We drove up from Placencia to Belize City and then flew to Caye Caulker in a very small light aircraft. 10 seats available and we managed to sit behind the pilot.

I couldn’t help but think this flying thing looks so easy, setting speed, altitude and direction in his controls and sitting back. Until the pilot had to land the aircraft (with ease) against quite challenging crosswinds, sometimes seeing less is fine!

The views of the various atolls beneath was amazing, crystal clear turquoise waters interspersed with idyllic looking desert islands.

Caye Caulker is the smaller of the two major islands in Belize and has a very chilled feel.

The island is actually two, separated by a small water channel only 200 metres apart, thought to have been created by a hurricane some years ago.

The south island is the most populous and the main town is near to the split where many of the bars and restaurants are based.

It’s quite a unique place, Caribbean influenced but seemingly shaped by its mainly US oriented tourist demographic.

The island’s motto is ‘Go Slow’ and with no cars, golf carts and bicycles are the primary means of transportation.

The primary focus is on water based activities and each hotel has a jetty for ease of access.

We took a day trip on the water, our first stop was to see Manatees and we saw a couple of them underwater but I didn’t manage to get any pictures so you will have to trust me on that!

Our next stop was to see the impressive Tarpon fish. These fish can live for over 50 years and grow to over 8 feet long.

On the tour the guides hand you a small fish to hold between your fingers on a flat hand, like feeding a horse, to keep your fingers safe.

You follow their instructions and hold out your hand, not quite sure what will happen next.

Within seconds one of the larger tarpon fish jumps two feet out of the water to grab the bait, forcefully nudging your hand as it catches its prey. Once was enough for me!

Having recovered from nearly having lost my hand 😊 our next stop was a bit of snorkelling over a beautiful area of coral reef.

There were plenty of fish to be seen, big fish and in large shoals.

We managed to spot a stingray nestled in the sea bed who soon shook off its sandy covering and darted away. I’m floating on top of the water thinking Steve Irwin thoughts and let it zoom off…

Within a couple of minutes we see a nurse shark swim by, it was at a comfortable distance and maybe 4-5 foot long, but nevertheless it’s still a somewhat disconcerting experience.

After the shark had swum away we spotted a turtle, a much less intimidating experience!

The next part of the tour took our shark encounters to the next level.

The boat crew got us into the water as they offloaded some bait into the sea to create a feeding frenzy of nurse sharks and larger fish.

Their sage advice was to be careful and stay away from the action, yet still we jumped in buoyed by their nonchalantly provided instructions!

There were at least four nurse sharks around the boat. I recall frantically trying to ensure the current didn’t drag me closer to the underwater action whilst simultaneously trying to capture the moment on film!

Nurse sharks are not aggressive it seems but that doesn’t stop your heart take a few extra beats and your lungs gulp in some more deep breaths…

A bit later one of the boat crew managed to take this close up of a nurse shark on the seabed.

Our next stop was the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a snorkelling environment that was completely otherworldly. Hol Chan means ‘little channels’ in Mayan.

As you swim along the channels that create a path through the reef, the waters below are alive with the most amazing array of sealife.

We have been privileged to see some amazing underwater environments but this was something else.

Suddenly beneath us were a group (a ‘fever’) of spotted eagle rays. They have a wing span 1-2 metres wide and long tails which have venomous barbs along them.

Unlikely to be harmful when left alone and quite simply magnificent to watch as they ‘fly’ beneath you, gliding effortlessly above the sandy seabed.

It was an absolutely magnificent experience to watch these creatures in the wild as they majestically cruised along the channel.

We have been blessed to see so many wonderful things in our travels over the last few years and this experience will stay with me forever as well as being something so special to encounter together with my partner.

Our Caye Caulker experience has been even better than expected, next we take a short ferry ride to our final stop in Belize on Caye Ambergris.