Diving in Belize

The diving in Belize is fantastic -- I'm definitely coming back.

In addition to diving the Blue Hole (which I write about in a separate post), I did four other dives: the Aquarium, Half Moon Caye Wall, Tuffy Canyons, and Esperalda. Each was amazing in its own way.

For starters, I continue to be blown away by the diversity -- and quantity -- of wildlife. There hasn't been a dive yet that left me unsatisfied. Fortunately my volunteering at the Georgia Aquarium's 'tropical diver' gallery helped, as I had to learn to identify a hundred or so fish. I saw rainbow parrotfish, fox face butterfly fish, barracudas, nurse sharks, lobster, sting rays, green sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, surgeonfish, eagle rays, snapper, grouper, conch, eels, wrasse, and more.

I'm also impressed by the abundance of coral and other reef aquatic life. It is a shame that the coral is having such a hard time staying alive due to the decisions we make on land.

I swam through my first 'swim-through' which was a blast. It was very small -- my body and scuba equipment just barely fit through the hole. It was fun going through this small opening from one side to the other. Granted, going through swim-throughs aren't exactly safe, as if something were to happen you'd be SOL. Fortunately, I make a point of buddying up with dive masters so that I don't have anything to fear.

I truly love diving and can't wait to develop my diving skills and visit more places. It is a joyous experience and I feel so fortunate for having the opportunity to dive some of the world's best spots.