Lighthouse Reef, Belize
Atolls. The word conjures up images of surf crashing on white sand beaches above wild, extravagantly beautiful reefs in distant corners of the Pacific. Vast ring shaped reefs, stretching for miles, dotted with tiny cay islands where the coral rises above the waves, surrounding a protected lagoon where aquamarine waters lie over clean white sand. We may remember Charles Darwin, at work on the Beagle, synthesizing his observations of atolls into a theory of their formation. He correctly described their origin as fringing reefs on the shores of volcanic islands which grow into the typical ring reef as the island that supports them slowly becomes dormant, then extinct, then subsides beneath the waves, leaving a coral legacy like a crown on the now vanished volcano.
But all these images come to our minds from the other side of the world. The volcanic island chains of the Pacific have given rise to many famous examples of these ring reefs, but in the relatively young and quiet Caribbean Sea there are many idyllic tropical islands but very few atolls. Just another way in which Belize stands out as a unique and wonderful destination for travelers interested in tropical ecosystems, for it is here, not far off the barrier reef, that we find the three greatest atolls in all the Atlantic. Somewhat different from those in the Pacific, these reefs surmount limestone plateaus, part of the vast province of ancient seabed that includes Florida, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula, all uplifted by the tectonic forces that opened the Caribbean millions of years ago.
We spent our entire day at Lighthouse Reef, the most distant of the three from the mainland and one of the most pristine marine environments in the region. From morning to night divers and snorkelers reveled in the crowds of brilliantly colored fish, eagle rays, bright sponges, healthy corals and this big old hawksbill sea turtle which responded to our slow, careful approach by turning and approaching us, eventually swimming right through the middle of our group! Birders too had their delights, as they explored the Zirecote forest of Half Moon Cay where frigatebirds and red-footed boobies nest in the oldest of Belize’s many national parks.
Some days are simply wonderful days. With beautiful weather, lovely scenery and so much to see and do and learn, I’m sure Mr. Darwin would have enjoyed this one very much.
Atolls. The word conjures up images of surf crashing on white sand beaches above wild, extravagantly beautiful reefs in distant corners of the Pacific. Vast ring shaped reefs, stretching for miles, dotted with tiny cay islands where the coral rises above the waves, surrounding a protected lagoon where aquamarine waters lie over clean white sand. We may remember Charles Darwin, at work on the Beagle, synthesizing his observations of atolls into a theory of their formation. He correctly described their origin as fringing reefs on the shores of volcanic islands which grow into the typical ring reef as the island that supports them slowly becomes dormant, then extinct, then subsides beneath the waves, leaving a coral legacy like a crown on the now vanished volcano.
But all these images come to our minds from the other side of the world. The volcanic island chains of the Pacific have given rise to many famous examples of these ring reefs, but in the relatively young and quiet Caribbean Sea there are many idyllic tropical islands but very few atolls. Just another way in which Belize stands out as a unique and wonderful destination for travelers interested in tropical ecosystems, for it is here, not far off the barrier reef, that we find the three greatest atolls in all the Atlantic. Somewhat different from those in the Pacific, these reefs surmount limestone plateaus, part of the vast province of ancient seabed that includes Florida, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula, all uplifted by the tectonic forces that opened the Caribbean millions of years ago.
We spent our entire day at Lighthouse Reef, the most distant of the three from the mainland and one of the most pristine marine environments in the region. From morning to night divers and snorkelers reveled in the crowds of brilliantly colored fish, eagle rays, bright sponges, healthy corals and this big old hawksbill sea turtle which responded to our slow, careful approach by turning and approaching us, eventually swimming right through the middle of our group! Birders too had their delights, as they explored the Zirecote forest of Half Moon Cay where frigatebirds and red-footed boobies nest in the oldest of Belize’s many national parks.
Some days are simply wonderful days. With beautiful weather, lovely scenery and so much to see and do and learn, I’m sure Mr. Darwin would have enjoyed this one very much.
