by heatherm | Dec 1, 2011 | Blog - Tsunami Adventures
We just recently got the pleasure of finally going to Glover’s Atoll. I have always wanted to go and finally I had the perfect reason. My sister came to visit and it was our turn to enjoy some time together and do what we love to do go diving. We decided to go to Glover’s Atoll Resort and Isla Marisol. We stayed our first 2 nights on Glover’s Atoll Resort also known as North East Caye and our 3rd night Isla Marisol also known as Southwest Caye. Both places where amazing. So, if any of you out there need detailed information, please do not hesitate to contact us. GLOVER’S ATOLL was named after pirate brothers, John and Rodger Glover, in the1750’s. Before pirates the Mayans sailed here, pieces of Mayan pottery have been found on the islands and beaches. In 1996 the Atoll was designated as Marine Reserve. Thirty percent is zoned as a no take zone patrolled by Rangers from the Belize Fisheries Dept. The Rangers are stationed on Middle Caye, a research center owned by Wildlife Conservation Society. In 2000 Glover’s Atoll was designated a WORLD HERTIAGE SITE under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. This not only is an honor for Belizeans but it also makes us aware of how important our magnificent atoll really is. And it really is. Glover’s Reef Atoll is located some 35 miles South East of Dangriga Town. It is made up of about five atoll islands. Glovers Reef Atoll and Glovers Reef is a Managed Resource Area that’s part of the National Protected Area System of Belize. It serves the function...
by heatherm | Nov 9, 2011 | Blog - Tsunami Adventures
Tsunami Adventures is very close to the split. We rent lots of snorkeling gear to those who want to explore the mangroves in and around the Split. When guests come back to return their gear, they always ask me about this weird fish or something they saw. I don’t even ask anymore for them to describe. I have the page book marked and there it is the Shortnose Batfish. Part of the Odd-Shaped Bottom-Dwellers. It likes to sit motionless in shallow water but is also seen in deeper water. It can be from 6 inches long to maximum 15 inches long. It looks like a big ugly underwater toad with a funny horn sticking out. Here is some more information about the Shortnose Batfish. A bizarre creature with a nose like Pinocchio’s hovers over the sandy Caribbean seabed. With its warty skin, it looks more like a shorn sheep than a fish. There are about 60 batfish species, some living in diveable depths, others thriving on the edge of ocean abysses at 300m. This particular curiosity of nature, which grows to no more than a foot long and usually half that size, leads a secretive life in sand and mud and has adapted itself to get the best from its environment. Its grotesque body is flat and broad, with a long, slender tail and a small mouth. Its gills are relatively small pores, located not behind the head but behind the arm-like pectoral fins. But what is that nose for? In frogfish (Antennariidae), the first dorsal spine is modified into a movable fishing lure. Ogcocephalidae have a similar lure...
by heatherm | Oct 22, 2011 | Blog - Tsunami Adventures
Every night I look up into the sky to see if there are stars. Have the clouds covered them up for me to see another night? It is so nice to sit on the beach at Tsunami and Costa Maya, look up and see the sky so clearly, like last night. We sat and enjoyed the view. The best star gazing is when you go out to the reef or to the North side of Caye Caulker, where you are a away from the lights of the island. Try Tsunami Adventures, Night Snorkeling or Croc Cruise and Star Gazing Tour. Here is some information from www.stargate.org it is a great website and full of information. Here is some tips for this week. Stargazing Information With summer’s luminaries dropping from view, a new season opens in the evening sky. Pegasus slides into view in the east shortly after nightfall, marked by the Great Square. The constellations that form the “celestial sea” — Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, and others with a watery theme — flow across the south. And four of the five planets visible to the unaided eye put in good showings this month, with a sixth planet, giant Uranus, worth a look through binoculars. This Week’s Stargazing Tips October 21, 2011 Moon and star icon The Moon cozies up to Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. They are high in the east at first light, with Regulus to the left of the Moon. The orange planet Mars stands a little above them. October 22, 2011 Sparkle icon The globular cluster M15 is high...
by heatherm | Oct 12, 2011 | Blog - Tsunami Adventures
Thinking about Cave Tubing in Belize? Ever wonder how those Caves where formed? Here is an article written by Dr. Jaime Awe. The Belize Caves Branch Cave is one of several subterranean sites that were carved out of the limestone foothills of the Maya Mountains by the very active Caves Branch River. Belize is unique in that it has the largest cave system in Central America and the Belize Cave’s Branch is part of this natural wonder – most as yet unexplored or mapped. The site provides us with an excellent example of the erosive power of water, and the natural wonders of Belize. Geological research informs us that the cave took several hundred thousand years to form. Archaeological investigations note that the ancient Maya visited the site to conduct important rituals. Today’s modern visitor enjoys a unique opportunity to observe the awesome geological features of the site, and to ponder the nature of prehistoric human utilization. Millions of years ago, most of the landmass of Belize was covered by a broad, shallow tropical sea. One of the major rock types deposited in this sea was limestone, a rock formed of calcium carbonate. This limestone can have its origin either from biological materials like corals and mollusks, or in some cases the limestone can be precipitated directly from the seawater. Like the modern Gulf of Mexico, this shallow Cretaceous sea was occasionally subject to violent storms that disturbed the floor of the sea. These storms created a distinctive type of limestone rock called a breccia. Breccia is a rock that is made up of angular pieces of other rocks....
by heatherm | Oct 5, 2011 | Blog - Tsunami Adventures
Conch Season in Belize is open from Oct 1st until June 30th Try some local flavor and enjoy a bowl of Conch Soup. Here is my recipe that I learned from Hortencia Rosado. Conch meat cleaned and pounded Limes and lime juice – clean the conch with juice Veggies – plantain, carrot, potato, whole corn, squash, cabbage and onion. cut up into bit size pieces. Herbs – Cilantro and Oregano. Use the cilantro cut up on top of the soup, adds flavor, put a couple of leaves of Oregano in the soup while it is cooking. not too much, as you don’t want to over power the flavor. You can omit this, if you want. Spices – Pepper and salt. Habenero or Marie Sharps Hot sauce – dash for flavor, just like the cilantro. Coconut oil – fry the conch in the oil and put aside. Water for Chicken soup base (maggie soup) or bouillon cubes Instructions: Pound the conch with meat pounder and cut into bite pieces. Let Conch sit in fresh water with lime. Fry the conch in coconut oil and set aside. Cut veggies into big bite size pieces. Cut corn 1/2 inch on cob. Slice the squash like orange pieces. Cut potatoes into square pieces. Plantain should be firm. Buy one that is yellow, if not ripe will taste bitter cut into half inch pieces add to soup last. Soup base. use oil that conch was fried in, add chopped garlic, about half a garlic head and one medium size onion. Add water and soup base. If you want your soup thick and creamy add...
