Snorkelling Hol Chan Marine Reserve

So followers of this blog will know that I have started diving again recently after a 20 year gap since being a keen diver before. I dive to get closer to the marine life but to be honest today’s snorkelling trip with Cave Man Snorkelling Tours, Caye Caulker Belize questioned this logic. I saw more marine life on this fantastic tour than on many (if not most) dives I have done (and at a fraction of the cost). I won’t stop diving but snorkelling can be awesome too.

We started to see wildlife without even getting in the water. We fed tiny sardines to huge 8ft Tarpon and also Magnificent Frigate Birds.

At our first snorkelling stop we had heard a Manatee had been seen that morning and we were so delighted it was still there. It is kind of out of season as they migrate so we were quite lucky to be in the water with this gentle giant (ish). A Sea Cow is a good name for them as they are a large grazing mammal, slow and peaceful but of the sea.

More Snorkelling in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve turned up some other marine life including a large Moray Eel and Crab, both of which I free dived to to take these photos.

Our final snorkelling stop was Shark Ray Alley. The story is that a fisherman used to gut his catch here and noticed that sharks and rays were gathering to feed on what he threw overboard and then it became a snorkelling spot. The sharks are harmless Nurse Sharks and the Rays are very docile but I wouldn’t want to test one by accidentally standing on it which was a real risk to be watched.

Here are some pictures of what I estimate were over 50 Southern Sting Rays. A large one swam between my legs at one point brushing both my feet!

And here are some pictures of the Nurse Sharks which I noted had only 4 gills.