Cayos Vivarillo, Honduras
Off on the horizon we could see the shadowy form of our next destination in our Odyssey along the Central American coast- Cayos Vivarillo. This small group of uninhabited cayes belong to the nation of Honduras and are found just off the northwest coast of Honduras in an area know as the Mosquitia Coast. The Mosquitia remains as a wilderness, without roads to the outside world. It is the major reservoir of endangered wildlife in the country, with a large manatee population in its coastal lagoons, and a breeding population of Harpy Eagles.
We edged our way into the protected waters of the lagoon and soon we had a Zodiac over the side and we’re on our way . We anchored our Zodiac in the sand and fell into the tropical garden below. We were immediately face to face with several different types of soft corals including sea whips and sea rods. Large boulder–like brain corals sat on the sandy sea floor like huge buddha’s. The surgeonfish picked at the algae on the bottom all the while keeping a watchful eye out for the aggressive damselfish. A golden hamlet flitted into my view and I got very excited because this species is seldom seen!
A white sand bar beckoned to us and the magnificent frigate birds hovered overhead on one of the larger cayes. It seems that fishermen who use this seasonally now use the remains of the old buildings on shore. A fishing vessel appeared as if out of nowhere and asked us if we wanted fresh fish! How much fresher could we have it! By afternoon, some of our guests opted to check out the nesting colony of seabirds on another small caye. The magnificent frigates and brown boobies were nesting side by side and we were able to walk right up to many of them as they seemed totally unafraid Or bothered by our presence.
After one last snorkel, we pulled up our anchor and turned our bow to the northwest and on to Guanaja. Guanaja is one of the three beautiful large islands located in the bay of Honduras.
Off on the horizon we could see the shadowy form of our next destination in our Odyssey along the Central American coast- Cayos Vivarillo. This small group of uninhabited cayes belong to the nation of Honduras and are found just off the northwest coast of Honduras in an area know as the Mosquitia Coast. The Mosquitia remains as a wilderness, without roads to the outside world. It is the major reservoir of endangered wildlife in the country, with a large manatee population in its coastal lagoons, and a breeding population of Harpy Eagles.
We edged our way into the protected waters of the lagoon and soon we had a Zodiac over the side and we’re on our way . We anchored our Zodiac in the sand and fell into the tropical garden below. We were immediately face to face with several different types of soft corals including sea whips and sea rods. Large boulder–like brain corals sat on the sandy sea floor like huge buddha’s. The surgeonfish picked at the algae on the bottom all the while keeping a watchful eye out for the aggressive damselfish. A golden hamlet flitted into my view and I got very excited because this species is seldom seen!
A white sand bar beckoned to us and the magnificent frigate birds hovered overhead on one of the larger cayes. It seems that fishermen who use this seasonally now use the remains of the old buildings on shore. A fishing vessel appeared as if out of nowhere and asked us if we wanted fresh fish! How much fresher could we have it! By afternoon, some of our guests opted to check out the nesting colony of seabirds on another small caye. The magnificent frigates and brown boobies were nesting side by side and we were able to walk right up to many of them as they seemed totally unafraid Or bothered by our presence.
After one last snorkel, we pulled up our anchor and turned our bow to the northwest and on to Guanaja. Guanaja is one of the three beautiful large islands located in the bay of Honduras.
