Snorkeling off the coast of San Pedro…

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We went snorkeling in San Pedro, Belize with Lil’ Alberto and a whole crew of Americans, including to our surprise, the four people that we went on the Tikal tour with from Idaho!

Alberto told us he named the boat after his son and that he loves his job. He said he felt as if he was on vacation every day! And it definitely showed!

When we got about 7 – 10 miles off the coast, Alberto told us all to exit the boat with our snorkeling gear. He jumped in with us and showed us the most amazing fish. I had seen a lot of the fish before because we used to own a 100 galloon tank, but there were plenty that I had never seen before. The colors were unreal. Even the plants and the eels that wiggled through looked surreal. I felt as if I were peeking into a fish tank or an aquarium.

Every time a fish passed me, he would look at me and I would look back at him. He didn’t seem to care that I was in his space. He just swam away.

There were schools of fish. Each school was different. Alberto explained the various types but you couldn’t quiz me. I just saw colors and big eyes looking at me!

We stayed in the area for almost two hours and then Alberto told us to get back on the boat. He drove us out even further to “shark valley.” This was where we had the opportunity to swim with the sharks and the stingrays. “What fun,” I was thinking to myself sarcastically.

Alberto threw a barracuda in the water and there was a huge shark that came for it. It was probably as big as my son. I don’t think I’ll ever get the picture out of my head of the shark eating that fish, tale first, head last. There was so much blood, it was not a pretty site. After he ate, Alberto picked him up so that everyone can touch him. When I swam over to him, he actually hit me in the face with his tale!

Next Alberto picked up a stingray. He was so soft and silky. I touched the top and the bottom of him. (I’ve never been that close to either a shark or a stingray!)

When we left the boat, the rest of the day was uneventful. It was just relaxing, just what the boss ordered…