Snorkeling in the beautiful blue water

When we finally got some free time, we decided to go snorkeling in the beautiful crystal clear blue water here. I went down with Katy, Elizabeth, Aubrey, and Dr. Catapono. I have never been snorkeling, so I really did not know what to expect. But, it was absolutely amazing.

We went to the end of the dock at Romon's (another resort on the island close to Pedro's Inn), and we jumped in. Once in the water, I could see everything under the water from the bottom of the ocean floor to a distance further out into the water. There was a school of fish underneath the dock moving along with each other. A man-made reef was constructed just a short swim from the dock, which consisted of rocks and wood. In this man-made reef, there were even more different small colorful fish. I would love to learn more about the many different fish I have seen, and I hope to while I am down here.

A group of us also rented bikes and took a bike ride north up the island to gain a different perspective of the island. We are staying almost right in the heart of San Pedro, while the farther north you go the more expensive resorts there are. We rode for about three to four miles through the main strip of the town, over the bridge connecting the island, then on the beach until we stopped at another resort, Akbol. Akbol is where the group students from last years trip stayed for a period of their trip. It is a very quiet yoga resort, but it was beautiful up there.

The only access to most of the northern part of the island is by bike or a boat. There is a little bridge that goes over the inlet, which only walkers, bikers, and golf carts may cross. But a little ways past the bridge, golf carts do not have anymore access, for you must walk or ride a bike on the narrow pieces of beach to where you are going.

While at Akbol, we got to go snorkeling again. I found my first conch (picture above). I am pretty sure it was a baby conch, so I threw it back into the ocean. That is one thing I hope to bring home as a souvenir before I leave. Conchs are in season right now, so it may be a little more difficult to find. But I will defiantly be on the look-out for one.

Also while snorkeling, Aubrey spotted a small lionfish right underneath the dock on a rock. I have learned from a local Belizean that the lionfish is one of the most dangerous fish on the ocean floor. The lionfish's spines are venomous, but usually will not harm anyone unless it feels threatened. The lionfish's sting is not usually deadly to humans, but it will cause extreme pain and discomfort. So after knowing all this information, I probably should not have been so excited to go see it, but I was. I carefully swam under the dock trying to get a closer look at this totally new creature in which I have ever seen in my life. I kept my distance because I did not want to spook or upset it. But in the end, it was worth going to see this creature in the wild. The picture was taken from google images because unfortunately we all forgot our underwater cameras.

Our next snorkeling experience took place on Sunday, March 28th. A small group of us got to go out on a boat with a local man named Louie. He lives and owns a local business, and has three children. His oldest son came along with the group to help us out while we were snorkeling. They took us to two different locations. The first was Mexico rocks, and another called the three coconuts.

At Mexico rocks, the water was over ten feet deep, while at three coconuts we were able to walk around and see the coral reef. At Mexico rocks, I got to see my first sting ray. I was floating and looking around, and then I saw the sand on the bottom of the ocean floor move. I took a closer look, and the shape of the sting ray. This one was pretty big, but I guess there was a smaller one swimming right underneath Aubrey's feet.

At both places we saw an array of different plant and animal species. We were warned to not to touch any of the coral reef because once touched it would die. I got nervous at three coconuts because the current was so strong and I was nervous to touch any of the reef. But after taking in all the scenery, we went diving for conchs. After finding about ten conchs, we headed back to Louie's house. Once there, he pulled out the conchs with a hammer and knife. The conch looked like big slugs with one hard claw. The claw is used to help the conch move along the bottom of the ocean. Once all the conchs were out of there shells and skinned, Louie's wife made the group conch ceviche. It is kind of like salsa with uncooked pieces of conch and lime in it. It was different, but very good.