PegNDerek's Snorkeling
Where intelligent life returns to the Sea
Paradise Beach
Snorkel and Beach Party, Belize City, Belize
Ship: Norwegian Dawn (NCL)
Sailing Date: December 22nd, 2005
Date of Snorkel: December 28th, 2005
Equipment Availability: We have our own which we take with us, but equipment (fins, snorkels, masks and vests) are available from the staff on board the catamaran. All equipment appeared to be clean and well maintained. WARNING: The Government of Belize prohibits the wearing of gloves during snorkeling or diving off any site along their coast.
Water Access: From the back and front of the Catamaran
This trip was a fluke for us. We had originally booked the Sharks and Sting Rays day-long trip which we have done before off the IslandBreeze Mayan Adventure Cruise in 1999, which we know is a fabulous excursion and well worth the price (see our review). However, in the intervening years, we have both developed weight-related diabetes (Type B), and without a doctor’s note, the NCL Shore Excursions Staff on the Dawn refused to allow us permission to go on this trip for medical reasons--!! We no longer mention that we have diabetes (now well under proper control with medication) when we fill out the NCL release forms for the dive-in program! (File this under “Live and Learn” for better snorkeling!). Consequently, we selected this trip, only 4 hours long rather than all day, but well worth the investment as it turned out!
Our group was collected from the ship (all passengers had to tender here regardless of their excursion destination) and walked down the gangway steps to a large catamaran operated by the Paradise Beach Resort for the 30 minute ride to the snorkeling site. Upon arrival, we were initially alarmed to see 6 other boats in the vicinity. When asked exactly where we were, the catamaran’s crew merely responded “at the snorkeling site” (not helpful) so we cannot give you more details on the specific location. Suffice to say that we were at an incredibly popular snorkeling site along the extensive reef system off Belize! Worries about visibility initially plagued us, especially with so many other snorkelers in the water, but we were soon most pleasantly surprised. The site was superb for snorkeling, and visibility was not an issue at all. The crew of the catamaran allowed experienced snorkelers to proceed into the water unattended, while those requiring instruction stayed on board for the lecture before joining the rest of us. The snorkeling was fantastic! Belize can boast of one of the most beautiful and well developed reef systems in the world—often described as being larger and more diverse than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, with gorgeous corals in all manner of colors, and an incredibly populous and diverse fish population. Parrotfish, Damselfish, Butterflies, Wrasse, Grunts, Angelfish, Tang and Doctorfish predominate, but more rare species are also to be found in good abundance—including our first sighting and photography of a Porkfish! We had a blast! Note that all of the pictures seen here were shot by Derek—this is where he learned that jumping off any boat, from any height, damages a digital underwater camera to the point where the camera is destroyed (mercifully not the underwater housing, which merely required replacement of its O-rings). Peg willingly surrendered her camera to Derek after the disaster, and enjoyed swimming around while he took pictures of what she pointed out!
Our post-snorkel hours before returning to the ship were spent at the Paradise Beach resort, which features a wonderful beach (complete with volleyball net, floats and plastic rafts), a bar, a restaurant and a very nice gift shop selling locally produced souvenirs at reasonable prices.
Snorkeling Grade: A+
