Back to Belize
What to do when you're unemployed, broke and looking down a cold dark stretch of winter until the holidays begin? What to do, what to do. Oh, I know! Hop on a series of flights to your friendly neighbourhood Central American capital city, then jump on a boat and leave civilization (but not your credit card debt) far behind you on a distant tropical shore.
That's right, it's time to head back to Belize! Like last time, I'll be spending most of my time with the aquatic flora and fauna, but unlike last time, I won't be chasing down the elusive whale shark as they are seasonal visitors to the more southern Placencia and Gladden Spit areas of Belize. Also unlike last time, I'll be spending almost the entirety of this trip on a boat. And yes, I will be playing this constantly.
My sister and I in a fit of winter blues/financial irresponsibility booked a 7-night scuba live aboard on the Belize Aggressor III. We'll be cruising famous sites like Lighthouse Reef, Half Moon Cay, Turneffe Reef and of course, the Great Blue Hole. Now this will be my first time doing a live aboard and I've been told to prepare for a lot of diving - up to five dives a day including night dives. The boat is 112ft or so and only accommodates 18 guests and six staff members. All food and drinks are included, there's a hot tub, sun deck, a dining area, and an entertainment area. The boat is outfitting for scuba, so there's a a fully outfitted dive platform.
All that luxury was enough to convince our parents to come along too. So it has become a Wishart family affair! Which always includes laughing until we cry, breaking a rental vehicle (hopefully not the boat...), playing Heads Up far too loudly for the comfort of those around us, and the best family photos. Because we are cool people.
Two things I'm most looking forward to are the spectacular wall diving with the accompanying diversity of creatures and the Great Blue Hole. We'll be looking for dolphins, sharks, rays, huge parrotfish, queen angelfish, eels, stingrays, lobster and crabs just to name a few or the larger creatures, but I generally delight in the micro world of cleaner shrimps, nudibranch, gobies, cleaner wrasse, garden eels, coral crabs - critters you can't easily spot while snorkelling as they require a good, long look at the reef.
The Great Blue Hole is a 124m (407 ft) deep collapsed freshwater cave system some 70km (43 mi) from Belize City. It's part of Belize's barrier reef system which is part of the Mesoamerican Reef System - the second largest barrier reef in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The caves were formed during episodes of glaciation when the sea levels were lower and flooded when sea levels rose again. The site was made popular through the works of Jacques Cousteau. Sometimes larger visitors like hammerheads and bull sharks stop by, but from all accounts smaller Caribbean reef sharks, midnight parrotfish and stalactites are the usual sights.
The one thing our yacht does not have is internet (GASP!!), so you likely won't hear from me for a week or so.
If you don't hear from me after a week, you can assume one of two things:
1) I have overtaken the boat and become Pirate Queen of the Mesoamerican Reef and I'm busy building a luxurious tiki-themed pirate fort while plundering for booty. Or,
2) I died doing something stupid. Probably poking at the wrong sea creature. In which case, please put that I died the Pirate Queen of the Mesoamerican on my tombstone instead of whatever really happened.
All that's left for me to do is pack! But as usual, I've definitely put at least one thing too many in my bag.
See you in December, ya land lubbers!
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| Have you seen my fiscal responsibility? No? Me neither. |
That's right, it's time to head back to Belize! Like last time, I'll be spending most of my time with the aquatic flora and fauna, but unlike last time, I won't be chasing down the elusive whale shark as they are seasonal visitors to the more southern Placencia and Gladden Spit areas of Belize. Also unlike last time, I'll be spending almost the entirety of this trip on a boat. And yes, I will be playing this constantly.
My sister and I in a fit of winter blues/financial irresponsibility booked a 7-night scuba live aboard on the Belize Aggressor III. We'll be cruising famous sites like Lighthouse Reef, Half Moon Cay, Turneffe Reef and of course, the Great Blue Hole. Now this will be my first time doing a live aboard and I've been told to prepare for a lot of diving - up to five dives a day including night dives. The boat is 112ft or so and only accommodates 18 guests and six staff members. All food and drinks are included, there's a hot tub, sun deck, a dining area, and an entertainment area. The boat is outfitting for scuba, so there's a a fully outfitted dive platform.
All that luxury was enough to convince our parents to come along too. So it has become a Wishart family affair! Which always includes laughing until we cry, breaking a rental vehicle (hopefully not the boat...), playing Heads Up far too loudly for the comfort of those around us, and the best family photos. Because we are cool people.
Two things I'm most looking forward to are the spectacular wall diving with the accompanying diversity of creatures and the Great Blue Hole. We'll be looking for dolphins, sharks, rays, huge parrotfish, queen angelfish, eels, stingrays, lobster and crabs just to name a few or the larger creatures, but I generally delight in the micro world of cleaner shrimps, nudibranch, gobies, cleaner wrasse, garden eels, coral crabs - critters you can't easily spot while snorkelling as they require a good, long look at the reef.
The Great Blue Hole is a 124m (407 ft) deep collapsed freshwater cave system some 70km (43 mi) from Belize City. It's part of Belize's barrier reef system which is part of the Mesoamerican Reef System - the second largest barrier reef in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The caves were formed during episodes of glaciation when the sea levels were lower and flooded when sea levels rose again. The site was made popular through the works of Jacques Cousteau. Sometimes larger visitors like hammerheads and bull sharks stop by, but from all accounts smaller Caribbean reef sharks, midnight parrotfish and stalactites are the usual sights.
The one thing our yacht does not have is internet (GASP!!), so you likely won't hear from me for a week or so.
If you don't hear from me after a week, you can assume one of two things:
1) I have overtaken the boat and become Pirate Queen of the Mesoamerican Reef and I'm busy building a luxurious tiki-themed pirate fort while plundering for booty. Or,
2) I died doing something stupid. Probably poking at the wrong sea creature. In which case, please put that I died the Pirate Queen of the Mesoamerican on my tombstone instead of whatever really happened.
All that's left for me to do is pack! But as usual, I've definitely put at least one thing too many in my bag.
See you in December, ya land lubbers!
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