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HE ANCIENT N4A\A LO\ED FISHING ANDpaddling They r,r.ere so eager to access rhe\\rater sports off the coast of Belize that they,'

clug a narlou' channel across the dangll-southern terminus of the Yucatzin Peninsulaas a shortcut for therr canoes This createcl

a 24-rnile-long island, and during theirhe1'da;: up to 10.000 Ma,va livecl in fishlng

villages and trading centers on this caye.After the Mzrya came the buccaneers ancl ltirates, .,r'ho

naned the islancl for the invaluable dollops of sperm whalepoop lound on Ambergris'be aches ancl r,vhich solcl, bizarrell-. as

perfume and an aphroclisiac tt took 1,000 )/ears for the islandspopulation Lo relllr'n to Mal'2 nurnbers, buL on\'tire last clecade

toiump anoLher 50 percent Condos and resorts have replaced

tnbal villages, ancl San Pedro -

Ambergris Ca1'e's sole tolvn.ronantjcized b1, earrll' tourists for its sand streets and occasiot1-

a1 golf cart - is norv a bustle of little trucks and cars cror.vdinga (.gasp) paved road On Ambergris'r'vaterfront, visitors find dozens ofwater-sports operations perched onpiers above lleets of bobbing boats.Ser.eral bars, restaurants and smallguesthouses front the town's narrowstretch of sand, u'ith souvenir sellersand sandwich makers lining rhe backstree[s. The island's lures, however,remain the same as they have for rnil,lenniums: water sports and preciousgilts from the sea

,.: i

Arnbergris Ca1 e

is a skinny strip of sand backecl b,v

mangrove wetlands. Dozens of spin-dly piers reach from the shoreline likegalley oars, underpinning the island's

transportation system Wa ter-sportsopera[ors collect clients from hoteldocks, and small outboard ferriesrun the island on a regular schedule,

stopping wherever passengers flag them down Based at Fido'sDock in San Pedro, the taxi boats operat-e on set fares from Xis

to $13, depending on the distance from town.There are more than 100 places to stay on Ambergris, rang-

ing from back-bay budget bunkhouses to flat-out fabulousbeach villas, along with rental homes, condos, and specialtyfishing lodges and dive resorts Most hotels strlng along thebeachfront wall-to-wall near San Pedrc, with more breathingspace (and generall;, more sand) as )rou mo\re north or sollth.

No matter where lrorl shack up, your focus will be Am-bergris Ca1'e5 Itott, yard: the Belize Barrier Reef, aka theMesoamerican Re ef, aka the Big Coral Kahuna, second in size

only, to the Great One Down Under Belize's 19O-mile-longbulwark of living coral atop prehistoric reef grows so close to

Ambergris that it actually touches land at Rocklr Psin1, or.r ,h.islands north end, jr"rst below the old Maya canal that serves

as the national border between Belize and Mexico. The reef

stands about a halI-mile offshore along the rest of the caye,close enough to swim to

- though that's not recommendedon accollnt of boat traffic. Fortunateli,, mt.iu,1 options existto get you out to the a\\re-inspiring barrier reef

ijii, jiil;i Scuba diving buih modern Ambergris Caye, withtravellng divers "discovering" this reefside island back inthe late '70s Short boat trip: to amazing sites, reliably clearr,vater, friendly locals, and beach shacks serving burritos andcold Belikin made it a diver's dream destination. None o[ thathas changed, though the recent building spree shocks manylongtimers and there are real concerns regarding develop-ments impact on the health of the reef. On the positive side,visitors now find a surfeit of reliable dive operators, lodgingoptions and, of course, beer shacks.

Ambergris dive boats range from srnall lanchas to largercraft capable of handling a dozen bubblers, u'ith a la carte ratesa\/eraging $40 per dii'e and packages reducing the cost con-

siderably. A typical scuba trip begins

with a deep dive on the outer reefCoral grou's light to the surface , andwhite water marks [he reef crest inall but the calmest seas Your captainnavigates across the reef through a

narrow channel - usually Tuff' 6s1

- and turns north or south, choos-

ing liom more than 40 named sites

Seaward of the crest, the barrier reefbuilds into massive spur and groovelonnations. which are natura] coralarchitecture consisting of parallelfingers pointing to deep r,vater, withsand-floor canyons in between.

Ambergris Caye deploi,s a perma-nent buoy s)/stern to prevenl- damage

to the reef by anchors, and boats tieoff on the floats to drop divemastersand their grotrps. Once everyone isin the \,'ater, the boats cast off andfollou' the bubbles, picking up divers

as they ascend; it's all r.'ery easy and safe.

If there's any knock on Ambergris Caye deep dives, its thatmany of the sites are similar. The delights, though, exist inthe details A basic dive profiie rneans following the guide intoa groo\re between spurs and finning toward the open ocean

At the end of the spur, )/ou're a spacewalker floating in thebig blue, eyes peeled for a gllmpse of fellou' travelers suchas manta and eagle rays, u'hale sharks and reef sharks Then,you round the spur and head back up the next groor-c, intoshallower water, $/here you're almost guaranteed [o see nursesharks. The best sites

- Esmeralda, M&M Caverns, Cypress

Tunnel, Victoria Tunnel and Paradlse Canyon -

stand orltbecause of their elaborate su.im-throughs: caves that lead lrornone groove to another, or ar-eas u'here coral has grown so ef-

fusively as to roof over from spur to spurThe favorite spot for the da1's second or third dive, or for

stellar night dives -

and one of the best shallow dives in the

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is Hol Chan (explored inmore detail on page 72).

Ambergris Caye's professionaldive guides are \/ery.,vell trained andunderstand the value of their naturalresources "This isn't a Dlsney Worldride out here," sal's Ernesto "Buju"Leslie, u'ho works with AmbergrisDivers "If lve destroy the reef, r,r'e

can't iust build another one."

I r ; i i L irj.t' I i:ii i ; il i.ri. t-ying u,ithin striking distance of twoout of Belize's three coral atolls, several Ambergris Caye opera-tors offer special daylong dive and snorkel trips. Scheduling a

three-dive-plus-picnic expedition to Turnelfe Atoll's coral r,valls

(about $170), or to Lighthouse Reef Atoll's Great Blue Hole andHalf Moon Caye National Monr-rment (about S240, includingpark fees), will definitely spice up your u'eek of divng.

As Belizes most famous dive site, the Blue Hole demandsparticular mention A trip from Ambergris to the Blue Holemeans a sunrise pickup and a three-hour boat ride each wayThough the dive itself is an ethereal experience -

you take a

quick vertical descent to a narcosis-inclucing l3O feet, duckingunder an ice-age overhar-rg with thick limestone stalactites andpossibly seeing sharks that have wandered into the hole

- it's

over very fast In truth, the Blue Hole is more impressive fromthe air than under$'ater Thats not to say a trip isn't rvorthwhile,but you'll probably enjoy the days wall dives and the visit to the

bird sanctuary and beaches of Half Moon Caye more than the"saw it and got the T-shirt" dive into the Blue Hole.

For those who want to do the dives but skip the six-hourboat ride, Astrum Helicopters (astrumhelicopters.com) offersthe ultimate Blue Hole trip

- including that "Earth's staring

eye" aerial view. A Bell chopper will arrange a pickup on Am-bergris and fly you out to meet a di."'e boat at the atoll.

lt'

. i :i- i H ti r i; li1 You can see a great deal around Ambergris Caye

using just a mask and snorkel The island is not known for itsbeaches because, in most areas, there's only a narrow fringe ofsand, as lawns of turtle grass grow right at the water's edge. Forsnorkelers, though, this is a boon. Strap on your fins and wadein at a spot safe from boat traffic, and you're instantly floatingamid schools of minnows being hunted by needlefish and oc-casionally divebombed b)'brow.r pelicans In the grass below,

conch slolr'l)' lurch along a bottomdecorated u'ith a prickly collection ofurchins and sea stars Look carefullyand you'li see peacock flounders andyellow stingrays camouflaged against

the sand, r,vhile razorlish and tilefishshow off their best defense by doingkamikaze dives into the soft bottom.

Hotel piers are also do-it-yourselfsnorkel spots, as they commonll.attract schools ofsnapper, baby tropi-cals, trunkfish and puffers, alongu'ith all manner of invertebraLes, likeshrimp, that cling to the pilings. Ifyour hotel is close enough and yourarms strong enough, you can evenpadclle a sit-on-top kayak out to thereef. Make sure to ask the hotel for a

tether line )/ou can hold onto whilesnorkeling, and don't cross the reefcrest into open water

- there's plenty

to see on the back reef. Do check the

weather, winds and currents before you go, and tell someone

where you're going and when I'su'll be back.

Ambergris Caye's snorkel operators primarily head to one

or more of the area's marquee sites on each half-day trip ($20

for a single stop; $35 for two stops). A 20-minute boatrideinside the lagoon brings you to Mexico Rocks, where largemounds of star coral combine with 29 other species of hardcoral to create the only patch reef near the caye This gardenof coral stands shoreward of the main reef, offering protectedwaters, and attracts thousands of small fish and plenty of in-verlebrates like lobster and crabs.

Five miles south of San Pedro, in a turtle-grass bed adjacent

to Hol Chan and a part- of the same marine sanctuar;', lies an

underwater petting zoo called Shark-Ray Alley It could moreaccurately be called Shark, Ra1', Turtle, Snapper, Hogfish andBig Fat Grouper Alley due to the profusion of animals thatgathers here. Similar to Grand Ca1'putt't Stingral' Citl', t[. ti,"

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began when fishermen anchored in the calm, shallow area toclean their day's catches, attracting scores of scavengers andacclimating them to the sound of boat engines. Snorkel guideshave become adept at fondling the fish, hugging large southernstingrays and even cradling nurse sharks upside down, put-ting the sharks into a state of tonic immobility

- temporary

paralysis -

so clients can gently stroke their skin.

i 1 {) i i-i'l ri il iil.i i i i : ir i,ii.llrl::l f !n'* Ambergris caye s LittleChannel is a big deai. Declared a marine sanctuary in 1987,Hol Chan remains the most popular attraction in Belize

- anddeservedly so This snorkel and dive si[e a]so serves as a vividexample of how well underwater parks can work. While muchof the reef had been depleted of edible species like grouper andsnapper, protectj.ng this one small area allowed populations tobounce back in such numbers that local fishermen workingthe waters outsi.de the park now catch more and larger fishjust from the overflow.

This natural cut in the reef spans only 75 feet, so you cansee all of Hol Chans shallow section in a single dive or snor-kel You could also come back every day and never tire of theexperience. More than L60 species of fish, 40 kinds of coral,three types of turtle, and even dolphins and manatees havebeen spotted inside the park The boat will tie to a buoy backin the sea-grass beds, and as soon as you hit the water you'llsee nurse sharks and stingrays Channels always attract marinelife because of the water flow that carries food across the reef,

72 CAR BBEAN TRAVET+t FE

and since Hol Chan is the only nearby inlet, i.ts current can be

quite strong at maximum ebb and flow. Your guide will judge[he current and decide the best way to approach the site.

Corals and sponges grow profusely on both sides of thecut The south side is healthiest, but there's a beautiful star-

coral swim-through on the north wall Schools of fish gatheral Hol Chan in incredible numbers, and there's a good chanceof seeing free-swimming morays snaking from coral head tocoral head. Divers will experience stronger underwater cur-rents, especially on outgoing tides, but if you stay low andfrnd the current "shadows" behind bottom features, you can

swim across the cut The middle of the channel acts as a wateq,highway and hangout for Hol Chans largest fish. Schools of bigtarpon and horse-eye jacks stack up in the current while eagle

rays lly patterns over the sand. Fat, happy grouper and hogfish,safe from hooks and spears, loll on the bottom between theirhunting forays, as St. Bernard-size parrotfish lope past, stoppingoccasionally to chew off chunks of limestone

Af[er sunset, Hol Chan comes alive with the bobbing blueglow ofnight snorkelers and divers. Shine your light along thebottom, and it looks like a ski slope covered in moguls. GetcLoser, and you see that the bumps have eyes. Closer still, anda big stlngray will erupt from the sand. Coral polyps extendtheir feeding arms, and the night-shif[ creatures

- the octo-

pus, cardinalfish and bright-red shrimp -

join the moraysworking the reef. For those who've never snorkeled or divedalter dark. this is a don't-miss experience.

CAR BBEANTRAVEL[/AG COI\,I

zu!rlii si,:t.:l'i:i The broad lagoon inside rhe barrier reefmakes for a beautiful aquamarine pond ideaL for saL1ing, wind-surfi.ng and kiteboarding. Seas break against the reef, keepingthe inside waters calm, and the winds usuaiiy come from theeasl, so there's no worry about getting blown out to sea Febru-ary throughJune offers the most constant winds, usuaily l0 to20 knots, but you can rely on a breeze most of the year, outsidethe August and September doldrums (when the ocean is oftenflat calm and underwater visibility is at its best).

While the winds here are not radical, the sailing area offers

forever reaches and long downwinders The calmest water liesjust behind the reef, where the water shoals to two to threefeet deep, making the area perfect for beginning kiteboarders.A chop builds closer to shore for those windsurfers and kiters

who want to practice jumps, while advanced players head outto the reef cuts to catch air off waves hitting the crest

SailSports Belize (sailsportsbelize.com) -

on the beach atthe Caribbean Villas Hotel

- can hook you up with everythingfrom rentalwindsurfers ($22 to $27 per hour) to kite gear (982

per day) to Hobies ($38 to $49 per hour) to chase boats ($35

per hour). All levels of instruction are offered."We can teach anyone to sail a Hobie in an hour," says Chris

Beaumont, owner of SailSports Windsurfing takes a little lon-ger, he says, with kiteboarding the most challenging. "It takes

two 2%-hour-long sessions to get up and going on a kite," says

Beaumont, "but this is a wonderful place to learn."

: ':,:;'. :-j, "I know all rhese fish personall)'," laughs Gilberto"Star" Acosta, a fishing guide whos been working the watersaround Ambergris for 24 years Star charters his lancha out ofa beachfront fishing lodge appropriately named EI Pescador.

From this and other hotel docks, Star and his fellow pros lead

their clients to bonefish, permit and tarpon, hunting all theway from Ambergris' Caribbean beaches to the mainland's es-

tuaries to find the fish (half-days average $225; full-days $300,including lunch). The most consis-tent bite, though, happens rightbehind the island, in Ambergris'wa-tery outback, among low mangrovecayes and sand flats.

Catching all three of the flat'spremier game fish on the same dayearns you a coveted grand slam, andyour guide will decide which spe-cies to target first. Tarpon up to 100

pounds cruise gullies between theflats year-round, and summer Qunethrough August) brings addirionalflotillas of 150-pound migratorymonsters i.nto the mix Times aroundthe new moon tend to have the besttarpon bite, and Acosta suggestsfly-fishermen use Black Death andGreen Hornet flies with 80-poundshock leaders on 10- to l2-weightrods. Once you've got your silverking (all fishing for tarpon, permit

and bonefish is catch-and-release on11'), your guide will moveto the skinnier flats to look for permit. April and May are thebest months for these frustratingly warl' and wily fightersthat grow to 30 pounds around Ambergris. Spin fishermencan cast the permits favorite food, live crab, while fly-fishersneed to use their best-tied imitation. Nine-weight rods matchup well against Belize permit. The easlest

- and that term is

most definitely relative -

of the three fish to find and catchare bonefish They school here in good numbers and nicesize, 2 to 5 pounds (use a 6-, 7- or S-weight rod), and willtotally make your day if nothing else is biting If you do catchyour tarpon and permit, the guide will get you a bonefish lofinish your grand slam even i.f he has to put on a barracudacostume and scare one into the boat. *

73