Looking forward to catching Island Fever...
Trip Start
Dec 12, 2009
1
4
Trip End
Dec 22, 2009
Ambergris Caye, Belize Cayes, Belize
Friday, December 18, 2009
The last leg of our travels in Belize will be spent on the Ambergris Caye (island). December 18th we will take a small plane from Belize City and arrive in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye (Belize). From San Pedro the water taxi will bring us to Capricorn Resort (beach huts) north of San Pedro. The next 4 days will be spent snorkeling the nearby reef, swimming in Shark Ray Alley and relaxing. There are more photos below and some additional info as well.
Ambergris Caye:
Ambergris Caye is the largest island in Belize, and the main destination for travellers to this western Caribbean nation. San Pedro is the only town on the island. Belize has the amazing Belize coral reef system, the second largest in the world and this hemisphere's longest, running offshore, and many cayes (islands of coral sand) are surrounded by astounding reefs to snorkle or scuba dive. The reef lies one-half mile east of the Ambergris Caye shoreline and runs the entire 25 mile length of the island. This has made San Pedro Town the dive and water sports capital of Belize and Central America.
The Blue Hole:
The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off of the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 45 miles from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep. This site was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world. In 1971, he brought his ship, the Calypso, to the hole to chart its depths.
Shark Ray Alley:
This dive site has been selected as one of the seven best "animal dives" in the Caribbean. For several years, local fishermen often cleaned their catch in this area, located just inside the reef, to the south of Ambergris Caye. When fishermen noticed that their activity had attracted Nurse Sharks and several Southern Sting Rays, they reported this information to the dive operations in San Pedro, who then dispatched some divers to investigate. What they found was a bonanza, and "Shark-Ray Alley" quickly became a very popular dive site. As soon as your boat arrives in the area, the Dive Master points out all of the dark shadows in the shallow (eight foot deep) waters. These are the sharks and rays that hear the boat approach and come in search of a few scraps of fish.
Comments
Wow what an amazing place! Thank you for sharing.