Unda Da Sea

What do you do when you’re right next to the second largest reef in the world? Go snorkeling of course! So that’s what we did.

Last year, I visited Caye Caulker for only two days, but fortunately had the chance to try snorkeling for the first time. And it was amazing! We did a basic tour, with views of the reef and swimming with sharks and rays.

This time, I wanted to do something a little different. So the four of us went on a snorkeling manatee tour! We went to some of the same great places to see the reef, but we also got to visit the deeper and farther out parts where the manatees roam. I unfortunately did not spot any manatees :( They are so fast! Every time we would get to a spot where others had just spotted them, we would have to quickly put on all our gear and jump into the water and swim like crazy to try and catch sight of them. I am not a good swimmer. I was actually not comfortable enough with my long-term treading abilities, so that I wore a life jacket the entire time just in case. And I’m so glad I did. My little legs got so tired so fast! The third and last time chasing the manatees, one of the guides had to pull me along by the hand so I could keep up. The ocean current is very strong out in that deep water.

But all wasn’t lost – I still had an amazing time seeing the reef again. That could never get old. It is so beautiful that it just takes your breath away. It’s surprising to realize how the colors of the coral look underwater. I always expected amazing technicolor plants and animals, all swimming before your eyes! It’s really not quite like that. The color is actually pretty faint. Maybe it’s the goggles or the water messing up the color spectrum, or maybe movie expectations just aren’t real. Nevertheless! The color isn’t what matters in the end. The endless coral, marine life moving in and out of view, seeing the silhouette of a shark in the distance, watching a whole other world happening below you – otherwise unseen – that’s the remarkable part.

One of the other sites we stopped at to swim was over a sunken barge. It was purposefully sunk a while back, in order to promote the coral growth in the reef. That was such a sight to see. Now this was like out of a movie – picture the beginning of Titanic. Where destruction first took hold, everything was slowly being covered with new life. It was crazy being able to look through a hole in the ship and see what evidently used to be a ladder at one time, morphed into a jumbled mess of coral, with tiny fish peeking their heads through the gaps.

Finally, our last stop was a trip to the lagoon on the other side of the island. Our guides searched through a patch of shallow water and grass, in order to show us seahorses. They were miraculously able to catch one of the tiny creatures for us to fawn over. They are just as cute as I always imagined! It was a perfect end to a beautiful morning.