After the tour we discussed the program during our stay and for the rest of the day there was a professional snorkel expedition planned to Mexico Rocks with Action Divers, while for the following day there was a full day of fly fishing on the program with a local guide. Ina loves both activities, but she had become addicted to snorkelling after we did it for a week in the Maldives. It was a few years since we had our last snorkelling trip and I knew it would surely be one of the highlights of this trip. Time went so fast that we had to hurry to be in time to join the snorkelling excursion. 

 Together with four divers and two diving instructors, Roberto and Juan, we went to Mexico Rocks, which only took us a few minutes. The other divers were quite experienced so they had their own particular program with Juan. We let them go first and while they prepared for the dive, Roberto told us all about Mexico Rocks, the park rules and the safety regulations while snorkelling. He had some busy classes to manage during the last couple of days and so was very relaxed in having only two snorkelers on this trip.

Mexico Rocks is located inside a reef about six miles north of San Pedro. It got its name in the 19th century when during the Caste War of Yucatan a lot of Mexicans migrated to Ambergris Caye.  Many of them settled in front of the inner reef where they built a new life as fishermen. In those days, mangroves covered the area and the fishing must have been incredible. The Mexicans gave it the name “Mexico Rocks” and it has kept that name ever since. Mexico Rocks is an ideal destination for novice and advanced snorkelers.

In many reviews on the Web you will read that Mexico Rocks has not been officially designated as a marine reserve, but that information is old and today it is a part of Belize’s newest Marine Protected Area: Mexico Rocks Marine Reserve. The Montastraea annularis patch of corals that dominate this area are unique to Ambergris Caye’s Northern region. This rare boulder star coral is endangered and is on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Because I have a passion for nature, wildlife and conservation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is very well known to me. Fishing is strictly prohibited now, and while under full protection, the marine life and coral formations will surely continue to flourish again. The reserve has rangers you have to report to before you start your snorkelling or dive, which I think is really good.

Mexico Rocks is home to approximately 35 species of fish and is an important natural incubator for juvenile fish. The water is between three to six meters deep and offers excellent visibility, which makes it extremely suitable for a good point and shoot camera placed in an underwater housing.  Because the bright light and shallow water you don’t need a flash and these little cameras do an amazing job nowadays. I am not an underwater photographer, but I love quality pictures and therefore I prefer a camera placed in an underwater housing above these small waterproof cameras. The Canon G7X with WP-DC54 housing is an excellent match and my preference for snorkelling today. Canon G9X, Sony RX100 versions do a marvellous job as well.

Mexico Rocks also has a wide variety of coral including elkhorn, staghorn, boulder star and brain coral that create perfect homes for the spiny lobsters and eels. There is plenty of sea life and we saw eels, flounders, stingrays, nurse sharks, yellow tail snappers, sergeant major fish, butterfly fish, horse-eye jacks, permit, Nassau groupers, barracuda, angelfish and one very curious turtle. It was a lot different to the Maldives for us, mainly because the species were much bigger and came in closer. We had a few snorkel sessions and most spectacular by far was a turtle that stayed close by me for a while and kept returning. Seeing a big shoal of permit real close was another highlight for a fanatical fly fisherman. For Ina every second was enjoyable and she couldn’t stop, but when the other divers had finished their tour our time was up as well. I sadly got a little seasick while watching too much through the viewfinder of my camera in the wavy surface. I have to point out that both guides were incredibly knowledgeable and outstanding instructors and as a former senior teacher of army instructors, I know exactly what I’m talking about. We got back around 3 p.m. and the afternoon and evening were spent just taking it easy and enjoying the company of Jan and Sandra.

Portofino Beach Resort contact information:

www.portofinobelize.com
info@portofinobelize.com

Phone: + 501.226.5096
Phone: + 501.678.5096
US Tel: 305-848-1980
US Fax: 253.660.0145
BZ Fax: + 501.226.4272
Skype: Portofinobelize
MSN: PortofinoBelize@live.com
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Will be continued