Paratore Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I just got back from Belize this past Saturday and the reef was amazing! I went with my family and my beautiful fiancé The diving was amazing. There were so many fish and coral! Tons of damsels, tangs, wrasses, triggers, sharks, shrimp, lobsters and so much more. The coral reef was amazing. It was incredible to see acropora the size of my thigh! And so many sea fans! I’ll do a full write up on my whole trip with all the info in case anyone wants to ever visit also. We did tons of fishing, spearfishing, snorkeling, diving, and lobster hunting 10/10 recommend visiting Belize if you get the opportunity. Now here are a few pictures 20180704/6fca0436396570a222ff270bec8e5ef3.jpg[/img] Sent while trying to get my next coral fix..... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Sounds awesome Cody - thanks for sharing. Glad to hear there are at least some places left with viable reefs to visit. Now I just need time, money and some scuba experience 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Very exciting! An enviable trip for any reefer for sure. How is Belize doing? Did you see any damaged reef? Those lobsters should make it in to the PoTM finalists pretty easy. 😋 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaywood Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Did you feel safe there? Certainly want to hear more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Sounds awesome Cody - thanks for sharing. Glad to hear there are at least some places left with viable reefs to visit. Now I just need time, money and some scuba experience [emoji3]Don’t worry Sean the snorkeling was amazing also Sent while trying to get my next coral fix..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Very exciting! An enviable trip for any reefer for sure. How is Belize doing? Did you see any damaged reef? Those lobsters should make it in to the PoTM finalists pretty easy. [emoji39]I should enter the lobsters [emoji23]It was amazing, this was actually my family’s fourth and last trip there. Although it is my favorite place, it’s Time to go somewhere new Yes I did see damaged reef. They have what they call elk horn acropora and it was hard to find because most of the colonies were dead. Granted that was in the shallow section of the barrier reef. Once you cross over to the deep side(open ocean) they reef was thriving Sent while trying to get my next coral fix..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Did you feel safe there? Certainly want to hear more. Once we got to our house, yes we are very safe. We stay on the island of San Pedro which is a huge tourist area and is safe. I can’t speak to the safety of the mainland. And I’ll hopefully have time to do a write up tomorrow Sent while trying to get my next coral fix..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 Alright, time for a little more info [emoji4] I went to Belize with my Parents, sister, Brother, his girlfriend and my beautiful fiancé for a total of two weeks. This was the fourth and final trip for my family. We stayed on the island of San Pedro which is about 30 miles from Belize City, Belize. We stayed about 7 miles north of San Pedro in a house called Playa Blanca Villas. The Island of San Pedro is a fairly safe place. I wouldn't wonder around by yourself but my family and I never felt threatened while exploring town. Belize is not as developed as the states so we definitely did not show our phones, wallets or anything else that would make us a target for theft. We had zero problems and found the people of Belize to be very kind. They also see a ton of tourist on the island so its just everyday stuff to them. They island is absolutely beautiful. The water is a turquoise blue and the edge of the reef is about a quarter mile from the island. It was pretty crazy never seeing waves crash on the shore. They all break at the edge of the barrier reef. The water is between 5-12 feet deep between the edge of the reef and the mainland. While we were there, we snorkeled every single day. The reef is amazing. The size of the coral was breathtaking and made my little tank feel like a little puddle. It was incredible to see an acropora with branches a foot in diameter. The water was a steady 78-80 degrees every day, much better than the Oregon Coast lol. The water visibility was also about 60 feet although the underwater pictures make it look murky. I would say that sea fans were the most common coral we came across. We also did lots of spearfishing, fishing and lobster hunting. Lobster season opened the day before we got there and boy are they yummy [emoji4] One shoots a lobster with the spear gun to catch them. They poke their heads out of holes in rocks and if they are not shot correctly then they can get away into the rocks. The most we killed in one day was 18!!! We also shot many fish and had some of the best fish tacos I've ever had. My sister and I are both certified scuba divers and we did a two tank local dive through Amigos Del Mar. We dove to a max of about 80 feet and oh my gosh was the reef spectacular. The pictures all turned out horrible because of the blue. My cheap knock off camera couldn't process that amount of blue light because it was so deep. But you can see the growth structure and abundance of corals/fish. We were actually circled by five reef sharks which was pretty creepy. Overall the dives were amazing and I wish my camera could have captured some better photos. I know there is more I am forgetting but its late and I'm tired [emoji4] So if you have any questions about anything regarding my trip just ask! Now for some pictures!!!! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Thanks again for sharing these Cody. Looks like a great place. Amazing how tolerant the fish are to the snorkeling in that last photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 Thanks again for sharing these Cody. Looks like a great place. Amazing how tolerant the fish are to the snorkeling in that last photo.In the last photo we are actually feeding the fish! It’s a place where locals dump their conch and lobster catch from the day. As you can kinda tell the “sea floor” is actually made entirely of conch shells. And the girl swimming is holding a freshly cleaned lobster while the fish pick out the little bit of remaining meat Sent while trying to get my next coral fix..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisriverfisherman Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Awesome pics Cody looks like you had a great time! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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