Saturday's Excursion

          Today we traveled to Placencia, Belize and had the opportunity to go snorkeling and then shop and eat in the town. We took a water taxi to Placencia, and then took another boat out to a little island in the Caribbean Sea, they call them Cayes (pronounced keys). We went on 3 separate dives. On the first dive, we circled the island seeing the coral reef, fish, and other plant life in the sea. After the first dive we returned to the Caye for lunch and a break. Once lunch was over those that wanted to could go on the second dive. This one was my favorite. At first, we were just going to go a bit farther out and see some larger coral reefs and more fish but we got some unexpected visitors that put on a little show for us. These visitors were 2 dolphins; they were very friendly and swam right next to most of us. I was able to get some pictures and videos of them with my GoPro camera and it was truly an amazing experience. The third dive was with nurse sharks, eagle rays, and sea turtles. This dive was not as long as the others because the animals did not stay very long in the location. I was able to swim with each one of them! This was my first time going snorkeling and it was the best time I have ever had.

           After snorkeling was finished, we took the boat to a port in town where we had the rest of the day to explore, shop, and eat. Some of the restaurants had signs out for the Kentucky Derby. Even though we are in Belize, some of us watched the derby on TV. Our day came to an end with a ride back to Independence on the water taxi. I cannot wait to go through all the pictures and videos I have from today and see what all I was able to catch on film. Overall, each of us had an amazing day and cannot wait to see what the rest of the weekend has in store for us. More than anything, we are looking forward to being back in the classrooms and working with our students on Monday and Tuesday.

P.S. – the sun in Belize is very different, sunscreen is a must!

-Jordan Priddy