You wouldn’t think we would want to tell you about free snorkeling, when we have all these wonderful tours we want you to go on.

Well, we all want somethings for free. It certainly isn’t going to be as good as a one of our reef tours, however it will surely be fun and hopefully you will be able to see lots of marine life.

If you have your own snorkeling gear, then great, if you need fins, we have them for rental for only $5BZ or $2.50USD if you need the full set. Mask, Snorkel and Fins we rent all day for $5.00USD a set. If you want a week, then you pay for 5 days rental and get two days free. It’s not entirely free but a heck of a deal.

The best place to go Snorkeling for Free is at the split. I often recommend to people to start from the end of our dock and swim around there and then onwards towards the split over the Sea grass beds, where you will see sea stars and young corals. Swim down along the seagrass edge towards the split bar area, swim along the wall, tons of fish. Dive down and under the ledge there is a few nurse sharks hiding out. You may see some lobsters hiding in the cracks. Swim accross the split and snorkel through the mangroves. Lots of fish hiding out in the mangroves.

Be careful crossing the split. Look both ways twice and then swim across fairly fast and get to the side of the mangroves.

If you are a little more adventures, swim around the whole South island of Caye Caulker. Stay close to shore. We do not recommend swimming out to the reef with out a canoe or kayak and life jackets.

With a good eye you can spot hidden Sea Horses wrapped around the mangrove roots.

If you have plenty of energy consider renting a canoe or kayak with a friend.  We have double canoes and 1 double kayak for rental at Tsunami Office for $25USD all day or $7.50USD an hour. You can paddle out to the Reef. Remember you will have to pay the marine reserve fee. So this pretty much defeats the purpose of FREE SNORKELING….but if you need more information about this, then you now know it is available.

If you are a guest of Costa Maya Beach Cabanas, Canoes are included in your nightly rental rate. Another good reason to stay at Costa Maya Beach Cabanas. Not only do they offer FREE WIRELESS and BICYCLES. CANOES TOO!!!!

Consider snorkeling at the split at night for a totally different experience. Don’t be afraid of the dark. For only $5USD we rent underwater flashlights. But if you have your own then better, because it is FREE……

Here is a guide to eating good food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for only $10USD total.

You don’t have to cook anything, only wait for your food to be ready.

Breakfast

Waffles to go at Jesse’s Snacks. Choose your toppings, butter, cheese or syrup. $1.00USD

Small Fruit plate from Mirna’s Fruits accross the street. She makes large and small. Small $1.50USD

Lunch

Local Favorite and usually eating by every Belizean daily. Rice and Beans or Stew Beans and Rice with Stewed Chicken with salad and plantain. This will keep you full all day   $3.50USD      This meal can be purchased at Martinez just around the corner from Oceanside or purchased to go at Glenda’s located to the back by the BTL complex.  I usually share this meal or save what I can’t eat for a snack later.

most popular meal in Belize

Dinner

Chinese Fried Chicken or Fried Rice or a cheese burger in paradise to go, at any of the local Chinese Takeaway, this meal can also be eaten in.

Now, you can’t eat the same meal everyday, so here are some other inexpensive meals. The best is to take your food and find a nice place to relax on the beach and enjoy the view and breeze.
Homemade Meat Pies to go. For only $.50cents USD each. Buy 3 and have a filling tasty meal. This are usually eaten for breakfast. He usually walks through the village with his cart and you know he is around as he hollers out Meat Pies…

Tamales, Rubin is usually around every day, Tamales are always available on Saturday and Sunday in the morning and up to lunch time. They are $1.50USD each.  Very tasty local dish, made with corn / masa and chicken.

Tacos in the morning. These gyals start early and offer fresh juice and tacos. A order of 3 is only .50cents.

Don’t forget to pass by Mrs. Eladel of Mom’s Kitchen, she makes fresh Johnny Cakes. Have your Johnny Cakes with ham and cheese or chicken and beans, or beans and cheese.. Only $.75 cents USD each.

Glenda’s makes wonderful cinnamon buns for only $.50 cents USD each. Make a pitt stop at the local bakery. A great place for snacks in the afternoon. My favorite is the ham and cheese flake pastery or the hotdog in a bun. Only $1.50USD

Bones aka Llyod starts from the split and walks towards the main part of the village daily starting around 4pm and offers fresh baking of Banana Breads and other cakes and cookies.

Conch Soup from Aunties Fast Food. Locally made and only $5.00USD comes with rice. This is enough soup for two people or save some for dinner.

Aldame, also known as Cake Woman bakes up coconut pie at $1.50USD a slice. She also makes wonderful tortillas that she sells through the local stores. $1.50USD for 5 tortillas. I loves these with fresh avocado and cheese.

There is so much wonderful inexpensive food in Caye Caulker that is made by locals. Offering excellent food.

There is many restaurants offering Barbecues and fine cuisine. I don’t think there is a bad restaurant in Caye Caulker.

Remember that Caye Caulker’s, moto is GO SLOW.  So sit back and relax and enjoy the local cooking of Caye Caulker.

Here is some interesting facts about the Blue Hole.

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.

Try some local flavor and enjoy a bowl of Conch Soup.

Little Tsunami

Rene Rosado - Tour Guide

Vito Rosado - Tour Guide

Big Tsunami

Manatee taking a breath

Here is some information about the Manatees.

Although their bulbous, whiskery face makes this hard to believe today, manatees are probably the source of legends about mermaids. Their humanlike eyes must have captivated the early European sailors who caught fleeting glimpses of them swimming in the warm waters of the West Indies.

In the 17th century, mermaids were depicted with their male companions, mermen. Although the legends of these half-fish, half-human creatures have lived on for hundreds of years and are still popular today, it is uncertain whether the manatees that inspired the legends will live on much longer.

Only a concerted effort to protect them in their marine habitat will save manatees from extinction.

Manatee at North Point Caye Caulker

Manatees inhabit warm waters of the Western Atlantic from Florida to Brazil where they live in coastal waters, freshwater inlets, and river mouths.

Although their range is quite large, manatees today exist only in a few small, isolated populations. They once were widespread in rivers and along coasts in their range, but they were hunted extensively in the 18th and 19th centuries. Coastal development has further reduced their populations. Today, there are less than 2,000 manatees remaining in the United States.

The population of manatees in Belize has varied over the past decade, but is now estimated at 300-700 individuals. Despite this seemingly low number, Belize is thought to have the highest concentration of this subspecies in the world. However, the current population is significantly lower than a century ago and is continuing to decline. What is causing the West Indian manatee to hover near extinction?

Reports of declining manatee populations due to hunting date back to 1883. In spite of the Manatee Protection Ordinance of 1935 and the more recent protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, illegal hunting has persisted. Reports of manatee bones at butcher sites is evidence that manatees are still taken for local consumption, especially in Southern Belize, but currently the primary threat is the exportation of meat to neighboring countries such as Honduras and Guatemala. Another threat exists in boat collisions with manatees; propeller-scarred manatees are becoming an increasingly common site. Moreover, as boat traffic increases, manatees are left with fewer undisturbed creeks and channels for calving and resting areas, thus they are forced to seek out less suitable habitats to avoid such harassment. In the search for habitat, manatees often find themselves susceptible to entrapment and death due to gill netting in rivers and across river mouths. Finally, it should come as no surprise that industrial and agricultural pollution, as well as effluent from domestic sewage, adversely affects the health of manatees and potentially destroys the vegetation on which they feed. Increased coastal development has made this a significant threat.

It seems that with such a high number of threats, the manatee has an uphill battle for survival. Fortunately, over the past decade, the people of Belize have made great strides in preventing further loss of this species. Public awareness campaigns and educational workshops have helped to increase enforcement of regulations. Still, more enforcement is needed to protect this species, whose fate hangs in the balance.

The manatee is a large, bulky aquatic mammal with flippered forelimbs and a spatula-shaped tail. Manatees can grow to 12 feet in length and weigh up to 3500 pounds. They may live to be 50 years old.

The manatee diet consists entirely of vegetation, consuming at a rate of 100 pounds a day. They eat by using their divided upper lip, which is very flexible, to grasp and take in aquatic plants. Like other air-breathing marine mammals (dolphins, whales, and seals), manatees must periodically surface for air.

Females reach sexual maturity between five and nine years of age, but they do not produce many offspring; more animals are killed each year than are born. Mothers are strongly bonded to their calves, but other social ties among manatees are very loose. They are extremely gentle and have been described as incapable of aggression.

Manatees are one of four living species in the Order Sirenia, which also includes the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, and the dugong. Another sirenian, the Steller’s sea cow, became extinct in the 1700s. The sirenians evolved from an ancestor they share with the elephant, their closest living land relative.

Tourism

Manatees spend hours grazing underwater everyday, and they can be very exciting to watch in their natural habitat. Manatee-watching tourism gives local people a financial incentive to preserve the species, since tourists spend their dollars at local businesses. Tourists may be inspired to do something to help these beautiful and mysterious creatures.

Here in Belize, manatee-watching tourism has been a very successful conservation action. Not long ago, local people hunted manatees with rifles, while today manatees are a big attraction for tourist dollars.

More scientific research is needed to understand manatees and their needs. One current study is tracking manatees by satellite to learn more about where they go and what they do. We need to know more about their calving and feeding behaviors.

www.swallowcayemanatees.org

Cabana 5 kitchen

Cabana 5

Cabana 6 kitchen

view from patio cabana 6

Patio Cabana #6

Sunset in Caye Caulker

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