South Water Caye

Last Saturday morning, bright and early, the group headed out for a weekend field trip. After a two hour bus ride, we arrived at Dangriga and climbed aboard a boat for another half hour ride on the ocean. The boat ride was the first of several firsts for me. I had seen an ocean before, but had never been on it and out of sight of land. Actually if you looked hard enough, there was a faint image. It gave this non-swimmer a bit of an uneasy feeling. Hitting the waves and catching some air was a bit bumpy, but no one got seasick. The two man crew showed no signs of anything being out of the ordinary, which was comforting. We went past a couple of islands and the unusual sight of trees growing in the middle of the ocean. I found out later about mangroves, since South Water Caye has them.

We were greeted at the dock by the lady that owns the resort. She gave us a little history of how she came to the island and how the school (college marine science) was started on the island. She had taken a summer job while teaching high school science. She liked the job so well that she did it for three years, met the man building the school, married him, and stayed. The island is one of the few that are privately owned. South Water Caye was first discovered by pirates and used for R&R when needed. I am guessing that they were British, since Belize history says that the French could not keep British pirates and squatters out of the area. I won’t go into the whole history, but it is interesting to see how British Honduras came to be.

There was snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, volleyball, fishing, sunbathing, relaxing, and a five minute ride in a little boat to the nearby island. This tiny island is Carrie Bow Island, a Smithsonian science research lab. We got a tour of the island and its history from the volunteer “overseer”. Originally the island was approximately two acres, but now it has eroded to .6 acre. That is another subject I can not expound on here. If you are curious, you’ll have to look it up.

In this trip my firsts, along with the boat ride, included:
1. being able to see the ocean in all directions
2. eating rice cooked in coconut milk and fish – and liking them!
3. petting a Pelican – he had to be caught and moved away from where a guy was cleaning fish for supper because he was trying to steal it.
4. actually being in the ocean – just piddling around; I can’t swim.

It was a once in a lifetime trip for me, but I was ready to get back to solid land by Sunday noon. If you need a break from a life of rushing, I would suggest this little island. It is so peaceful and interesting. I have put some of my pictures on the side.