Today we went on a fantastic snorkeling boat trip. Carlos Ayala was our guide - very knowledgeable, sensitive to the fragility of the reef and to the wildlife we saw, and a cool guy. We rode on his fast powerboat to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve for some beautiful snorkeling over a well-preserved section of Belize's barrier reef, the second largest in the world.
We stopped at San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, for lunch, then we snorkeled at Shark Ray Alley, swimming with several nurse sharks and sting rays. The kids got to touch a large sting ray, probably close to 4 feet across. The largest nurse shark we swam with was probably about 5 feet long.
The kids loved it, putting it in both of their "Top 3" lists for the trip. See kids, THIS is why we've been making you take swimming lessons all these years!
A few more photos in the gallery, including some showing Elena and Jarrett. Check them out.
