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. Meanwhile, only a few yards away, the aquamarine gives way to deep dark lapis, the reef crest drops into the depths, forming a dramatic coral wall patrolled by enormous groupers, sea turtles, jewel-like fish and graceful, powerful sharks. This large nurse shark, accompanied by a slender shark sucker, was a highlight for the snorkelers who found her in the shallow water off the north end of Half Moon Cay, and thanks to the wonders of digital video technology we were all able to enjoy seeing her at recap.
We spent our entire day exploring this offshore paradise, above and below the water. Snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking and simply relaxing on the beach, following the divemaster among the crenellations of the reef, chatting with the naturalists about the lives of the seabirds and parrotfish, wandering by ourselves into a quiet moment of contemplation, each of us were welcomed personally into the natural worlds of Belize.
