The weekend…
Friday morning we woke up around 7:30 to eat breakfast before we headed to South Water Caye until Sunday afternoon. Instead of traveling on the Galen school bus, we rented a van for the trip there and back, which had air conditioning and were told we would have more space. However, there were 22 of us in total going all having to fit in this van, with our bags, and it was quite snug. The van ride was about 2 hours, where he dropped us off at a dock in Dangriga. From there, we were to take a water taxi (boat) to the small island.
Van ride
Boat ride there
We rented one boat just to take our luggage there, then had two other boats for all of us to fit. The boat I was in held 18 people and 4 people were in my row, with me being closest to the water on the left-hand side. The ride there was nothing like I’ve ever experienced. We started off very slow and I thought to myself that it was going to be very relaxing and I could take in some sun, since the ride was about 45 minutes to the island. As soon as we hit deep water, however, the boat took off and I’m pretty sure the driver of the boat was purposely flying and hitting as many waves as he could to get us wet. The people on the middle rows stayed pretty dry. Even the people on the outer right-hand side of the boat did not get hit that bad. My side, however, was being destroyed. It was fun for a while getting soaked (luckily I wore a bathing suit under my clothes and put on my rain coat), but then the salt water really started to bother my eyes and I didn’t have my sunglasses on me, since they were packed in my bag in the other boat. By the time we arrived at the island, it didn’t really matter if I was wearing a raincoat or not because the water had soaked through the coat and my clothes.
We got off the boat and were then shown where we would all be sleeping and the rules of the Island. All the girls slept in one room…bunk beds, with two toilets and two showers. The boys slept in the room next to us and shared the bathroom with us. Since it’s an Island meant for environmentally conscious people, everything is powered by wind generators and solar radiation for electricity. The water used for the showers all comes from them collecting rain from the rainy season. Since there is only a limited supply of water, you must take quick showers and only turn the water on when needed. The water itself will not stay on by itself. You must hold the handle down when you want it and then it turns off when you let go. All the dishes and silverware are washable to limit pollution and even at the bar, everything is given as glass, since many people are careless about plastic bottles and they tend to end up flying away into the ocean. They cooked all 3 meals a day for us and would ring a bell to let everyone on the island know that the food was ready.
Our tropical paradise
As soon as our orientation was done, we all went down to the beach and swam and relaxed all day. Lying outside for about 10 minutes was all it took for you to be overheated and have to jump in the ocean. I used up 2 full bottles of sunscreen on this trip, and yet still got burned slightly on my back, insane. The ocean was nothing like I was used to. The water was crystal clear when you first walked in and looked like fresh water. It was perfect shades of blue and turquoise and the temperature was just right. Our program leaders had brought their own snorkel gear and decided to share with us, so I went snorkeling for the first time and it was so much more than I was expecting. The fish are so colorful and vibrant and some even the size of me. The coral reef is also awe-inspiring. Belize has the second longest barrier reef in the world and it was truly amazing to get to see all of it. I felt like I was actually in the movie, Finding Nemo, and would follow some schools of fish as if I were part of their group.
Snorkeling
After snorkeling and playing in the water for a while, I started reading and just relaxed in a hammock on the beach. We then all played volleyball before dinner and watched the sunset. After dinner, we all just hung out, since you can’t leave the Island and there is not much to do there. A group of us played scrabble, while others played pictionary and charades. We then realized that you could actually see the stars outside on the Island, and all ran to the dock and laid there for a while just looking for shooting stars. I then walked to the beach to get an even better view and was able to walk pretty far into the ocean due to the sandbar that extended outward at least 50 feet. Every time I took a step, there was some bio-luminescence that lit up in the water. It was like a show of fireworks for my feet. I then moved to one of the hammocks and laid there for a while and lost track of time. I had fallen asleep for about an hour and woke up due to it getting windy and cooler outside. I then walked back and went to bed.
Saturday – I woke up probably around 7 (nobody knew what time it was all weekend, since our phones did not work in the middle of nowhere and nobody brought watches either) and got ready for the beach right away while the cooking staff was preparing breakfast for us. After breakfast, a few of us headed to the beach to read. I ended up spending almost the entire day outside, but it felt so nice to just lay on sand not worrying about anything. In the afternoon, our group leaders arranged an official snorkeling session in which they took us all out on a boat further in the ocean. There, I saw even more amazing fish and even a barracuda, which was really cool but scary at the same time. My favorite part, however, was when I saw two squid. They were purple and blue in color and were just so magnificent to watch swim by.
That night, I went back on the beach for a while to my spot and then a few of us decided we wanted to sleep on the beach, so we could continue to watch the stars and wake up and see the sunrise. Only Andrew and I actually ended up going through with it, but some other people slept on the dock, with their mattresses and pillows. I simply slept on a beach towel in the sand, since the hammock could only keep me comfortable for so long. I also wore about 4 different layers of shirts (all I brought, basically), pants, and had two towels, and yet I still ended up being cold. Although I did not sleep that well that night, it was worth it to watch the sunrise on the beach.
Right after I watched the sunrise, I had to run to the other side of the Island to catch the boat that was leaving for fishing, at 6:30 a.m. I signed up for the early shift, since I figured I would be up anyway and it would be cooler in the morning for sitting on a boat for 3 hours. I ended up catching 4 fish!! Whatever fish we did catch was to be used for lunch, although I am not particularly fond of fish and did not eat it. Three out of the four fish I caught I threw back, since the guy told me they were too small, but I was just really excited to catch one in the first place.
Fish!
After fishing, we had a few hours to get our last sun rays on the beach before we headed back to Cayo. A group of about 8 of us took another boat before we left for the Smithsonian, a research field station on the Island directly across from South Water Caye. At the Smithsonian, we were introduced to some researchers studying crabs, shrimp, and other sea life. We got to hold hermit crabs, starfish, brittlefish, sea urchins, and shrimp. These people live on the Island while researching and basically just eat, take pictures of new species, and record the data all day on this beautiful Island. It made me think that I should switch to marine biology and just live the life of a beach bum while researching really amazing creatures.
Shrimp!
Once we got back, it was time for lunch and then we were on our way back home. This trip was probably one of the highlights of Belize thus far and I would love to go back there one day. If anyone comes to Belize and wants a quiet destination not meant for mass tourism and cares about the environment, South Water Caye is definitely the place to go.
Ben, Gisele, and I reading on the dock
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