Riding water taxis, sailing among sharks, swimming with rays, searching for manatees: Belize is a paradise for anyone who loves the water.

Saturday, February 19, 2000
By Leanne Walker
Special to The Globe and Mail

Caye Caulker, Belize -- Hey mon, be happy," the locals are likely to call out when you first arrive on Caye Caulker, a tiny island in the Belize Caribbean. Situated on the world's second-longest barrier reef of some 200 cays, and blessed with a mix of Rastafarian, Garifuna and Creole culture, Caye Caulker offers a Caribbean experience at its most laid-back and affordable best.

Only seven kilometres long and 600 metres at its widest point, the town can be strolled in under 10 minutes, as you walk the sandy lanes where hibiscus and bougainvillea bloom. Once the hangout of pirates, Caye Caulker's main industries now are lobster fishing and its own brand of locally-run tourism.

It's a Monday morning and a typical day on the cay. Frigate birds wheel in lazy circles above a shore lined with coconut palms. Down the colourful main street of pink, blue and white clapboard shopfronts, strides a bare-chested Jimmy Brown, dreads hanging to his waist, carrying a milk crate of vegetables and lobster tails.

He turns right onto a weathered jetty that juts out into the bluest of seas. Casually striding across to his boat Faith, he greets his waiting group of travellers exclaiming, "It's going to be heaven out on the reef today."

Excitement and anticipation is on everyone's face. We are off for a day's sailing and snorkelling on a reef only second in size to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Feet trailing in the aquamarine waters, we ride the lee rail as Faith diligently slices through the waves. If I could paint the perfect picture of man in his element, then it would be Jimmy at the helm, salt in his dreadlocks and a grin on his face.

"I have been sailing nearly all of my life," he says, when asked. Most days Jimmy is out on the water with a group of visitors. There's no need for him to advertise. Word of mouth soon gets around that his sailing trip is the ultimate way to experience the reef.

Our first port of call is alarmingly known as "shark ray alley," though Jimmy is quick to reassure everyone that the beasts are harmless nerve sharks. As the anchor drops, a dozen dark shapes materialize in the clear water. Clutching a conch shell full of bait, Jimmy leaps in, and Randy from Salt Lake City is quick to follow. Looking hurriedly below through his goggles, he gasps, "Oh my!" with such a look of horror that those about to follow him hesitate.

Eventually we all jump in, some hanging onto the boat rails, feet kept well clear on the shallow sandy bottom. At least a dozen stingrays glide about in a frenzy, some even squeezing between people's legs as they search out the scraps.

Suddenly everyone spots the sinister form of a shark. All snorkels jerk to attention and hearts beat faster, as the sharks move in for the food. As exciting as it is, you can't help but wonder if enticing large groups of any creature into one area with food is a good thing.

By the end of the voyage, as Faith sails up onto its pier, everyone is reluctant to end what has been a magical day. But with thoughts of the institutional sunset drink at the Lazy Lizard, we eventually disembark, sunburned salty and satisfied.

At 8:45 the next morning, the first water taxi of the day arrives, bearing a boatload of visitors, easy to spot for their lack of a tan.

Criss-Cross, a local Rastafarian who makes his living as a baggage porter, manoeuvres his three-wheeled taxi cycle into position. He soon has a job escorting two British backpackers to the cheapest accommodation in town. "Barbara's is where you want to be," he tells them. "It's five dollars for a hammock." Hopefully they'll agree. The island accommodation ranges from hammocks to four star.

While lobster fishing was Caye Caulker's only industry for many years, these days tourism has taken over. Not that you could call it rampant: The locals are keen to keep it low key. There are perhaps 20 guesthouses in town. A handful of restaurants serve Belize cuisine and a wide variety of seafood. Lobster is a bargain and cooked in as many different ways as there are days of the week.

Just down the sandy main street, I join another group of day-trippers who are setting off with a local celebrity called Chocolate. At 69 years of age, he's the island's most active conservationist. With twinkling brown eyes and sporting a huge white moustache, he's been taking tourists fishing and exploring the cays for 29 years.

The highlight of a day out with Chocolate is observing manatees in their natural habitat. "I've devoted my life to protecting them," he says, waving a hand out over the water. "We had 18 manatees in this spot in the past six months, and we've lost six to speedboats operating between Caye Caulker and Belize City. It's extremely important for visitors to insist that all guides and water taxis operate responsibly." Chocolate hopes to be able to persuade the Belize government to establish more marine reserves in the area to restrict the speed and flow of water traffic.

Well before we reach the manatee's breeding grounds, Chocolate cuts the engines of his powerful speedboat and uses a pole to manoeuvre into position. Before long a mother and calf rise alongside, and for only a moment or two they take a breath of air before submerging. Everyone on board is enthralled.

A snorkelling or scuba trip, or a day observing manatees, is about as active as it gets on Caye Caulker. To say the island is laid back is an understatement. Relaxation is mandatory. A sign on Front Street that reads "GO SLOW" says it all.

"Mon - I got me some good fish today! We gonna have a fire tonight and cook them all. You swing by here later and you see I don't cook up a feast for us all," Jaco says. He's the perfect example of island hospitality.

For more information on Belize, contact your travel agent, or consider a tour with Island Expeditions Co. The address is 368-916 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1K7, phone (800) 667-1630, Web: www.islandexpeditions.com.

Leanne Walker is based in Doveton, Australia.

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