Snorkeling

The water along the coast was a bit murky since we were further from the reef compared to being on Ambergris, so I was a little skeptical of how good the snorkeling would be. How is this one of the premier dive spots in the world with a visibility of about 3 feet? We figured out why there were so many experienced divers choosing Hamanasi: You just head out from Hamanasi for about 30 minutes, and you are on the Belize barrier reef again. This was some of the clearest water I had ever seen. We passed an island that was full of boobies and frigate birds nesting, and we spent some time watching the birds come and go from the shaded trees on the island and observed some juvenile birds contemplating their first flights. The Hamanasi snorkeling guide was great, taking the time to tell us the names of the species of fish we were seeing along the reef. I enjoyed watching the confident barracudas calmly cruising among the snorkelers, and they look more menacing than they really are. Carrie had the \"spot\" of the day when she saw an octopus, but it was a fleeting sight as it quickly hid under some rocks. We returned to Hamanasi and had a great lunch. We relaxed that afternoon in the hammocks (and trying to get the salt water out of my sinuses).