Days 320-329 June 14-22 San Jose, BZ diving

Our friend, Jeanne, invited us on a diving trip to Belize, specifically Ambergris Caye, and we jumped on it. Belize is in Cental America, south of Mexico and east of Guatemala on the Caribbean Sea. Ambergris Caye, pronounces key, is a famous diving destination because of its large barrier reef. Only the Great Barrier Reef is longer.

The house we stayed in had 3 stories with the main living area on the second floor. The house was roomy and, importantly air conditioned. It was right on the beach with a fabulous view.
Out back the long dock ended with a palapa, a grass covered hut. It was blissful to say the least.

Barb and I went snorkeling there and were amazed at all the life. Earlier we had watched as 6 to 8 inch fish leapt out of the water as if fleeing for their lives. We believe we found the cause: a large barracuda.

Since the house was 30 minutes outside of town, we rented a couple golf carts to use as transportation. The roads in San Jose are rough, potholed and water logged. Oh and then there were hordes of mosquitoes. The challenge for the driver was to balance missing potholes while keeping ahead of the bugs. Riders balanced warding off bug bites while doing your best to not fall off.

The whole gang ready to head out. 

We dove in quite a few spots along the caye. We were able to dive through holes in the coral, see deep canyons, many forms of coral and a wide variety of critters, including sharks. One of the more interesting was the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. It is strictly policed and protected. The wildlife was incredible. We saw sharks, rays, Sargent Majors along with many I cannot name. 

My time in San Jose helped to grow my diving skills and understand what appealed to me I the sport. our dive masters were fabulous, extremely supportive and informative. After a week of diving multiple daily dives, we were all ready to get a change of scene, so we headed to the mainland.