Belize Snorkeling in Placencia

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The engines revved as we left the harbor; our bodies got into the rhythm of the boat slicing through the waves and the salty wind and spray covering our faces. Belize is a paradise. And when you are in paradise, at the top of the list of things to do in Belize is to get out on the water – preferably, get under the water.

We took a Belize snorkeling day trip with Splash Dive Center to the outer reef cayes that lie between Placencia and Belize’s Barrier Reef, second in size only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Marco, our snorkel guide, gave us snorkeling tips as we headed out to the Silk Cayes.

belize snorkeling silk cayes — Anchoring at Silk Cayes

This article is part of the Niece Project

As a woman who never wanted kids, I wanted to form bonds with my 6 nieces. After all, they would be my lifelines as I age. I decided to stop getting them gifts for their birthdays or holidays or even graduation. I didn’t want to bring more meaningless stuff into their world, but instead I wanted them to see the world. I wanted to awake their wanderlust and thirst to experience new cultures and ways of doing things. So the answer was easy…I would give them the gift of travel.

I told each of them that once they turned 16 years old I would take them anywhere in the world they wanted to go. Originally my thought was that it would give them something that I never had – a passport and a chance to travel internationally. However once I announced this mission and it settled in, I realized that it was giving them more than that – it gave them the chance to make their own decision. It got them thinking about the world and considering their own desires.

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Snorkeling at Silk Cayes

The Cayes are a string of tiny (and I mean teeny-tiny!) islands formed by fishermen dumping their conch shells in one shallow area of the reef. Sand eventually built up around the conch piles, and slowly Mother Nature turned it into a little island.

Belize Snoreling Silk Cayes — A public park complete with a grill, picnic tables, and palm trees!

As we pulled up to anchor, I gazed at the tiny slice of paradise with its light blue water, white sand, and four little palm trees. I wanted to be stranded here forever. The island was actually a small park with a little grill, restrooms, and a few picnic tables. Dive boats and locals came to the park island for a day in the sun.

This was quite possibly the smallest and coolest ‘park’ I’ve ever been to.

Marco took us out to snorkel around the reef just off and around the island after lunch. This was Allie’s first time snorkeling, and we both eagerly followed Marco as he pointed out colorful fish, crustaceans, and coral to us. Among the purple, orange, and tan coral, we discovered a whole world under the sea; we were mesmerized. Our time under the water seemed to go by in a blink, and soon, we were out of the water and famished.

Beach lunch

Splash cooked up a BBQ lunch, and we ate under the palm trees around the picnic tables. After some lounging around the white sands of the island, we were off to check out our last snorkel site – the feeding grounds. Like clockwork, the fisherman stops in the same place every day and cleans their fish, throwing the remains back into the sea near the Silk Cayes. Where there are fish remains, there are hungry sharks, turtles, and stingrays – and, of course, we jumped in with our snorkels to see them.

As you can see, the scenery above and below the water was gasp-worthy on this Belize Snorkeling Experience!

Create your own Belize snorkeling trip in Placencia

Who

Splash Dive Center in Placencia offers day and half-day snorkel trips to the cayes around Placencia. They also offer PADI courses and dive packages. They even cater to solo divers and snorkelers! More Info at www.SplashBelize.com

Where

Silk Cayes is 20 nautical miles east of Placencia in Southern Belize. The boat ride to the site takes about one hour.

Bring

Splash will provide all of the needed snorkel or dive gear. Be sure to bring lots of sunscreen, a rash guard or long-sleeved shirt, and an underwater camera!