Sharks, Rays, and very long days

Some of the crew at Hol Chan

Me with one of the sea turtles!

Hi everyone. Sorry I have not posted in a few days. I have had internet issues and computer issues. For some reason computer karma is not working in my favor. But, I will fill you in on what has been happening around here! On Saturday we woke up early and headed to George's for a delicious Belizean breakfast. This is my favorite breakfast spot because the food is so good and their pineapple juice is AMAZING!

After George's we rushed to Ramone's dock to load our boat and head to our diving spots for the day. We loaded this tiny speed boat and drove to a spot to get our flippers and snorkels. Once we got our supplies we loaded a huge catamaran. The boat was absolutely gorgeous. It was white with a huge blue sail. The front of the boat had a large white bed on a trampoline and four bean bag chairs around it. We had about 25 people on our cruise, mostly people with our group but a few we had never met before. We all settled in and we began our voyage to our first stop which was Hol Chan. This is a natural reserve of the reef where you can park your boat on a mooring line and snorkel or dive. Our group snorkeled with a guide all around the reef. I swam next to our guide and was absolutely amazed by what we saw. My favorite fish was the parrot fish because it was so colorful. We also saw rays, live conchs, grouper the size of my body, and tons of other creatures. I was even lucky enough to spot one of the two rays we saw! We also saw multiple sea turtles feeding on the bottom! This was my absolute favorite animal at Hol Chan. The turtles were huge and very surreal to see. I felt as though I was looking at a TV during the dive. After Our adventure at Hol Chan we loaded the boat again. I was lucky enough to get a spot on the bed up front along with Bailey, Jessica, and Parker. We enjoyed some chips and salsa along with some cold waters and a lot of sun.

Then we came to our next stop which was Shark Ray Alley. This was my favorite of the two. At Shark Ray Alley the guides dropped a bucket of sardines in the water and we were allowed to get into the water and watch the sharks and sting rays feed. I got to pet a huge nurse shark and a giant sting ray. The shark felt rough like sandpaper, while the ray was smooth and almost slimy. My favorite shark was the giant nurse shark. It was bigger than I was! I followed it most of the time swimming over top of it and observing it's characteristics. It was so amazing to see it feeding with the other fish and interacting in it's environment. I am hoping this granted me some good karma when I return to surfing at Wrightsville!

After this excursion we headed to Caye Caulker which is a small island about an hour and a half from San Pedro. The island was very natural with a few shops and stands along the main street. Dr. K and I ate lunch at a two story restaurant overlooking the inlet. The view was amazing and so relaxing! After lunch Kristen, Parker, and I went exploring on the island. I got a bracelet and headband for myself and a few other gifts for my family. At 3:00 we met back on the boat and set sail for San Pedro.

We arrived back to Ramone's at about 4:30 and rushed back to Pedro's to prepare for the Miss Isla Bonita Pageant that night. After getting ready the girls all headed to the high school for the pageant. We were so worried we would be late because we were told the pageant started at 6 but of course, in typical Belizean fashion, when we arrived no one was to be seen and none of the tents were set up yet... so we went and got dinner and reserved our front row seats for the night. When we returned we all settled in to enjoy the pageant but I was quickly summoned by the principle and asked to bring the other girls and volunteer at the tents that were selling food and prizes.

I worked at the tent selling toys and sweets while the others filled in where they were needed. We ended up working the entire night and barely getting to see the pageant. I was on my feet for 5 and a half hours and was very exhausted, but it was worth it to get to help the girls raise money in order to pay for their schooling. The pageant was a lot of fun, but by the time 11:00 rolled around I was wiped out. We returned home after the pageant and all of us went straight to bed. The experiences of the day were extremely different and definitely once in a lifetime opportunities. I cannot wait for the other excursions next week! Adventure is out there.