I’ve been out of the country. I’ve been to the beach. I’ve been to Disney World. I’ve even been to the Caribbean. But I’ve never been anywhere that made me feel like I was on a real vacation the way Caye Caulker did.
I planned my trip to Belize to revolve around scuba diving, and my itinerary included sending it the night I arrived, enjoying a beach day, completing my advanced open water scuba course over the following two days, then venturing out to either the Blue Hole or Turneffe Elbow for a third day of diving before flying home the following afternoon.
I had my sidekick, Jlin, with me, ready to take on whatever, but I came to find out that the beauty of Caye Caulker is you don’t need an itinerary to do whatever you please.
The process of getting to Caye Caulker once landing in Belize City is very straightforward. The airport is so small, you really can’t mess up finding your way outside to the taxis. Make sure you stop for a sample of rum (or three) at the duty free store right next to baggage claim before you leave the airport. It’s the perfect way to welcome yourself to Belize while you wait for your bag.
After arriving at the ferry terminal and buying our water taxi tickets ($10 USD), Jlin and I have some time to kill before our water taxi departs for Caye Caulker, so we sit for a traditional Belizean meal of stew chicken, rice and beans at Anna’s Lunch Box. This includes a happy hour beer bucket of Belikin (six beers) for $5 USD. Our server gives us plastic cups so we can drink the rest of our beers on the ferry.
The water taxi over to Caye Caulker from Belize City is incredibly scenic – I’ve never seen such stunning turquoise water in my life. I have the sudden urge to jump overboard.
On the ferry, I meet a girl who just flew in from Denver as well and a couple of American Airlines pilots who just flew in from Houston for a long weekend, no accommodations booked. Amazing. Since the island is so tiny, we don’t even exchange contact information as we’ll without-a-doubt run into each other at some point (and we do, about a dozen times).
Once we reach the island and disembark, it’s a short stroll over to our hotel, the Caye Caulker Plaza Hotel, to check in and get ready to go exploring.
The vibes here are amazing – I love the look and feel of everything. It’s nothing like an island resort, but everything and everyone exudes relaxation. We start at the north point of the island and barcrawl our way south. Here’s the rundown of our bar crawl:
I actually cannot comprehend how perfect the weather is the morning of our first day of diving. We meet Mario, our dive instructor, once we arrive at Frenchie’s Dive Shop, and he has us put together our gear so we can start loading up the boat.
I haven’t scuba dived for almost six months, so naturally, I have forgotten everything. I try attaching my first stage (the thing you breathe out of underwater) backwards. Class is going really well so far!!
Today we’re doing our boat diving, underwater navigation, and peak performance buoyancy control dives. Boat diving is going to be different than any kind of dive excursions I’ve done because I’ve never dived off such a small boat.
It’s just me, Jlin, another guy named Jonathan taking the course with us, Mario, and another guy helping out with navigation, docking, and getting us in and out of the water safely.
I didn’t take any seasickness medicine because the ride to our first dive site is just ten to fifteen minutes. Naturally, I’m starting to get seasick anyway by the time we get to our spot, even as Mario is commenting on how calm the waters are today.
Mario tells me I’m welcome to roll in first and descend to help with the seasickness rather than stay at the surface, bobbing with the waves. I happily backroll into the ocean.
I’m hit with some anxiety as I resurface and try to mentally prepare for my descent. It’s hard to concentrate when you’re seasick. Mario also weighted me with three or so less pounds than my last dive, so I’m a little nervous about being able to sink. Less weight makes sense today, since I was wearing heavier gear last time, but it’s still a mind game.
It’s all about controlling your breathing, and I’m able to descend by repeatedly exhaling fully and inhaling a small breath before exhaling fully again. Skillful scuba diving is so technical, which is what I love about it.
We all meet underwater and spend 45 minutes gliding along a reef 50 to 60 feet deep. Good thing my mask is fogged up the whole time!! While that did suck, just the feeling of being back in scuba gear and scoping out the ocean is enough of a thrill.
Back on the boat, Mario asks if we’ve been to Shark Ray Alley yet. Jlin and I say no and just look at each other; we’re both against the feeding of the animals there, which is what attracts them in the first place. We were not planning on going there at all, but Mario exclaims, “Well then, let’s go!!”
It actually is cool snorkeling with the stingrays and nurse sharks (I really want to scuba dive with sharks, but the big critters – nurse sharks are small bottom feeders).
I also can’t help but laugh out loud at the snorkeling tours that surround us; the boats are all crammed with tourists, and the strong smell of sunscreen wafts off them as they pass by. Mario makes fun of them with us as we lounge out in the sun and snack on fresh pineapple before our next dive.
Back on land, we decide to check out Wish Willy’s for dinner. Even though the current exchange rate is $2 Belizean dollars for $1 US dollar, it’s easy to get trapped into spending money like a tourist. Prices are marked up at most of the popular restaurants like Wish Willy’s, and most places on the main streets. On the other hand, you can find gems like Jenny’s To-Go Stand or Erolyn’s House of Fry Jacks and get a massive, stuffed fryjack for $2.50 USD.
We meet a family from Colorado at Wish Willy’s, and the dad starts telling us about how they are getting their 10 year-old son scuba certified. I didn’t even know junior-level certifications were a thing? I can’t imagine a 10 year-old learning how to self-sufficiently scuba dive, and I’m not clear on what this certification actually qualifies a 10 year-old to do. Crazy parents, if you ask me.
It’s day two of scuba diving, and we’re doing our deep water dive today – my most-anticipated dive of the course. There’s something so exhilarating about being 100 feet under the ocean’s surface, and I’m so intrigued about experiencing narcosis at depth. I’m hopped up on dramamine and caffeine and ready to go!
As we’re setting up the boat, Mario tells us about how a family came in to the shop yesterday to complain about him because he refused to certify a 10 year-old boy. Jlin and I can’t belize it – it’s the same family we just met last night.
Apparently, the boy has a history of lung issues and surgeries that put him at risk while scuba diving in the first place, and he was really struggling with his gear and skills. So out of regard for his safety, Mario called it, and the parents were pissed at him for caring about their child’s safety. Unbelizable!!
Compared to the “calm” waters yesterday, today’s weather out on the ocean is no joke. Yesterday, Mario told us a story about losing his boat while out diving in six to seven foot waves. Our boat today is getting absolutely sloshed around on the choppy waves, and I ask him what they’re at today. He says eight to nine feet. Dear god.
I’m legitimately getting seasick despite having taken plenty of dramamine. We have trouble anchoring the boat for a minute, then as soon as we’re secure, Mario lets me go in first again to get down and out of the waves.
I backroll right into the rollercoaster of water rocking the boat. The current takes me immediately as I try to get my bearings, dragging me towards the back of the boat. I try to exhale to sink, but my anxiety is causing me to take several quick breaths in, which counteracts any full exhalations I do manage. On top of that, it feels like the current is pulling me back to the surface anytime I start my descent.
Next thing I know, I’m right up against the boat’s propellers, and I freak out, swimming hard away from the boat and against the current to avoid getting smashed into them by the waves. Mario yells at me to stop using my arms to swim so I don’t tire myself out. I send myself into focus mode – I really need to descend and drop to where the current weakens!
It helps to see the guys descending just ahead of me since the visibility is relatively poor underwater. I’m finally able to get down and meet them at the mooring line (the rope the anchor is attached to), where we all continue our descent.
The current weakens the deeper we go, but even at 80 feet, I feel like I’m drift diving as the current effortlessly pushes me through a channel of reefs. We slowly progress to 100 feet, where I start feeling semi-narc’d and have the thought that hm, maybe I’ll stay down here forever!!
But we don’t stay long enough for me to do anything silly. We slowly make our way back to the boat, where I have to time the pull of the current so I don’t miss the exit ladder. Once we’re all safely onboard, Mario exhales and says, “If you can scuba dive in that, you can scuba dive in anything.”
And with that, we’ve passed our advanced open water scuba diving course in the most dramatic way possible! We’re all poured copious amounts of rum punch as we cruise back to land. Mario jokes about getting us so drunk, our certification card photo looks like a mugshot by the time we take it.
We’re greeted with the most horrible news I’ve ever gotten once we’re back, though: all dive excursions scheduled for tomorrow have been canceled due to the weather. Winds, and as a result, the current, are anticipated to be even worse tomorrow. I become a sad drunk very quickly.
The guys at Frenchie’s tell us Belize Diving Services is our best bet if we still want to go scuba diving tomorrow, since they have boats big enough to handle the waves. We run over to see if they have any spots available, but they’re all booked up, with an extensive wait list. I guess I won’t get to see the Blue Hole this time around.
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