Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America. Visit Caye Caulker and the accent is decidedly Caribbean. The dreadlocks and slow pace of life commonly attributed to the Caribbean islands are also very apparent. Afternoons are whiled away sipping rum cocktails in the sunshine, feasting on freshly caught lobster and swinging in a hammock, but when you eventually motivate yourself to get up and walk further than the nearest barbecued food vendor, there are two activities you simply can’t leave Caye Caulker without doing. One of them is diving the Great Blue Hole, which FYI is one of the best dive sites in Central America. The other is a day’s snorkeling trip to swim with manatees in Belize.
WHAT IS A MANATEE?
Manatees are commonly referred to as sea cows. They’re close relatives of the dugong, which frequents the mangroves of northern Australia. They’re fully aquatic, mainly herbivorous and grow to approximately three metres in length.
They’re generally slow, docile, solitary animals and they spend up to 50% of the day asleep fully submerged. The rest of their time is largely spent grazing in reasonably shallow waters.
In the past, indigenous Caribbean people hunted manatees from dugout canoes, collecting their meat for food. Later, their bones were used in alternative medicine.
Unfortunately, humans are still the biggest threat to the manatee. Although hunting them was banned in the late 1800s, poaching continues in some areas to this day. They’re inquisitive creatures and collisions with boat propellers are not uncommon. Since manatees reside close to the shore, habitat encroachment is another issue.
HOW DO YOU SWIM WITH MANATEES IN BELIZE?
It’s not difficult to find a tour company to take you to swim with manatees in Belize. On Caye Caulker, every other shack runs snorkeling trips to the reef. Shop around for a good price and remember to ask what measures they take to protect the resident marine life.
We chose to take the tour with Jacob and Shorty – two very experienced and knowledgeable local tour guides. You can book directly from Bella’s Backpackers, which – for the record – is a fantastic hostel that draws in a sociable crowd. As an extra incentive, they supply you with a chicken and rice lunch and copious amounts of rum punch for the return journey.
While it’s a good idea to check the weather forecast for your chosen day (you wouldn’t want to be caught out in a rough storm of hurricane!), don’t be put off by a little light rain. For one, you’ll be out on a small boat all day and you’re less likely to get sunburn. Also, rumour has it that the manatees are more active in wet weather. This might have been a ploy by the islanders to encourage us to book their trade, but if our experience is anything to go by I’m inclined to believe them.
WHAT WILL YOU SEE?
This tour would be great even without the presence of manatees, but swimming with them is one of those life experiences you will never forget. Not only are they unlike any other creature, they’re large enough to get a good look at and slow enough to spend time appreciating without the frenzied kicking of fins and associated obtrusive bubbles that usually accompany such a wildlife experience.
If you’re really lucky, you might even see them courting. Manatees typically breed only once every two years and it’s rare to see them in pairs or groups. This double hug was a phenomenon even Jacob and Shorty were unfamiliar with.
OTHER MARINE LIFE ON CAYE CAULKER
While the tour is focused towards manatee sightings, they’re by no means the sole attraction. You’d be unlucky not to meet the resident sea turtle ‘Scarface’ and some close encounters in Shark Ray Alley are certain to get your blood pumping. You might even have the chance to try your hand at some spearfishing!
TURTLES
Spend 30 minutes swimming over a bed of abandoned conch shells as you interact with Scarface – a local loggerhead with near celebrity status. He’s friendly and curious, and will swim very close to you. In fact, you might find yourself letting out a high-pitched shriek as he heads straight towards you. It’s good practice, as he’s not the only marine creature that might swim a bit too close for comfort on this trip.
STING RAYS
The legendary Steve Irwin did nothing to improve public opinion on sting rays, but they’re really not very dangerous. Their barbed tails are only used in self-defense and, aside from exceptional circumstances, injuries in humans only occur when a tail barb is stepped on accidentally. After you swim with manatees in Belize, you’ll pay a visit to Shark Ray Alley in the popular marine sanctuary Hol Chan, where sting rays and nurse sharks gather in huge numbers to feed. If you’re lucky you might even see a spotted eagle ray.
NURSE SHARKS
Nurse sharks are about four metres long and, like their distant sting ray relatives, they are largely harmless. Still, it’s exciting to get in the water with a huge ball of them as they scramble to feed.
They’re commonly found at shallow depths, which means you can swim down to the sea bed to get a closer look.-
TROPICAL FISH
When you swim with manatees in Belize, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stray further from the boat and explore the reefs. There are tunnel formations you can swim through and huge blocks of coral that attract an array of iridescent fish.
SPEAR FISHING
Following a few practice shots into the sand and a briefing on which species are endangered or protected, you may have the chance to try out spear fishing.
Extra points go to anyone who can impale a lionfish. The red lionfish, with its elaborate venomous spiky fin rays, has been described as one of the most aggressively invasive species on the planet. By praying on native species, it threatens reef ecological systems. Its sting can also prove fatal to humans. However, if cooked correctly, it makes a very tasty meal and you can further support the cause by buying some beautiful lionfish jewellery.
BEST EXPERIENCE EVER?
It’s no exaggeration to say that the day I had the chance to swim with manatees in Belize was one of the best of my life. Jacob and Shorty went out of their way to make sure we saw everything there was to see. They must have done the same trip hundreds of times and yet their enthusiasm rivaled ours. They were knowledgeable but they didn’t overload us with too many details. We were entertained from start to finish by their humour, a selection of hilariously explicit reggae tunes and Shorty’s tattoos, which were, if anything, more explicit than the music! Manatees are associated with mermaids in folklore, which seems appropriate as this day was simply magical.
Have always wanted to do this! Swimming underwater with giant animals is a thrill.
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It certainly is! This was only a few weeks after I swam with whale sharks for the first time! They’re two of my top wildlife encounters!
What an adventure, Arianwen. And the photo series here is just superb!
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Thank you Andrew! :)
Great :)
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It certainly was!
Manatees are such weird looking creatures! Love the photo of the double hug, must be an amazing experience to get to see them so close up.
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They are so weird, but definitely cute at the same time. The ‘double hug’ was really awesome to see – although, because of its resemblance to the ’69’, we did feel like perhaps we should look away!
I love swimming with sharks (all kinds except great white I suppose!) and manta rays (which I consider to be the angel of the seas) . The Manatees look like old gentle souls :)
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Me too! I would only get in the water with a great white if I was protected – although a lot of those experiences are somewhat unethical. I’ve swum with mantas too. They’re incredible!
This is spectacular, Arianwen! I love your bucket list swim and being an animal advocate this so resonated with me. I love to see that you are still rocking the world! I keep coming back to visit and sure do miss hearing from you, my friend. Be safe and happy always :)
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Thanks Mike! Yes, the animal experiences are often my most treasured memories. I was brought up on wildlife programmes and these days when I watch them with my dad I can often name the place where they filmed a scene. That’s quite exciting!
Awww, the manatees are so adorable. They look so gentle. Not sure I could have snorkelled near those sharks, but the manatees have won my heart over.
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Well, if you do the tour, you see the manatees and sharks separately. I can’t promise a lone shark won’t swim by as you’re watching the manatees, but you definitely wouldn’t see so many!
Hi there!
Wow, amazing photos! I wish I could do it too! I have tried snorkeling once but unfortunately it’s not for me as I almost had a pnic attack under the water :( and I was really nervous under the water.
It must have been an amazing feeling… swimming with such big creatures :)
Thanks Kris! That’s such a shame that you were uncomfortable with snorkelling. I’ve known a couple of friends who were like that for a while because it’s so unnatural (although one of them had the braids of her hair on the inside of the mask strap, which broke the seal and meant that water flooded in, so that was hardly surprising!). I’d recommend practicing in the bath or a swimming pool where the water is shallow and calm. If you can get over the feeling that it’s totally weird to breathe with your head under water it opens the door to some truly amazing experiences. It was only recently that I learned to dive down with the snorkel in and then clear it. Something else I find works well is just wearing the mask and fins and not using the snorkel. Obviously you have to keep coming up for air but at least you don’t miss out entirely :)
Thanks a lot for your advice :) maybe i will try slowly and gradually :)
No worries. Good luck!
I love your final comment, about it being one of the best days of your life. Reading through and looking at your pictures (which are brilliant!) I was thinking wow, this would be just the best thing ever! I’ve dived a few times and was stoked to see a sea turtle and giant moray eel, but this looks utterly fabulous. I can’t want to do it again now!
Diving and snorkelling are two of my favourite activities and Central America has so much to offer in terms of marine life as well as really fascinating aquatic environments. You simply can’t go wrong! :)
Amazing photos, especially the sting ray one! Were you using a GoPro, or different underwater camera? I went to Belize in 2001, it was my first trip out of the U.S. and got me hooked on travel forever. This post has put re-visiting high up on my bucket list!
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Thanks Jenny! Yes, I was using a GoPro. I usually film with it and then edit the screen shots. I’m glad I inspired you to head back to Belize. I feel like it won’t be long before I’ll be doing that too!
Was Jacob and shorty affiliated to Bellas backpackers or were they tour guides that operated near the Hostel?? I’d like to hook up with them when we go in July. We are staying on Ambergirs Caye but we’ll make the trip for a good and responsible guide to let us snorkel with the manatees.
Yes, they virtually lived at Bella’s while I was there, although I think they probably work all over the caye. You will find a lot of tour operators on both cayes, so if you have the time it’s a good idea to shop around/book when you’re there and you have more information like group sizes, weather conditions, etc. Have a brilliant time!
I love your photos, what type of underwater camera did you use?
Thank you! It was just a GoPro. Mostly screen shots of videos… :)
What is the name of their company? I know their names are Jacob and Shorty, but I just didn’t know if they had a company name to book with? Thank you in advance!
Hi Holly! I’m pretty sure they were just working freelance at the time. I don’t think they had an office. I booked through Bella’s Hostel. This was over a year ago, so I don’t know if they’re still running the tour. My advice would be to just turn up and ask around. If you ask at Bella’s and they no longer work with Jacob, then try asking at the Ragamuffin Tours office, as he used to work for them and they’ll know him. Failing that, you’re sure to find someone who can take you on a similar trip. Caye Caulker isn’t very big, so even if you have to walk around trying to find Jacob or another suitable company, you won’t have to walk far! Enjoy!
We leave later this week and I’m so excited! Thanks for all the great info and pictures. However, Everything else I’ve read so far has said its illegal to swim with the manatees. Were you in the boat and holding the camera under water? Or is it only illegal in certain places?
Oh, really? I hadn’t come across that. We were in the water a lot, but they had rules about how close we could get. I can’t see how they’d regulate you not being allowed to swim with them as they occupy the waters around Caye Caulker where lots of people go swimming, snorkelling and diving. If there was any negative effect of swimming with them I’d definitely not advocate it, but I assume it’s ok if you give them space and admire them from a distance. Do let me know if you find out more information on this.
Incredible pictures of all those sea critters! I’ve gotta kayak out there! Thanks for all the wonderful info on this location. I had no idea…..!
It’s such an amazing place. I’d still put it among my top experiences ever!
Wow that’s so cool. If it’s among your top experiences….I’ve got to put this at the top of my list of places to visit :)
Que sitio lindo y belas fotos!. Es un lugar que gustaria mucho en conocer,
Muchas gracias amiga! Deberias ir alla! :)
Love sea animals and the pictures you’ve taken has this darkness to them that makes them come to life. Are you using any type of special effects?
This was a while ago now. I think they were GoPro video stills with an Instagram filter. I often find that underwater photography needs a lot more contrast or structure adding.
Ages since I’ve been diving and your pics are making me think I should plan my next trip. Gopro does an awesome job. Definitely must try one.
It’s been a while since I went diving now as well! I miss it! GoPros are great for diving as they’re so small and easy to tie around your wrist when you’re not using them. I usually video and then take screen shots, as the time delay between pressing the button and it taking a photo is quite long.
Thank you so much for sharing – Heading here in a week and cannot wait to hunt for these guys! Life goal right there – Wish me luck in Belize!
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Good luck! This still goes down as one of the best days of my life. They’re the most amazing creatures to see in the wild.