We awoke on the island at South Water Caye with the breeze drifting in through the open door and palm trees. A handful of us adventured out early before our full day to enjoy a quiet morning kayaking to enjoy the sunrise. We spotted cormorants feeding and a rainbow to greet us as we started our day.

After a breakfast of creole bread (similar to sourdough), eggs, breakfast sausage, and fried beans, we took a short walk around the island. All of our educators were assigned expert topics before we arrived in Belize, and we were able to hear about conch shells, pumice, mangrove trees, coconuts and the Magnificent Frigate birds found on the island. Nathan demonstrated how to remove the tough husk from a coconut by impaling it on a stake and then using a machete to get to the coconut meat on the inside. Only the brave of heart tried to do the same!

We headed out for our first of three snorkels of the day to the Aquarium Reef, a pristine part of the Belize Barrier Reef. The Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest reef in the world, and the the largest living reef. It is estimated that close to 90% of the reef is healthy, as evidenced by the vibrant colors of the coral and biodiversity we witnessed. On the reef, we saw stingrays, schools of fish and a few of us even spotted a Hawksbill Sea Turtle swimming! We saw squid, and held conchs and touched a sea cucumber.

After lunch, we snorkeled closer to the island and paired up, trying to observe a particular fish’s activity. We came back together in the evening where we shared about our first day on the island and then mentally prepared ourselves for a night snorkel. We broke into small groups with dive flashlights and glow sticks and slowly snorkeled, looking for octopuses, lobsters and sleeping fish. The reef is just as breathtaking at night.

A friend on the island took a picture of our group where the Milky Way and stars were bright in the background. The sight of the countless stars and sounds of the storm rolling in lulled us all to a restful sleep and another beautiful memory of Belize.