Sharks and Lobster – Caye Caulker – Belize

Interestingly I had done some research on Belize before we visited. It wasn’t much just the basics, one place that the majority of blogs and books recommended was the island of Caye Caulker just off the coast and a short ferry ride from Belize City.

Caye Caulker is one of many islands off the coast, and renowned as one of the most well-traveled. The islands themselves have their own rustic beauty, it’s not as touristy as the Mexican islands with lots of high rise buildings. Caye Caulker has a mix of rustic colourful huts, local homes and two story ‘villas’, I am sure there are a few hotels but not where we were staying. We were in the more traditional neighborhood, just off the beach, with chicken’s running the streets, and just connected by simple sand roads – I found it very real.

The local element of Caye Caulker was also incredible, with simple hut shops, reggae bars and small fisherman shacks that provided drum BBQ’s at night. Caye Caulker is legendary for lobster, and it’ll be the cheapest you ever find, I think we got two tails, prawns and 4 rum cocktails for under $20. It was incredibly fresh and caught that day.

Although Caye Caulker has some nice beaches, the real beauty of this place is out to sea and the reef (rumoured to be the second biggest in the world). It plays home to a host of incredible reefs, and as such a huge amount of wildlife. As a diver, I was very keen to dive, however was advised that apart from the Blue Hole (a number of hours away), the Caye was better for snorkelling. I was slightly apprehensive but once out on the boat for the day, it was incredible.

The water is shallow, crystal clear and very calm. We spent six hours out on the reef in gorgeous Caribbean weather. The reef itself is so much prettier than the Great Barrier Reef, it’s unspoiled although I don’t know for how long that will continue. We searched for Manatees, but also were only successful in snorkeling with a huge amount of tropical fish, turtles, stingrays and even the occasional grouper fish. We were also privy to a pod of curious dolphins playing near the boat – a truly awesome wandering memory. The highlight was a feeding of nurse sharks, usually I wouldn’t like this as its disrupting the natural order, but our guide seemed very conscious and protective of them. We were allowed to swim with them, which was a considerable privilege. There are few wild sharks you have the opportunity to witness this close, and actually touch. This wandering memory was actually the best snorkeling of my life up to that point…

This is a place I could have spent a week easily, just relaxing and chilling or even exploring the other islands. But alas we had to move on sooner than I would have wanted. If you’re ever in the area I would hugely recommend Caye Caulker – it’s great value and really delivers…

Some of the imagery is credited to friends Angela and Andrew Bennett. Follow me now for more amazing blogs…