Day 11 - Lobsterfest Caye Caulker

Jacks (1.5-2.5 feet long) at Shark Ray Alley, next to the boat

Fuzzy headed and slow to awake, we awoke a little slower than usual. We had a wonderful time last night and chatted up the other travelers quite a bit. Before the dive shop closed, Anna schedule a trip for in the next to take us at 10:30am to Caye Caulker. Caye (Key) Caulker is currently having Lobsterfest until this upcoming Sunday (6/28) and we wanted to sample the local cuisine and see the sights.

Nurse Sharks at Shark Ray Alley near Ambergris Caye, Belize

We got ready and headed down to the dock at around 10:15am. There were no boats docked nor did we see any close to returning. It wasn’t until around 11am that one the Action Diver boats got back to Portofinos. It seems we may have had a mis-rum-derstanding last night when we made arrangements. No problem though, they were gracious enough to accommodate and we were on our way around 11:30am.

Just taking in the sheer aquatic beauty

We stopped and fished a little along the way and then stopped at a nature sanctuary they call Shark Ray Alley. It is a channel opening in the reef about 100 yards wide where the locals have taught the sharks and rays to congregate by chumming the waters repeatedly for the scuba and snorkel adventurers. They have done a phenomenal job because they were out in droves.

Didn't eat or stay there, just decided to do a group pic

Caye Caulker Police Station

Once we got near the area we were quickly greeted by a school of Jacks. Pretty big guys too. Too bad we couldn’t simply drop a hook there. Since it is a nature sanctuary they do not allow fishing there. Clinton, the boat captain, threw in some sardines and the frenzy started. Within less than 10 seconds not only did the energentic jacks fight for the snack, but we quickly had a school of 15+ nurse sharks by the boat looking to participate in the feeding. Wow…that was quick. These guys came from nowhere. Young Thomas was jumping with excitement. He literally threw on a dive mask and jumped right in. Talk about chumming the waters...We let him swim for about 10 minutes and we were off to lunch at Caye Caulker.

Catching some sunrays

Restaurant and bar at the end of the island

It didn’t take too much longer before we hit land (around 2:30pm) and Clinton dropped us off at a dock where we walked over to a restaurant named Bamboo. Totally Caribbean style, this restaurant was really unique as all of its chairs were swinging planks on ropes hanging from the ceiling. We ordered just a few appetizers to hold us over until with hit the local street fair. Olivia had a beautiful vegetable tortilla with a strawberry smoothie. She was a little hungrier than the rest of us. Thomas, Anna and I had Buffalo wings and popcorn lobster. I almost forgot what chicken tasted like, having eaten seafood for almost every meal.

Lobsters, lobsters & more lobsters

After lunch we all strolled the streets (all three of them) and check out the local food, knick-knacks and entertainment. We finished the walk at “The Split” where we had gone earlier in the week. Grabbed a beer, let Thomas go for a swim and had Clinton pick us up with the boat about an hour later. It was 5pm when we left Caye Caulker.

Clinton waiting for us by The Split

We had an enjoyable boat ride back which took around 40 minutes. The rest of the evening went by quickly even though we didn’t do much of anything. Thomas did catch a yellow stingray later in the evening and after admiring it he let swim back towards the reef. Anna and I caught a couple of Belikin beers. We admired them too, but weren’t as friendly. We did not let them get back to their case once caught. These guys were to be consumed….