Adventures in Belize – Trying to find the Elusive Manatee

“Do you see it? It’s appropriate there!” our knowledge, Harry Sr. exclaimed as he acknowledged into the translucent waters. We didn’t see one factor, nonetheless eagerly moved to the doorway of the boat to hunt for the elusive Manatee grazing on turtle-grass on the underside of the ocean. There all through the shadows of the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, we lastly noticed the darkish formation swimming close to our boat. It was our first Manatee sighting!

Manatees are delicate herbivores discovered all through the coastal areas and rivers of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Amazon Basin and Western Africa. Usually referred to as “sea cows”, these slow-moving animals even have a gradual metabolism and in an effort to survive, they’re sometimes present in shallow, hotter waters.

We had been attempting for these mammals all through the shallow waters of the sanctuary for not more than half-hour before discovering one. How this creature was noticed by our knowledge stays a thriller to me. Nick and I each had our eyes on the water your complete time and didn’t see a component. Harry Jr., our second knowledge on the boat, lower the motor, which actually allowed us to revenue from the peacefulness of the second. With a large bamboo pole, Harry Jr. propelled the boat inside the path of the Manatee’s subsequent predicted respiration cease. As our informative guides outlined, Manatees can maintain their breath for as rather a lot as quarter-hour, so it was a bit little little bit of a ready recreation in between floor breaths.

Our greatest sighting acquired proper right here close to the tip of the day. In the end, by the obtrusive picture voltaic reflecting off of the water, Harry Sr. noticed sea cow quantity 6! Initially, he thought it was circling to the as soon as extra of the boat, so the opposite three vacationers ran as soon as extra there, nonetheless Nick and I stayed all through the guts, which turned out to be the best plan.

It’s little nostril peeked up from slightly below the bottom, then acquired proper right here the whiskers, then two cheeks and two spherical eyes! Nick and I had been appropriate subsequent to the Manatee; this was by far the closest we had been all day. We each fumbled spherical attempting to get the digicam prepared, nonetheless merely as shortly as a result of the ocean cow exhaled, it inhaled and with one big swoop of its paddle-shaped tail, slipped as soon as extra into the water.

Not solely did we spot our first Manatee inside minutes of being on the Sanctuary, we ended up seeing a complete of seven all by way of the day! A quantity that prime is sort of bizarre, and we gave the entire credit score rating ranking to our veteran guides with “sea eyes”, Harry Sr. & Harry Jr. As their names would counsel, they appear to be a father and son duo who grew up on Caye Caulker in Belize and know every little issue there’s to know relating to the island, the ocean and the Manatees. None of our questions on these herbivores went unanswered and their performance to determine these creatures was distinctive.

Nonetheless our day wasn’t all about sitting on a ship recognizing majestic mammals, we wished to get moist too! sadly, we weren’t capable of snorkel with the Manatees, nonetheless we had been nonetheless capable of don and masks and fins and uncover the enticing Belize Barrier Coral Reef that lays merely 300 meters offshore. We snorkelled above the colorful coral, recognizing a sting ray, moray eel and a great deal of species of fish. We furthermore noticed quite a lot of playful dolphins as quickly as we had been on the boat. The marine life in Belize is inconceivable.

We had noticed a dugong all by our journey to Mozambique, nonetheless we had been higher than thrilled to determine 7 of its cousins whereas exploring the sanctuary spherical Caye Caulker. Merely being out on the water actually recharged our batteries and we felt so privileged to have the flexibleness to have this distinctive expertise.

The Company

We had been obsessed with E-Z Boy Excursions not solely due to the welcoming, vibrant workplace appropriate on the water, nonetheless on account of this company is run by thought of one in every of many first households who settled on Caye Caulker! Opened in 1997, this household run operation has been offering Belizeans with jobs and vacationers with protected and memorable excursions for a variety of years. The proprietor, Hans, is the fifth know-how in his household to proceed with the personalized of fishing and has now added snorkelling and island journeys to the corporate’s repertoire.

The Tour

E-Z Boy Excursions have many picks by the use of sightseeing on, or underneath the water. Six speedboat excursions and three crusing excursions may very well be found. The sailboats are furthermore in the marketplace for personal construction. Not too means again, they’ve added a three-day crusing journey to Placencia, with tenting on islands alongside among the best methods.

We chosen the Manatee Tour, which is a 7 hour day journey commencing at 9:30 am. The day is spent exploring the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary before stopping on St. George’s Caye for lunch. On among the best methods as soon as extra to Caye Caulker, the tour stops at two totally utterly totally different snorkelling web pages with good coral and marine life. The value of this tour is $85 USD/express explicit particular person. A minimal of 5 individuals are wanted.

The Guides

The E-Z Boy guides are all third and 4th know-how islanders, who’re higher than licensed to supply vacationers with particulars about Caye Caulker, the marine life and the shut by sanctuaries. Each Harry Sr. and Harry Jr. weren’t solely educated, nonetheless they’d been furthermore precise – which is a fine quality that’s usually laborious to go looking in a tour knowledge.

Professionals & Cons

Professionals:

For us, what actually makes a tour memorable is the guides. It’s essential to have guides who’re fascinating, humorous and naturally, know a component or two relating to the web page we’re seeing! We requested Harry Sr. and Jr. many questions, not solely about Manatees, nonetheless about Belize, Caye Caulker and even personal questions. That that they had been better than comfortable to reply one factor and every little issue.

The tempo boat we had been out on was in-built Belize and was very cosy and of fantastic high quality. Shade was in the marketplace on the boat as had been life jackets.

The snorkel gear was accurately maintained and so they additionally even have prescription masks!

If the Manatees had been contained within the Wildlife Sanctuary, we weren’t allowed to snorkel with them. If by chance they determined to swim outdoors of the sanctuary, then we had been allowed to. On our tour, the Manatees didn’t come out of the protected space and our guides had been respectful of the foundations by not permitting us to get all through the water with the ocean cows.

Cons:

Though the fish lunch with rice, beans, salad and fruit was tasty, we had been disillusioned that it was launched from Caye Caulker in styrofoam containerssignificantly than being cooked up trendy on St. George’s Caye.

Eco-tourism is essential to Nick and I. Prior to heading out on the tour, we expressed that we don’t agree with feeding and touching the marine life (many tour operators on Caye Caulker do that). We had been assured that this doesn’t occur with E-Z Excursions, nonetheless all by the snorkelling, one among our guides picked up a starfish for all of us to carry. It solely occurred the one time and you’d be laborious pressed to discover a tour operator on this space who didn’t contact and disturb the ocean life.

Contact Knowledge

To e guide thought of one in every of many many excursions with E-Z Boy Excursions in Caye Caulker, you possibly can reserve on-line or contact them on Fb.

This piece is a part of the Momondo expertise’s assortment. Momondo challenged us to determine monstrous Manatees in Belize, and we gladly accepted that draw back. A vast Thank-You to E-Z Boy Excursions in Caye Caulker, Belize for making this such a memorable tour!

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