General tourist Map of Belize from one of the on-line sites.

The breeze is cooler this morning – I would be more comfortable with a long-sleeve shirt or I could move inside. However, I love early mornings in a harbor as the water ripples calmly, boat moored, waiting for the day to begin. For those who wish to take this trip, I was overly cautious about our planned return. There is a shuttle system arranged by the Sundancer II crew and we could have easily made the 11:30 a.m. flight to Miami. I booked us on the 2:30 p.m. The Radisson cleverly built a hotel across the street with a nice restaurant (long pants and shirt with a collar required) and both a casual indoor and poolside bar/restaurant. They have an arrangement where you can “hang out”, and access wif-fi which is what we will do when we leave the boat at 8:00 a.m. The Belize airport, while nice, does not have extensive amenities. The crew holds your baggage until time for the shuttle, so you don’t have to haul stuff around.

People are already discussing what trips they may take next and of course the crew invites us to return to this one. The sun is fully up now, and it looks as if it will be another pretty day. We knew nothing of Hurricane  Sandy and there is always an element of irony when we who live in South Florida have to be concerned about our Virginia relatives being hit with a hurricane.  Anyway, this trip comes to a close, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed the series of posts. The friends from Maine were staying for another week to go land-based out of Hamanasi Resort in Hopkins, Belize (http://www.hamanasi.com). By coincidence, we sat next to a couple waiting at the airport who were on their way home after spending a week at Almond Beach on Jaguar Beach which is apparently very close to Hamanasi, but is not a dedicated dive resort. It too sounded lovely. (http://www.almondbeachbelize.com)

We didn’t do the interior of Belize with the Mayan temples and other eco-tourism offerings, but with what we saw of the land while staying on Ambergis Caye, I imagine another trip will be in our not too distant future.

The map I’ve shown above came form one of the on-line tourist sites and I thought it might help orient those who aren’t familiar with the area. (Belize used to be British Hondouras.) The larger islands of Turneffe and Lighthouse are the sites we explored in the Sundancer II.

Dive Deck of the Sundancer II

Jacks gathering under the Sundancer II

Our trip is coming to a close. Two dives, then bound for Belize City. It promises to be a beautiful day, starting with a lovely sunrise. I did the first, early dive and sat the second out, but what a nice dive it was. Visibility was better, marine life with good “finds”, although no toad fish, turtles, rays, or sharks. Not a single shark all week for my husband. I could care less if I never swim with another one, (except for a whale shark of course as a goal), but that’s just me. Anyway, lunch is to be traditional Belizean fare of beef stew, snapper in a sauce, stewed beans and rice and oven-baked plantains, and this afternoon will be open for wandering around Belize City or simply relaxing. There will be a wine and cheese event around five, then we’re on our own for dinner. There’s a place that our friends know of and want to try so that’s fine by us. With only beer and wine on board (not a bad thing, mind you), I may need a rum drink of some type. We don’t want to take liquids home with us, but the Belizean coffee is another matter. If I can find that with no problem, I’ll take a bag back. Coffees, like rums, are island products that we frequently take home with us.

This is the time during the trip when gear is rinsed, hopefully drying well before re-packing. It’s perfect weather for that and as clear as the sky is, we should be okay with no rain shower to interrupt the drying process. The water is calm; I’d say no more than 2-foot waves, with an occasional three–to-four thrown in. For a boat this size, it doesn’t get “bouncy” unless the waves are eight feet or greater. I do have to get my rings out of the cosmetic bag. I took them off our first day of diving. It isn’t that I really think they will come loose enough to fall off when we’re underwater, but I don’t want to take the chance either. You do sometimes find the proverbial “treasures of the deep” – assorted items ranging from jewelry to flashlights and so forth. Some can be recovered and reused; others, not so much.

In returning to the Sundancer and crew, however, it is a boat that I can recommend. It’s my understanding that the best time to do this itinerary is in March-April because the visibility tends to be more consistent and you have the chance of seeing migrating whales. The Sundancer II vessel is well laid out and the crew of Captain Eddy (Eddie?), Megan, Elia, John, Simon, Carlos, and Jerry were great. They did everything they could to accomodate us, clearly showed an enjoyment of diving and know the dive sites well.

It has been a pleasant trip and I’m glad we came.

Queen Angel on Reef in Belize at “Cleaning Station”

Green Moray Eel. Eels prefer to stay tucked in during the day and mostly feed at night.

Ah, an extra early morning for me. My internal clock that usually goes off at 5:00 a.m. was at 4:00 this morning – an inconvenient time. The reason for that is unless I can go back to sleep immediately (as does happen), then I might as well get up. If I toss and turn for fifteen minutes, then the odds are it will be for another several minutes and now I am approaching 4:30 which rounds up to 5:00. Don’t worry if you don’t follow that logic because my husband finds it to be merely another of those pesky things that one works out in a marriage that lasts for any appreciable length of time. He vainly suggests that I simply try to go back to sleep and I get up knowing the futility of his suggestion. The coffee wasn’t yet made since 5:30 is what is set up for early risers. There was hot water though and I enjoy hot tea, too. I will have my sunrise though, the reverse of last night when now the dark sky transitions through gray, pink and gold tinged clouds become white against a backdrop of blue.

Oh yes, speaking of night brings night diving to mind. There is a passage in Deadly Doubloons where I describe night diving to some extent. As with any ecosystem, there are night creatures that make limited appearances during the day. Fish tuck up into the reef at night to sleep, hopefully protected from the predators searching for a meal. Eels, lobster, octopus emerge from ledges and crevices seeking prey and sharks often feed at night, performing their primary food-chain function of gobbling up fish that have been slowed due to age or other infirmity. Contrary to popular fiction of ripping into humans as a source of food, sharks help keep the reef ecosystem in balance through this natural order. Squid often also prefer night and other activities with corals and so forth take place. It is this nocturnal side of marine life that lures divers into the water, and it is quite dark. Visibility is limited to what you can see within the radius of a dive light and that means one hand is devoted to holding the light. Well, there are some other methods, but in general, it is holding the light in one hand. I find it to be a cumbersome process, plus the topside and water temperature drops at night, frequently to a degree that I is uncomfortable for me. While those factors contribute to my lack of enthusiasm for night diving, the real reason is because night diving interferes with drinking and leisurely dining. The approved mantra among dive operators is, “Your first drink of the day is your last dive of the day.” Having a cold beer at the end of an afternoon dive is a distinct pleasure as is having wine or beer with dinner and then, voila!, you aren’t supposed to dive. In my years of diving, I think I’ve done less than a dozen night dives. The night dive off the Kona Coast to see the manta rays is a definite exception, but once was enough from my perspective.

There is, however, the option of “dawn diving” where you slip into the water approximately 30 minutes before scheduled sunrise. I’ve only done that a couple of times and you get to see the remaining night creatures that are making their way to rocky overhangs as the reef around you relinquishes darkness to light. That, I enjoy, but it doesn’t appeal to most people.

A Sea Horse that is a bit difficult to see if you aren’t familiar with how they look in their natural setting.

Rain last night and clouds this morning with a trace of rainbow leftover. It was hide and seek with the sun for a while, but mostly sunny with calm conditions. One sea horse before he was frightened by all the attention. Another eagle ray, turtle, stingrays, and fish of all sizes to include some very large groupers. No eels for us, although other people saw them. I found some tiny Pederson shrimp for my husband – creatures that he enjoys photographing. Angelfish and snappers, elongated trumpetfish, little juveniles that are brightly colored and flit about. Sand dwellers that forage for food, parrotfish that munch on coral and process sand through their bodies. A couple of Caribbean reef squid that are always fun to watch and seabirds wheeling overhead as we waited between dives.

It is a relaxed state by the third day on the water, stresses melting away for those who have intense jobs. It is another day to appreciate for those who have achieved retired status and choose travel as part of their lives, be it scuba related or otherwise. For the crew, it is a job they love or else they move on to other work. For most dive cruise operators the arrangement  is three-four weeks on, and one-two weeks off, but while “on”, it is 24/7. Someone must always be on watch and there are many tasks to perform. That is the similarity between traditional and dive cruises; the staff that makes certain passengers are cared for, the chef and assistant who creates and provides the meals. Duck and snapper as entrée choices tonight, as it so happens. My husband loves duck and I will take the snapper. The sun has moved behind clouds so the chances of “sunset” are slim. There may well be clouds suffused with gold and pink though as blue skies relinquish to dark. I skipped the fourth dive of the day today and hear laughter from the dive deck as the divers come back aboard, reports of what they saw. Another good day that will end with dinner and wine for us as we do not do the night dive. We rarely night dive, notwithstanding there are people who prefer night diving over daytime. And that will be one of the subjects of tomorrow’s post.

Juvenile Spotted Drum

Hugh taking photo of small Southern stingray and yellow tail snappers

I love sunrises and always have. As we sit in the water, Lighthouse Island in sight to one side, a sister dive vessel to the other, and nothing else around, it would be a perfect morning were there fewer clouds. The one thing that cannot be controlled is weather and like any outdoor-centric activity, divers learn to adopt a philosophical attitude about Mother Nature. As with Mother Ocean, she will have her way.  We are allegedly on the front end of a “system” and may be able to dodge it by going around to another part of the island.

Anyway, I promised to talk about food. Yesterday’s menu will give you an idea. A continental breakfast is set out at 5:30 for we early risers. Oatmeal and cooked-to-order eggs, sausage or bacon, and/or other “breakfast” foods are available at 7:00. There was a lovely plump coffee cake made for the mid-morning snack that is served after the first dive. Lunch was build-your-own sub with turkey, tuna salad, lettuce, etc., fruit, leftover cake (to include chocolate cake from the previous dinner), soup, and potato chips. The afternoon snack was pizza. Dinner was lentil soup, salad, a choice of grilled snapper with a lovely cilantro sauce or pork with caramelized onions, potatoes, and sautéed green beans. Dessert was banana cream pie with a caramel sauce layer. Thereare also a jar of Oreo-type cookies (Chocolate and vanilla) and a jar of dry roasted peanuts that sit out 24/7 for those who need an extra “munch” at all hours.

Today (weather permitting) will be the famous Blue Hole of Belize. I will not actually make the deep dive into it, but the shallow dive (or snorkel) around the edges as the others descend the 130 feet allowed in recreational diving. I can dive that deep, but I prefer not to. As for diving, yesterday’s sightings included French, Gray, Queen, and Rock Beauty angelfish (some of my favorites), yellow-headed jaw fish (also favorites), trumpetfish, fairy basselets, chromis, rays, a seahorse, a small turtle, jacks, chubs, yellowtail snappers, tigertail sea cucumbers, corals, sponges, sea fans, and others too numerous to mention. We shall see what today brings.

The Sundance II Dive Vessel in Belize City

This series of posts are all related to our time on the dive part of the Belize trip. If you haven’t been to Belize, I think you will find them interesting. If you have been, then perhaps they will bring back fond memories.

Day Three: The computer is telling me that I have no connectivity and yes, I am well aware of that as I look out on the open water near Lighthouse Island. We said good-bye to our friends in Ambergis Caye and made it to the Sundancer II in Belize City. Our friends from Maine came in a bit later and we caught up on the time since we’d seen each other. They had been on the Sundancer the year prior and they booked again this year. I want to digress for a moment to explain a dive live-aboard. Divers, please be patient. A dedicated dive vessel is not like other cruises. The boat is usually only about 125 or so feet and usually 18 divers plus approximately 7 crew members. There can be up to 32 divers (passengers) and 11 crew members on a slightly larger boat, but that’s about it. There are usually three-four levels; a crew/engine room level, cabins/dive deck, salon/wheelhouse, and sundeck. The cabins are small, the beds elevated so you can slide luggage underneath. Amenities are limited, but do vary according to the operation and there is no “bar”. There will usually be beer & wine, however, and of course meals are included. Food selection is limited, but good to excellent and a variety of cuisine throughout the week as well as accomodation for special dietary needs.  There is no entertainment except perhaps some DVDs and a small collection of books. Now, there may also be marine-related seminars after dinner. If you regularly cruise, this may strike you as odd, but the point to a dive cruise is to dive. In fact, the mantra is, “Eat, dive, sleep, repeat.” You are on board with people who love to dive and stories of dive destinations around the globe quickly emerge. You may have some fairly new divers, but you frequently have those with 1000+ dives as well.

The normal arrangement is to do 4 dives during the day, and a night dive is offered. I don’t personally care for night diving, although my husband goes occasionally. On the other hand, you aren’t allowed to mix booze and diving, so he usually decides to forego the night diving and has a beer after diving and wine with dinner. With all of that said, here’s the way it works. Breakfast, morning dive. A break that has to do with keeping you from getting the bends. A second morning dive. Lunch and move the boat. Two afternoon dives at the new location, then a short break until time for dinner. Those who choose to do so will do the night dive immediately following dinner while the rest of us entertain ourselves with videos, reading, talking, etc. There is also star-gazing of course.

We did the four dives today with the usual array of Caribbean marine life, to include a lovely eagle ray on the last dive. No other big creatures, but lots of fish that we enjoy. Tomorrow, more diving and I’ll describe a typical day’s menu,

An Indigo Hamlet

At our age, birthday celebrations are not a big deal, and especially not when it’s a Monday. On the other hand,since my husband’s birthday and our anniversary are fairly close together, we sometimes combine them for “an event”. This is one such year and we will be headed to Belize in a couple of days. Belize has been on our dive-list for a while and three different factors came together to send us on our way. First, we have some friends who’ve lived there for a number of years and they’ve put their house on the market. It is a spectacular place according to the photos we’ve seen and when you have snorkeling in your “front yard”, it is worth checking out. The second factor is some other friends did the Belize trip last year and enjoyed it so much they are going back – always a good recommendation since they have certainly been diving in many places. Lastly, we were supposed to go do the Red Sea this year for our big dive trip and the geopolitical situation caused us to re-think that.

You put that all together and voila!, Belize seemed like a really good idea. So here’s to what we hope will be sunny skies, calm seas, and lots of wonderful marine lfe. Of course we did go out to dinner this evening for a jumpstart on seafood. Hogfish for my husband and a chef’s special of wasabi-crusted shrimp for me. Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!