Cruising
the Caribbean by kayak
Published in Calgary Sun - Dec. 12, 2003
Reef
Madness in Belize
Kayak Adventures in one of the richest marine ecosystems on
Earth
Published in Victoria Times Columnist - Jan. 3, 2004
Theresa Schadeck-Storm
For CanWest News Service
CanWest News Service / Sealife is abundant for both watching
and eating.
COCONUT PLUM CAYE, Belize -- "Air is our enemy."
This is the mantra -- instilled by Jolie Fitzgerald, our British
Columbian tour guide-cum-drillmaster -- that runs on rapid
replay as I futilely survey the tarp heaped with fresh and
canned food, bags of drinking water, radio and camera equipment,
snorkel gear, a first-aid kit, personal gear, pots and dishes,
tents, et cetera.
It's
enough for 13 people for five more days and nights.
Impossible,
I think. It'll never fit in the five double and three single
sea kayaks that will be our floating homes, carrying us like
adventurers of yore to isles uninhabited. Why, the kayaks
look just big enough for us.
Thus
the need for airtight vigilance, Fitzgerald explains, demonstrating
how to squeeze the last breath from the bags.
It
is like putting together a puzzle, my nine travel mates, aged
30 to 71, and I learn as we pack, unpack and repack the holds
in a Survivor-style team challenge -- our third so far --
until it all fits. Single cans and grapefruit get stuffed
into any remaining cranny. It's a feat accomplished with patience
and a little good-humoured cursing.
Victorious
and thankful the task was not timed, we don spray skirts and
life-jackets, ready to launch our vessels into the perfect
turquoise of the Caribbean Sea. Today we will paddle seven
nautical miles to our new island home, Billy Hawk (which means
osprey) Caye.
It's
just one of more than 225 cays that dot Belize's 250-kilometre
barrier reef, the second longest in the world (after the Great
Barrier). One of the richest marine ecosystems on earth, the
reef runs 16 to 40 kilometres off the shore of the mainland.
In
the five days to come, we will paddle about 40 km of the wild
southern barrier reef, camping Robinson Crusoe-style on three
more uninhabited cays.
Like
me, my travel mates are on this Coral Jaguar Expedition to
challenge themselves with Vancouver-based Island Expeditions,
which has specialized in Belizean kayak and adventure tours
for 16 years.
We
are not disappointed. After Couples' Challenge 1 -- learning
the fundamentals of sea kayaking and how to get out of an
overturned craft (not as scary as I thought), yesterday we
headed to Tobacco Reef for snorkelling, a 14-km round-trip.
With
a stiff headwind whipping the previously placid sea into froth,
to my exhausted arms it soon felt like an 80-km journey --
Challenge 2. To the accompaniment of what sounded like thunder
from breakers hitting the reef, a wave half-swamped our kayak
as we disembarked for snorkelling.
"What
have we gotten our fool selves into?" my husband and
I asked each other. Neither of us had kayaked before, save
for short spins in plastic resort kayaks.
Thankfully,
throughout the days, the going becomes much easier and faster
as we skim over shallow reefs studded with fluorescent cherry
starfish. Almost effortlessly, our paddles sluice through
the mirror-calm sea like it's melted butter.
The
days pass too quickly in a happy plethora of sights and activities:
exploring remote coral reefs and mangroves where few humans
go, snorkel in a wonderland of brilliantly coloured fish and
marine life (the best anywhere); raising our sails when the
wind blows; and surfing, horizontal hammock-style.
There's
morning school: first, a "fish talk," then sailing
and coral, followed by coconut class. And, when night falls,
it's time for astronomy 101 lying on the dock.
There
are nature's wonders to behold: mating magnificent frigate
birds, manatee tracks, a raccoon named Minka, fishing pelicans,
a jumping stingray and a trio of barracudas. We see hermit
crabs, stoplight parrotfish and deep water sea fans, a school
of dolphins, beautiful sunsets over the Maya Mountains, falling
stars, magical fireflies, glowing dinoflagellates and so much
more.
We
enjoy fun and games: checking out each new, creative, bathroom
facility; conch shell/candle makeshift campfires; and Sex
on the Seashore -- a girls versus guys game that requires
the losing males to enact the theme song from Gilligan's Island
for their breakfast.
And,
surprisingly, we are treated to divine dining: lunches eaten
standing in the shallow sea, nicknamed fondly "sushi
on the shoal," "pasta on the point" and so
on; fish, conch and lobster caught fresh daily by Belizean
guide Kaya Polonio; hot fry jacks for breakfast and peach
cheesecake for dessert; all presented with garnishes on a
table adorned with a conch shell and orange flower centerpiece.
Of
course, there are things that we miss: cold beer, ice, a fresh
water shower, dry underwear and socks and a soft bed at the
end of the day.
Our
reward? The best trip we have ever taken and a perfect, postage
stamp-sized white sand isle to spend our last night on --
sans humans, except us.
But
that isn't all. Part two of the Coral Jaguar Expedition, a
four-day trekking and river kayaking adventure into the heart
of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary -- the world's only
jaguar reserve ? is about to begin.
With
inflatable kayaks our only way out of the wilderness, we better
hope air is no longer our enemy.
IF
YOU GO:
-
The trip: Besides the Coral Jaguar Expedition, six other trips
are offered from December through April. Highlights of the
various packages include a visit to a private 5.2-hectare
island on Glover's Reef Atoll; exploring the Mayan ruins of
Lamanai and the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary; paddling,
sailing and camping on cays along the Southern barrier reef;
rainforest caving; and a visit to a jaguar preserve.
-
Cost: This Canadian-owned company offers Canucks special Canadian
dollar pricing. For example, the eight-night Coral Islands
is $1,596 Cdn or $1,388 U.S. Using an exchange rate of 1.34
(as of Oct. 28), the U.S. price converted to loonies would
be $1,860, so Canadians save $264. Prices on the Web site
are in US dollars. Call for Canadian pricing.
Prices
range from $629 for the three-night Mayan Extension to $1,999
for the 11-night Coral Jaguar Expedition. Packages, except
for airfare to Belize City, are all inclusive.
-
Getting to Belize City:
American
Airlines via Miami or Dallas/Fort Worth, Continental via Houston,
or TACA via Miami, Houston or L.A. Fares range from $750 to
$1,000.
The
only same-day service out of Canada (without having to overnight
in the U.S. one-way) is via Calgary.
-
For more information:
For
a free brochure, call 1-800-667-1630, check out www.islandexpeditions.com
or contact your travel agent.
Belize
Tourism Board Web site www.travelbelize.org.
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