September Celebrations
September is the month of celebration in Belize. Our official Independence Day is September 21st, but the days and nights leading to that date are filled with activity here in Caye Caulker and all over Belize. Under the theme “Industrious Hands, Intelligent Minds, Together for Belize”, 2014’s celebrations are set to bring in Belize’s 33rd Independence anniversary. The first holiday of the month is September 10th and it is the 216th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye. You will hear this song on the radio. “It was the 10th day of September In ninety-eight Anno Domini when our fore-fathers won the glorious fight at Old St. George’s Caye. Then hail them – cheer them.Let our grateful loyal hearts not fail them,as we march and sing and shout in merry glee The Battle of St. George’s Caye. Hip! Hip! Hurrah. Hip! Hip! Hurrah. This is the day, that the Spaniards assembled a huge invasion and try to take over the settlement of Belize.
September is a month of proud Belizeans. Homes and business are decorated in the colours of red, white and blue. So come to the island and enjoy this weekends celebrations island style and wave your flag.
 Parade in Belize September 21 |
 September Celebrations Belize |
The Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea is a large region of rotation ocean currents located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is bounded by the west by the Gulf Stream and on the North by the Altantic Current and on the east by the Canary Current and on the South by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. So what does this have to do with Belize. Well if you have been here, you would notice all the seaweed known as sargassum on the shorelines. The Sargasso Sea is home to this seaweed, which floats in masses on the surface there.
 The Sargasso Sea |
 sargassum seaweed |
The Sargasso Sea also plays a major role in the migration of the Loggerhead Sea Turtles that use the currents, such as the Gulf Stream to travel to the Sargasso Sea, where they use the sargassum as cover from predators until they are mature. The ability of a sea turtle to migrate hundreds (and occasionally thousands) of miles from its feeding ground to its nesting beach is one of the most remarkable acts in the animal kingdom. That adult females return faithfully to nest on the very beach where they were born makes the feat even more amazing. Research into where and how sea turtles migrate has been a focus of scientists for decades. We now know that sea turtles undergo migration throughout their lives, during its first critical 48 hours, a hatchling must travel from the beach to a place in the ocean where it is relatively safe from predators and where it can find food. Many hatchlings in the Caribbean make their way into Gulf stream currents, which are filled with floating sargassum weed. There the young turtles find an ample food supply and few predators. After several years of floating around the Atlantic, these young turtles are big enough to venture back into nearshore waters.
So, although this seaweed is a pain in the beach, we have to love it because we all like to go swim and dive with turtles in Belize. In the meantime, it is all along the shoreline and the Caye Caulker Village Council and beachfront residents are cleaning it up daily. When the Sargassum reaches the beaches it dies and some of the marine species that use it as protection do as well. A lots of happy birds. The smell is unpleasant and it makes it hard to enjoy a swim or relax by the beach and enjoy the not so fresh sea breeze. This year, there has been triple the amount that usually comes at this time of year, so what is causing this bloom? Some say global warming is causing the algea to multiply.
New Signs
Every year at Tsunami Adventures, we redo our signs. We have always had stand up wooden sandwich board style signboards, that are painted by myself and Bunny. This year we decided to do something different. With the new hotel and new paint job of Costa Maya Beach Cabanas, we wanted signs that would compliment the hotel. We had Neon Plastics of Belize City produce these signs. The signs are certainly drawing a lot of attention and we are very happy with how they turned out.
 The new Tsunami Adventures Signs at the office of Costa Maya Beach Cabanas |
 Hol Chan Marine Reserve - The Best of Belize Reef |
Caye Caulker in July
Now that the Lobsterfest festivities have past and July has begun, it’s time to enjoy the quiet streets of Caye Caulker. Lobsterfest was a huge success and I can certainly say for myself, that all the years that I have enjoyed it, that this year was the best. The colour party was a blast and it was nice to see that the kids got to enjoy it. Best of all for us here at Tsunami is Bunny’s daughter won Miss. Lobsterfest. We knew she could do it. Conch season is officially closed from July 1st until October 1st. Lobster season has begun. There is so many good reasons to come to Caye Caulker, so don’t let the hurricane season discourage you, as it is more likely to happen starting in late August and onward in this part of the Caribbean. With hurricane season comes Rainy Season but that doesn’t mean it is going to rain all day and all night. We need a shower every day to cool things down and dust down the streets. Summer usually means crowds, line ups, and raised prices, but in Belize it is the exact opposite. This is your time to receive discounts and get to enjoy the reef all to ourselves. Even the manatees come out to the reef to cool off from the rivers and lagoons. Yes, you actually get to swim with manatees, another excellent reason to come to Belize.
Yes, it is hot, but it is hot everywhere and in Caye Caulker, you have the luxury of lazing in a hammock under a shady coconut tree, while having the breeze rock you gently and at any moment you so desire to drop yourself in the sea.
Come to Belize this summer and get away from the crowds up North. Instead of heading south for the winter head south for the summer. We hope to see you here!!!!!
 Snorkeling with Manatees |
 Lobsterfest 2014 |
Lobsterfest June 27, 28, 29
Caye Caulker’s is known for many things nowadays. Once, a sleepy fishing village and now a thriving tourist playground. Caye Caulker is the birthplace of Belize’s Lobsterfest. Fishermen are busy hauling up their traditional palmetto wooden traps to feed the people at this weekend’s 19th annual Lobsterfest, since it’s creation in 1994. It should be the 20th, but one year they had to cancel. Created to kick off the Lobster Season, which started June 15th and will end Feb 14th 2015. This Friday the 27th is the Miss Lobsterfest Pageant starting at 7pm and Miss Britany Ysaguirre is one of 5 contestants competing this year to win the title. We are almost positive she is going to win. The cost is $15BZ to enter to cheer her on. Seating starts at 6:30pm. The contest is typical pageant style and the prizes are endless. Last week was the Dinner Gala, where they introduced themselves. Tomorrow is the pageant parade, where they ride in their float that they have a decorated. Saturday the 28th at 10am, is the official kick off parade with the newly crowned Miss Lobsterfest leading the way. There are information booths and food stalls all day. Come 3 o’clock is the first Colour Powder Party where you are to wear white shirts, they are also selling Lobsterfest Festival Tanks and T’s for $25BZ, which will be perfect for this event. There will be a party all night long and all day Sunday from the split to the Palapa grounds. Come see the biggest lobster contest and more. Lots of fun happening this weekend in Caye Caulker. I am just glad I will be here to enjoy it. There are still rooms available!
 Britany Ysaguirre for Miss Lobsterfest 2014 |
 What a great combination Lobster and Beer |
Costa Maya Beach Cabanas and Hotel Suites
Costa Maya Beach Cabanas new hotel is ready to rent.
Please go to their new website and make a booking today. You can still use this website to make your booking.
The new website is www.costamayabelize.com
All of the new 6 rooms offer the same comforts. Two double size beds, private bath and kitchenette. Fully Air Conditioned.
Great views from the rooms and the best views from the third and fourth floor, which is our Penthouse Suite offering a 360 degree view. A spiral staircase to the rooftop for an amazing view of Caye Caulker and beyond.
Costa Maya offers a total of 12 rooms and the penthouse suite.
We look forward to having you come stay with us.
 Costa Maya Beach Hotel and Cabanas |
 Costa Maya |
Dive the Blue Hole
TA Adventures Ltd. is now offering Diving Trips to the Blue Hole at Lighthouse Reef.
This is one amazing trip and must be in the logbook.
The trip is $200USD plus 12.5% gst tax. This price is all inclusive of dive equipment and marine reserve fees. A total of 3 dives. Breakfast in the morning before we take off and lunch at Half Moon Caye Island. Depart at 6:30am and return by 4:30pm
 Blue Hole |
 Half Moon Caye Wall |
Here are the details of the trip.
A world class site made famous by Jack Cousteau and designated as a world heritage location. The Blue Hole is indisputably the most famous diving area in Belize and it’s one of the best-known dives in the world. Half Moon Caye is the second stop of the day. We start on a sandy, flat, broad seabed about 15 feet deep. Imprints of sting-rays and conchs, leading to patches of sea grass. Garden eels pro-truding from the sand, sinuously moving together then vanishing rapidly as you approach. The floor rises to reef colonized by a multitude of sponges and gorgonians. A wealth, of large black coral trees, every type of sponge & large coral formations, hard corals colonize busy with marine life. Eagle rays, turtles, mantas, morays may be sighted. We spend time on Half Moon Caye where have a nice picnic lunch and time to explore the island to see the red footed booby birds. Last stop, “The Aquarium” located on the western side of the reef, near the northern tip of Long Caye. This site is luxuriant in marine life. Eagle rays are common and schools of jacks and solitary barracudas. Aquarium clearly owes its name to its wealth of species.
Watershot for Iphone 4 and 5
Remember the days when we travelled and we wrote a journal, sent postcards. We took pictures, which we had to wait until we got home to develop. When Tsunami Adventures first opened in 1999, we used to even sell Film for manual underwater dive cameras. We used to rent these cameras to guests who dove the Blue Hole. We made our bathroom a dark room. Well I can definately say, this new product has finally made taking underwater photos so much fun and easy to instantly upload your underwater pics to facebook or your travel blog or email your friends and family.
Tsunami Adventures has the new WATERSHOT for iphone 4 and iphone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy 4.
Your phone fits inside securely and waterproof. Depth rated to 195 feet for the samsung galaxy and depth rated to 130 feet for the iphone 4 and 5.
 watershot |
 watershot samsung galaxy |
These cases are very popular, so reserve yours now.
Special discount price when you book a snorkeling tour with Tsunami.
Stop by and check out this new amazing product.
Costa Maya Beach Cabanas New Hotel
Costa Maya Beach Cabanas new hotel is will be ready to start taking your reservations in 3 weeks.
The new website is www.costamayabelize.com
All of the new 6 rooms offer the same comforts. Two double size beds, private bath and kitchenette. Fully Air Conditioned.
Great views from the rooms and the best views from the third and fourth floor, which is our Penthouse Suite offering a 360 degree view. A spiral staircase to the rooftop for an amazing view of Caye Caulker and beyond.
Costa Maya offers a total of 12 rooms and the penthouse suite.
We look forward to having you come stay with us.
A quiet place to relax and enjoy the sea….
 Relaxing on the Beach at Costa Maya |
 Costa Maya Beach Cabanas view from the beach |
PLEASE CHECK BELOW FOR INSTANT AVAILABILITY OR BOOK YOUR ROOM INSTANTLY WITHOUT WAITING FOR AN EMAIL REPLY.
All cabanas are air conditioned and have private bathroom with hot water showers.
Each cabana has cable TV, coffee maker and fridge and toaster.
Cabana 5, 6 and 10 are BEACHFRONT and offer fantastic views.
These units also have microwaves. Cabana 6 has a stove. Cabana 5 has a electric grill.
 Cabana 6 one bedroom apartment |
 Cabana 6 kitchen |
Cabanas 7, 8 and 9 are partial view but still have great views and breeze from the sea.
These cabanas have toaster, coffee maker, fridge. These are standard type rooms, offer double size bed. Cabana 7 has an additional single bed.
FREE use of CANOES and WIFI INTERNET
 Cabana 5 Costa Maya |
 Cabana 6 bedroom |
 Costa Maya 7, 8 and 9 |
 Cabana 7 |
 Cabana 8 |
 Cabana 8 and 9 |
 Cabana 10 |
 Cabana 10 patio |
The Blue Hole
At Tsunami Adventures we offer a few ways to experience the Great Blue Hole. We dedicated this page to tell you all about the Blue Hole. There is two Blue Holes in Belize. One on the Sea and one in the Jungle. The one on the Sea, draws the most visitors.
You can snorkel or dive it and you can also fly over it on our Scenic Flight over the Blue Hole and surrounding Atolls. Turneffe Atoll and Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The price per person is $200USD. We need a min. of 3 people to guarantee this price as it is a 3 seater plane. We also have 5 seater plane available. The flight takes one hour return to Caye Caulker airstrip. Everyone has their own view window. Get your batteries charged and come and see the amazing barrier reef and atolls by flight. Another trip that is booked exclusively with Tsunami Adventures. We include transportation by golf cart to the airstrip.
Here is a video of the flight.
Here is some interesting facts about the Blue Hole at Lighthouse Reef Atoll
The Blue Hole is a geographical phenomena – 71 miles from Caye Caulker about a 2 hour boat ride. Almost perfectly circular, the Blue Hole has a radius of more than 1,000 feet (305 m). It is considered one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth. Located in the center of the Lighthouse Reef the Blue Hole is a large hole of water 480 feet (145 m) deep, which gives the deep blue color.
The coral around the Blue Hole breaks the surface in many sections at low tide. Except for two narrow channels, the reef surrounds the hole. The hole itself is the opening to a system of caves and passageway that penetrate this undersea mountain. In various places, massive limestone stalactites hang down from what was once the ceiling of air-filled caves before the end of the last Ice Age. The hole is the opening to what was a dry cave system during the Ice Age. When the ice melted and the sea level rose, the caves were flooded. The Blue Hole is famed for its sky beauty and ever since Jacques Cousteau came here in 1970 it has drawn divers from all over the world.
The Great Blue Hole at Lighthouse Reef Atoll
 Half Moon Caye |
 puffer fish |
Made famous by it’s beauty and Jack Cousteau. Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole is now protected as a Natural monument and is technically a “karst-eroded sinkhole”. The Blue Hole is 1000 feet in diameter and 408 feet deep which opens out into a complex network of caves and crevices, complete with stalactites and stalagmites. It was formed over a million years ago when Lighthouse Reef was a sizable island – or even part of the mainland. The rim of the Blue Hole is blanketed with various species of brightly colored corals and sponges which is ideal for snorkeling.
Half Moon Caye is the second site of the day. We snorkel the gently sloping sandy bottom dotted with patches of sea grass. Here commonly seen are stingrays, barracudas, hog snappers, jacks and yellow tail snappers. At 40 feet deep the sandy slopes joins a wall of pinnacles covered with a rich variety of coral life. We zigzag through the endless pinnacles until the end of the snorkeling trip. The marine life and the coral formations in this area are simply amazing. We visit Half Moon Caye National Monument where we have lunch and you can visit the only nesting area of the red footed booby birds in Belize and next to Galapagos Islands (Blue footed Booby Birds).
Long Caye is the third site of the day called the Aquarium. Large coral sponges and plentiful marine life. A great way to end a spectacular day at Lighthouse Reef.
Trip includes round trip transport, fully guided by local experienced snorkeling guide, entrance fees, breakfast and lunch. Trip departs really early 5:30am and returns by 4pm It takes almost 2 hours to reach Blue Hole. 70 kilometers.
Also included snorkeling gear. Trip is operated by local dive shop, we will advise you at time of booking.
Prices is usually around $160USD per person depending on which dive shop you end up going with, as this trip is not operated daily.
The Blue Hole National Park Cayo District
 inland blue hole |
 St Herman's Cave |
The park is over 800 acres in size with hiking trails and features swimming and nature trails. The Blue Hole is actually a sinkhole formed by the collapse of an underground river channel. The exposed section of the underground Cave Branch Creek tributary can be viewed for about 150 feet before it disappears again beneath the surface. Located just off the Humming Bird Highway, Blue Hole steps lead to a 25-foot deep pool, for which the park is named. Its cool, turquoise waters, surrounded by dense forest, overhung with mosses, vines and ferns are the perfect spot for a cool and relaxing dip. St .Herman’s Cave is located about 500 meters from the Hummingbird Highway. The information center and parking are located just off the highway. The largest of the three known entrances to St. Herman’s Cave sits in a sinkhole 180 feet wide narrowing to a 60-foot wide entrance. Concrete steps cover stone steps once cut by the Maya. A trail with markers has been placed within the cave. It’s about a half mile through to the exit. Once inside, visitors can clamber over rocks and splash through the water, while admiring stunning cave formations. After exploring the cave, there is the option to hike a 2 mile interpretive trail. There are a number of other trails to hike within the park. Some of the unusual birds known to frequent this area include White Hawk, Spotted-Wood Quail, Crested Guans, Lovely Cotinga, Keel-Billed Toucans, Red-Legged Honey Creepers, and Slaty-Tailed Trogons.
Blue Hole National Park is located about 12 miles southeast of Belmopan on the Hummingbird Highway heading to the coast and Dangriga.
$123.75USD PER PERSON.
Trip includes round trip transportation from Belize City and return, experienced guide, entrance fee and lunch. Trip departs at 7am and returns at 5:30pm.
ALL PRICES are inclusive of the 12.5% GST tax.
We’re Styrofoam Free!
