Swimming with sharks in Belize

That sounds scary, doesn’t it? Swimming with sharks was a dream of mine, but I had no idea we would get to do it in Belize. It all took place on the tiny island of Caye Caulker, located less than an hour by boat from Belize’s capital city.

Colourful island

We walk along the beach, palm leaves rustling in the wind above our heads and the sun is already slightly toasting our heads. Caye Caulker has a super Caribbean vibe – reggae music echoes throughout the island, turquoise beaches with fine white sand are lined with colourful houses and no one is in a hurry to get anywhere. There are only dirt roads and bicycles and golf carts instead of cars. This was the kind of peace we needed after a busy week in Guatemala.

Yellow stand

Our quiet walk was disturbed by the noise of a guy from a small yellow stall. Snorkeling, scuba diving, helicopter rides,… A local vendor with half a kilometer long dreadlocks offers all kinds of excursions and tries to attract tourists with his noise. And guess what? It works! Haha. We choose a half-day snorkeling trip off the second largest coral reef in the world. The dreadlocked dude promises us, among other things, corals, stingrays and the highlight of the whole trip is snorkeling with sharks. We’re out of our minds, I tell myself, and pay his deposit.

Two hours later we arrive at the same yellow stand, now with our hiking gear. The local Rastafarian is no longer shouting – the trips are sold out for the day. We are given instructions and board a small boat along with other tourists. The trip doesn’t take long, our boat stops and we jump into the water. It is completely clear and we observe the beautiful colorful corals and all the fish around us. My only regret is that I didn’t take my fins, and so I have to swim for six. We feel like we are in an aquarium, but the best is yet to come.

15 sharks

Our next stop is a place where sharks are found. The boat stops and we start to get a bit sticky. Bearded sharks are not dangerous to humans, but the feeling of having a huge fish swimming next to you is not very pleasant. I try not to think about it and jump off the boat among the first. There are about 15 sharks around me and the panic only comes when it starts to hit my glasses 😀 Okay, inhale – exhale. I have to put them on again, I won’t have the sharks under surveillance yet and I won’t see what’s going on down there and if they’re going to bite me..pomoocc! I emerge, gasping in panic and adjusting my diving goggles at lightning speed. OK now it’s good.

In the meantime, a few other people jumped into the water. I peek into the water around me. There are sharks about 3 meters big everywhere and here and there rays swim under us. They don’t notice us at all. I dive to the bottom and chase the rays and sharks. Wow! It’s impossible to describe. I come back from this trip excited. The underwater world in Belize is just great.