Today is our snorkel to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. The water is a bit choppy, but the wind is down considerably from yesterday.
We awoke to breakfast tacos. Now, these things were hearty, chock full of chorizo and eggs. We sat on the deck and started getting excited about the day ahead. Chad has snorkeled all over the Caribbean on various sailing trips. I have also been on family vacations to the Abacos Island in the Bahamas. Chad and I also went snorkeling a few years ago in Punta Gorda in southern Belize. These experiences were about to be shadows of one of the coolest days in our lives together.
To digress, Chad was also pumped this morning, as he caught a bonefish BEFORE breakfast. It was 7:30AM and Chad is yelling, “I caught one.” He is like a kid in a candy store here. The fish are right off our dock and are just waiting to wrestle.
We head out to Hol Chan with our guides, Victor and Eddie. It is off the southern coast of Ambergris Cay and about 15 minutes by boat from our dock. Hol Chan is a Belizean national reserve – no fishing and the diving is tightly restricted. It is located in the middle of the ocean where a large barrier forms off the coast. Here, it becomes very shallow and you can see occasional forms of coral poking from the water. We tied up to one of the boat “parking buoys,” put on our snorkels and fins, and headed into a colorful and unforgettable hour.
Victor escorted us, pointing to the various corals, fish, and other sea life. We saw an array of damsel fish, tangs, jacks, groupers (huge!), tarpon, eagle rays and sting rays, puffers, moray eels, green turtles, wrasse, barracuda, angels and snapper. For coral, we saw fire, branch, brain, sea fans, kitchen tables, and anemone. Victor was so knowledgeable about the fish and corals, he even took us across a very shallow area that most snorkelers did not go through – there were other groups out in the water, but this special tour of the shallows really took us off the tourist path. Toward the end, we headed to see a green turtle, he was feeding – it was such a great experience to see it a few feet away from us!
We raced the boat to Shark Ray Alley next. Now, I may not be the brightest bulb in pack, but it only dawned on me as we were headed to SHARK RAY ALLEY that we would be swimming with….. wait for it……. SHARKS! I started to get a little panicky, not sure how I was going to weasel my way out of this part on the trip. Nonetheless, we sped along to my impending doom.
Sharks are a scary bunch. But, luckily, I started thinking about the movie Strange Wilderness and got a little laugh.
We arrived at the alley and yes, to my suprise, there were a shit ton of sharks. Not just a few… A LOT. To exacerbate the concern, Eddie our driver started throwing chum into the water. The sharks went nuts. They were eating the chummy treats, just like they would be eating one on my fingers in just a moment. We all watched in amazement (and a little horror) at the feeding frenzy, when I asked, “are we really going in that?” Victor coolly said, “of course, ladies first.” While I am not one to get uppity about being treated like a lady, this was one time I really wished I could be second. I strapped on my fins and mask and for some ridiculous reason, decided to jump in the water. As I landed in the choppy water, I took in about a gallon of sea water through my snorkel and came up coughing and wishing for air. Panic – check. Sharks – check. No air – check. swirling water – check. I was doomed.
Chad, in what seemed like an eternity, got into the water with me. After clearing my lungs and trying to relax, I put my mask in the water to survey my surroundings. There were three nurse sharks about 5 feet from me, a ton of other fish trying to score a snack, and to my suprise, Eddie was STILL throwing chum in the water. Next, Victor swam right to one of the nurse sharks and hugged it, then gently coaxed it over to us. Chad willingly touched the scary thing, but I politely declined, as the music from Jaws played in my head.
We headed out to the reef and took in another spectacle of color and life. At times, I felt as if I was watching a PBS special on the most beautiful coral in the world, only to pinch myself and realize I was not dreaming. Victor also coaxed over a sting ray (barb still intact, mind you) to visit us as well. I did actually pet the sting ray, as for some reason a barb did not seem as deadly as shark teeth. As we traveled over the reef, we saw schools of fish swim in circular patterns together to create a tight ball of life. Hundreds of them would tightly swim in unison to create the shape, then one would break and the entire group would fall out of the circle and get in a lock step march in a line. They worked in one mind – it was very interesting to watch.
As we headed back to the boat, I noticed the boys start to swim really fast away from something. I could not see a shark, so I was baffled. I popped my head out of the water and asked Chad, he said, “just move.” Apparently, there was a box jellyfish that swam about two feet from Victor’s face. These are HIGHLY poisonous, and if their tentacle even lightly touches your skin, you can be in agonizing, burning pain for weeks with no relief. Luckily, we moved away and got closer to the boat. As we neared the boat, we noticed the cattle call excursions were arriving for the day. The boats were loaded with scores of people, ready to snorkel. We had been in the alley, up to this time, practically alone, but now, the masses were arriving to play. Victor insisted I touch a shark, so he found a little one and brought it over for me to touch. I, begrudgingly, touched the sharks tail. It felt like sand paper, it was not what I expected. We soon loaded the boat, had a beer, then headed back to our island.
We had a beautiful lunch right on the beach near our villa. I had an Asian salad with peanuts and chicken, Chad had a fish sandwich that was served open-faced with plantains on the side. After lunch, I had a great idea that I wanted to have a fishing competition with Chad. Being a competitive person, this always sounds better in my head than the reality of what happens. I was going to battle the kid who has been practicing all week, while I sunbathed and read on the sideline. Hmmm, not a good match up.
Nonetheless, we decided stalking the bonefish was better than blind casting, so I set out into the shallows with my rod and Chad stayed on shore to spot the fish. On about the third cast, I had a fish on, but I lost it in the final feet when I let slack occur in the line. Blasted, I did not land one. I had a few other nibbles, but no serious takers. The sun, the beers, and the afternoon started making me want to head back to that beach. Chad and I switched, so I spotted for him on the shore, much happier with a beer in my hand. He is getting really good at fishing, even during these few days, he has imporved immensely in his casting and accuracy to land the fly. And, he is just so freaking adorable when he catches a fish – his eyes light up and you can tell it is really exciting for him.
We decided to finally shower and get cleaned up for the evening. We had a lot of sun and were both pretty salty, sandy, and smelly. But, thank goodness, we clean up good!
For cocktail hour, we decided to change it up a bit and have wine and cheese. We ordered a bottle of Merlot and Alex brought us a plate of beautiful cheeses, fruits and crackers. Some of the cheese was really tasty, for instance the smoked gouda and the cheddar. But then, we also had some of the stinkiest cheese ever found on earth. Now we love cheese, and we have tasted some pretty rank cheeses when we went to Berlin last year. Cheese outside of the Unites States is unpasteurized, so when you have the opporunity to eat real cheese, it is a treat. Now, there was one cheese on our tray that, literally, smelled like dirty socks. I called it the track meet cheese. Chad took a whole bite of it (including the soft rind) and then proceeded to have a sip of wine. He recoiled back, saying it was like a puff of ammonia in his nose. I, then of course, had to try it to. Track meet cheese held up as the stinkiest cheese of the night for sure. We also played one of Chad’s podcasts through the speakers in the house and danced a little. This is when I know he is a good man, he dances with me even when we are alone.
Dinner was set right off the beach of our house in the same location as lunch. Alex even put a message in the sand, “Chad loves Marci.”
With the wind down considerably, we had a quiet evening of laughter and fun. Someone across the island was playing some pretty terrible music, so we kept making fun of their horrible taste in pop music. By the endof dinner, it was apparent I had gotten a bit too much sun today, so I asked Alex for some aloe. Chad and I retreated back to the house. I covered myself in solarcaine and aloe, and walked out ready to go to bed. I, clearly, was looking super hot in my pajamas and three coats of aloe goo. These, boys and girls, are the true romantic moments in life.
In true old married couple fashion, we curled up in bed, I reading my Rice biography, and Chad, his fly fishing magazine. In one short week, we had arrived at that old married couple status, reading silently in bed. We both got laughing about it, but were both so tired that we didn’t really do anything to change it – we just laid there quietly and enjoyed being snuggled next to one another.
I can truly say that this was one of my favorite days in my life. The snorkeling experience with Chad ranks as one of our best adventures yet. We have had so many this far, roller coaster birthdays, Wekiva kayak picnics with a bottle of St. Francis, mountain biking through Snow Hill (and actually not killing myself on one of the turns), dancing til dawn at Panorama in Berlin, getting dressed up and eating at Chicago Chop House, camping in Geneva and catching bass, our engagement cruise to the Bahamas, our kayak trips to Satellite, wine and cheese on the balcony at our loft in Berlin, biking Berlin, cycling the MS150, air boat rides across the swamps, Gator parties with our family and friends, thousands of hours on our back porch contemplating the world and how it would run smoother if we just ran it, morning snuggle time on a Saturday.. all adventures in thier own right. And even this most recent adventure – our wedding day – this one is my favorite now. Chad and I have chosen to start a life as one, I cannot begin to thank God enough for this blessing in my life.
