The sun is setting over the reef and I just got done signing the largest waiver of my life. Since I have no sim card, I am unable to say farewell to my family in case of my untimely death. Oh, and thanks to the waiver they won’t be able to sue. At least I still have my job at FedEx so mom will get my life insurance policy.
I’m introduced to a boy around my age and then placed on a boat, and we are soon crashing over the waves. My guide is tall, slim, dark hair and eyes. He asks if I would like to drive the boat. I nod. He gets behind me and shows me which lever to pull to make it accelerate. I’m feeling confident in my abilities. It’s almost like driving a car when suddenly he screams at me. I stumble back in a daze thinking I must have hit an endangered species or took out a human. I didn’t hear any thuds. He takes the wheel and points at a boat coming speedily in our direction. It passes us without issues, and he breathes a sigh of relief. ” Thought that was the coast guard. You’re not allowed to be driving but now come back.” After about 10 more minutes he lowers anchor.
I’m ready to jump in, but he points to the lowering sun and shakes his head. “Not yet” he mutters. I sit back impatiently, but he starts diving into his life story and I’m fully engrossed. He speaks of his little sister, his dream to move to the USA and work in the military, and his insecurities. He states that he doesn’t like the acne on his face, which I hadn’t even noticed. Night soon falls upon us.
He spots a shark which I miss. A few minutes later he says,” Go ahead and jump in,” as he hands me a flashlight. ” Huh, shouldn’t you be the one to go in first,” I weakly say. ” Go on,” he keeps urging. I take a deep breath, strip down to my bathing suit, put on my flippers, and hesitantly hop in. He tells me to practice with the flashlight, but there is no way that I’m going to look at what lies underneath me. My mind conjures up images of slimy beast lurking around licking their lips waiting for their next meal. He is still on the boat. ” Should I take my shirt off or leave it on?” he asks lazily. ” You’re swimming, aren’t you?” I roll my eyes. After what feels like an eternity, he leaps in.
” Oh yeah, the stingrays will come up to your flashlight, just make sure to flick the light in another direction.” My mouth falls open. I might be impaled by Steve Irwin’s murderer. This is too much to handle. What the heck was I thinking? He swims ahead and I follow closely behind. You cannot see your hand in front of you unless you shine the light directly on it. Seaweed floats on top of the water and tangles into my hair. But soon I’m fully absorbed into what’s happening in the underwater world.
Humongous brightly colored fish prey upon the small fries. A barracuda with all teeth showing is close by staring unblinkingly. Lobsters as long as my leg are clicking their pinchers together in the corral. Eels are on full display peering through rocks, and I spot a puffer fish and am relieved it’s not inflated. Then I see them. Around 3 stingrays start edging themselves closer to me. I hold my breath.
However, my prejudice quickly melts away. They are like the puppy dogs of the ocean. I can’t help but to giggle when they get curious about the lights. My guide brings me a conch shell and we let it gently fall back to the ocean floor. He asks me if I want to see something cool. ” Of course.” He tells me to be still and then he moves his hand. Bright blue bioluminescence shows up around us. I begin to move, and it appears everywhere. This feels like a fever dream.
As we get back on the boat, he admits that this is the first time he’s done this in years. I’m in complete utter disbelief. I was really just out here with a newbie. No wonder I had to sign papers. As we head back to the pier, I point out constellations. There’s the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper not too far from it, and my favorite Orion. The sky is studded with thousands upon thousands of stars. When we make it back to land, instead of kissing solid ground, my heart yearns to go back to the ocean.
If you would like to plan a trip to this amazingly stunning country, check out my post.
The Best Belize Itinerary – Venture with a Ginger
Here is the company I used for this feat!
Belize Night Diving Snorkeling Tour – Neptunes Cove Belize, San Pedro