Belize Dive and Fish Get Away
By Tab Hauser
For the last 8 years I have put together a fishing trip for the guys. It started out with 3 guys and has progressed to where we have had 6 to 8 guys at one time or another. We try even numbers because if you are the odd man out you are in the boat with just you and the guide. This can be a rather boring experience because many of the native Cree Indian guides in Canada we have had do not say much. In fact when you would ask them if a certain lure would work the usual answer was “could be” and that was the extend of the conversation. When you have a friend in the boat with similar interests you can shoot the day on business matters, kids, politics, fishing, etc…
Anyway, due to a few too many conflicts to make it to northern Canada this June we opted for a warm destination. With a little help from a Belizean customer of mine and my research we picked Belize. This would be a second fishing trip to Central America. Two years earlier 4 of us went to The Silver King Lodge on the Rio Colorado in Costa Rica where we learned and then caught giant Tarpon. The smallest we landed there was about 75 pounds with the largest almost 150! Anyway, enough about the past.
This year Ken Steinberg, Gary Krellenstein, Mike Erhlich, Gary Lehman and Brian Cohen went to Robert’s Grove in Plancencia Belize. Getting here was not that bad. A 6:45 AM flight out of LaGuardia with a connection in Miami had us arrive in Belize City airport at 12:40. We picked up the Tropic Air flight after this and we were on the beach and pool by 3:30PM.
Robert’s Grove is luxury class hotel with 20 rooms. There was a bar at the pool
and another one off the lobby by the restaurant. The day we checked in was
Election Day so the bartenders were off. A very pleasant lady named Gerry was
filling in as bartender and welcomed my assistance when she had several drinks
requested at one time. I had a fun making drinks for guests and my friends for
about an hour. I also liked the informality of the place because they took me
up on offer to help. (I did not get any tips from those cheaposu as tipping is
optional here)
Dinner at Robert’s was never a disappointment. In fact the local Belize tourism book says it is one of the best places to eat when in Belize. We were on the meal plan. The only thing we were restricted on was a few imported meats that carried a $6 surcharge. We can eat the seafood, chicken, fresh fish and lobster tails. Every day there was a seafood – fish platter special along with the typical fried red snapper. Conch fritters were also on the menu everyday which added a nice touch of reminding me of other islands. During dinner we met the head fishing guide who briefed us on what was going on. He was booked so we used the hotels sub contractors who were fisherman when not guiding.
The next day we all met at breakfast 7AM. It is certainly different being in a very nice hotel not having to deal with fishing lodge grub or basic log cabins. It was decided we would go after Tarpon so the guides took us to the Monkey River and then to Deep River.
Monkey River starts at small fishing village of about 40 homes on stilts. The rive is about 30 feet wide a few miles long.
Immediately at Monkey River Mike hit a small tarpon, maybe 15 pounds. The rest of us did not even get a hit. One of the guides decided the tide was not right so we headed an hour down to Deep River. Deep River is pretty much a mangrove estuary. Here we did a little better. Gary hit a 4 foot barracuda for a good fight while the rest of hit a few jacks further up few as well as another cuda. The action died pretty quick and we headed back to Monkey River. Under a hot afternoon sun we did not have as much as a hit. We did see an iguana and several howler monkeys. Heading back was fun. The ocean had a chop in it so the guide took us through the mangroves. He would zig and zag through the unmarked waterways. Some of the channels were not much wider than the boat. It took about an hour until we reached the lagoon side of Robert’s Grove where the boats are kept. It is was a 3 minute walk to quench our thirsts at the pool bar with fresh fruit daiquiri’s made from the left watermelon and pineapple left over from lunch. (Reminder…pineapple, watermelon, 1 banana (found at bar), 3 shots aged dark rum, 3 shots coconut rum, 1 shot of triple sec, 2 ounces of mango concentrate and some ice)
At dinner we ordered off the menu but had the chef prepare the barracuda and a jack 3 different ways. Normally I do not eat barracuda but everyone here says it is safe because it is not from the coral reef but from the mangrove. I tasted the cuda and ate a little of the jack along with my meal of local snapper. The cuda tasted pretty good, the jack was a little fishy or oily. The analogy we made was that the cuda reminded us of Northern Pike, while the jack was similar to lake trout. There is not much entertainment at Robert’s. After dinner we lingered with our deserts of local homemade gelato, key lime pie, “real” coconut pie and chocolate banana pie along with a cigar calling it an early evening.
The next day we woke up to a small chop in the seas and headed 20 miles to the outer reef. The ride out was a little choppy and took about an hour. We started to troll along the reef walls and hit a few barracudas. After this we trolled out to 2 miles outside the reef in the 4 – 5 foot swells. There we trolled and caught a couple of more fish over the next 90 minutes. Coming in from outside the reef was fun. The guide had us “boat surfing”. He would catch a wave, let up on the engine and literally surf the wave for long stretches. Back inside the reef we got a large jack, mutton snapper and headed to the Silk Cays to McBride Island for lunch and snorkeling. One thing we wanted to do on this trip was fish, snorkel and fish more. The island was a beautiful 200 foot around piece of land surrounded by beach with a couple of palm trees and a picnic table. It was had a nice coral reef on the east side. This is the type of island you want to be stranded with that special someone for an afternoon. This was the wrong company for the romance of it but this was a welcomed break from sitting on the boat and fishing. After eating we donned our snorkel gear and fins and swam around it. This was probably one of the best reefs I have snorkeled around in a while. After spending almost 2 hours here we headed out to fish again. For the next 2 hours we only landed one 2 foot needle fish. Ken who was on the boat with me decided to call it quits at about 3 and look around the village of Plancencia. We radioed to other boats and wanted to see if anyone wanted to join us. Mike and Brian were with in range and met us at the town dock in Plancencia.
Plancencia is a typical small unglamorous tropical water town. There is nothing fancy about this place except the yachts that are on anchor here supplying up or just hanging out for the day. The village has small wooden homes and hotels. Many of them blew down on the last hurricane and are awaiting the same fate for when it happens again. There are dogs and children all around along with places that do nails, hair and even one good ice cream shop. We got dropped off by the guides at the town dock and who then headed back up the bay to drop off our equipment. We would arrange to have a local taxi take us back for the 5 minute ride. This village is listed in the Guinea’s Book of Worlds Records for having the thinnest street in the world. It is actually a side walk about 3 feet wide that goes up the ocean side. There are a few shops that sometimes double as a sightseeing store. There are also a couple of simple hotels and bars. (Being parched for the day we were searching for a place to have a drink and find shade.)
After hanging out at one of the beach side bars for an hour we headed to the other street which has the cars back to town until we were back at the town dock where stopped a taxi.
Anyway, this is a quiet and pleasant place. Our group said it was a great place to escape on a budget. It reminded us of what many towns in the Caribbean used to be like many years ago before being “discovered”.
Day 3 had a change in plans. The water was too choppy to head out to the reef. Two of the group already planned to go inland and see the sights while the other 4 were going to fishing. With the ocean as it was only Ken stayed back and arranged to leave in the afternoon to go to the Monkey River and travel through the mangroves. The five of us were not sure what our day would be like and what an adventure it was. The tour was simply billed as “Mayan Ruin & Cave Swim”. We started by catching the hotel boat to the van across the lagoon. From there we drove about 1 ¼ hours to a Mayan sight while our driver told us about the small villages and area we were in. The highlight of the ruins was in a room where they had original “stelas”. A Stela is a vertical rock engraved with stories made by the area Mayan’s at the time. The curator described each of the 3 on display noting that the top of each tablet had the date meticulously carved in. The display also had the worlds tallest Steila in excellent shape. These were dated from about 700 AD. After seeing the display we walked around with our driver who guided us about. This was a primitive sight with none of the buildings restored except for the ball field and the burial area. There were also stones laying on each other for what must have been tall structures with grand views. After walking around for 30 minutes we made our way back to the van where some of the local children set up a make shift market on our behalf.
Lunch was under a tree and it was off to the cave swim. Our driver told us we would be met with a guide who will have life jackets and a light attached to straps to put on your head. Both he and the local guide (who was 16) lead us for a 20 minute walk along the river that ended with a spectacular view of the mountain, cliffs and a large cave opening. To get to the entrance we had to climb some easy rocks where we changed into swim suits, put on life jackets and strapped lights to our heads. The driver watched our clothes and cameras while we eased ourselves into the cool refreshing water of the large cave entrance. The ceilings at opening were about 40 feet high and were about 25 feet wide. There was no feeling of claustrophobia here as we swam in what appeared to be a pool about 30 feet long leading to another pool. What took the group by surprise was the fact we thought we were going to go in a little, splash around a little and then leave. After we rounded the third turn and third pool area we realized this was not exactly Disney. The guide continued to lead us from section to section while we either swam or walked in the water. After we went in about 1/8 of a mile we decided to turn off our head lights to realize it was basically pitch black inside and the only thing lighting up our way was the 6 lights on our heads. Each area had stalactites and different erosion formations. The ceilings ranged from 20to 30 feet high in most areas.
Getting from one pool area to another required some easy climbing as each pool ranged from a foot to 3 feet over the other pool. The depths also ranged to where we had to swim or do a combination of swim and walk. The water was always pretty clear as long as we pointed our lights down there by making sure our feet would not get stuck between submerged rocks. Gary L and I were carrying cameras making it a little more difficult for us. After going between a few pools and climbing I finally recommended attaching the cameras to our life jackets and tucking them inside so they do not slam on the rocks. After almost a ½ mile we reached the highlight of our water hike – swim. We had to climb up a 4 foot rock slide and then drop down to the last pool we went to. Here there a water fall split in two filling the pool. This in deed looked so perfect it was as if it was made for a movie set. The guide told us to remove our head lights so they do not fall off in the pressure from the falls and had us put them on the rock aiming the light into the area waterfalls pool. Here we went under the falls and laughed and played around for a short time. It was a thrill hiking into the ½ mile of pure darkness with out safety lines, helmets, or having to sign waivers. Being out of the U.S. and out of the litigation crazy lawyers you can have fun with out having the insurance business ruin your time. There is no way an activity would be available in the U.S. like this. While this is not a dangerous place, a wrong slip and it is a long way back being carried. To get back we followed the same route as we came. It took about 40 minutes to get the falls and about 25 minutes back. (It should be noted that the cave goes another 6 ½ miles but we would need ropes and equipment to continue on.)
As we rounded the last 2 turns we were able to see the light at the entrance. The last turn we made silhouetted the cave on the inside while seeing the hills outside the mouth. I can only hope the pictures from my underwater camera can do this little adventure justice.
After leaving the entrance we walked 10 minutes back up river to where there was a little snack stand and office. Just outside here was a platform with a rope for people to swing out on and drop into the cool river water. Gary K and Mike took there turns swinging and plunging. The hotel charged $70 each for the driver, guide and admission to this park and the Mayan. If you drive here yourself it would cost a US$1 for each place.
Leaving the park trail we were treated to another make shift market as well as a view of typical village life in these parts. Using my 200mm zoom I was able to take pictures of a mother and child doing their laundry in the river while other children perhaps 5 years old were jumping out naked from a dug out canoe near by where the water was deeper. I called this scene Pura Vida for pure life.
In switch of lifestyles and places we went from a village of 148 people to our small luxury hotel and an excellent BBQ buffet dinner. The entrees included succulent grilled baby lamb chops, fried snapper, flavorful grilled chicken, shrimp kabobs and other goodies along with a few rum punches. At dinner we learned from Ken that he struck out at fishing. He saw the tarpon going up and down the river but nothing hit. I think it was decided by the other 5 in the group that our day was worth more than a good day of fishing.
The last day was saved for diving and snorkeling for the non diver in our group. Gary L did not want to go diving until he was certified while Gary K who is not certified but has some experienced did go. The boat ride out was very bumpy with the bow bouncing regularly making us brace ourselves for each of the very hard bumps. It took a long 65 minutes to Longbird Caye which is a national sanctuary. This is an island about 150 yards long by 20 years wide. In the center were 5 picnic tables under a thatched roof. This was another picture perfect place to spend the day. The dive boat left the beach and went out about 300 yards and took a mooring while we all dove in. I stayed close to Gary K incase he had any problems in the water. He went along slow and did very well. For an inside reef the first dive was OK. They did not want to go on the windward side because of the choppy seas. At this section of reed we did a 60 foot profile and afterwards headed back to the island for lunch. After lunch we headed to the windward side of the island for a much better dive. Again, we kept a 60 foot profile but here the mountains of coral and fish were much better. This was a good quality dive with no currents and great visibility. The ride back was much better cutting of 30 minutes off because the seas calmed down. At arrival it was off to the bar to clear our parched throats and talk about the day.
Robert’s Grove is a classy place. Both Robert and his wife Riza make their rounds during the day and at dinner to make all the guests welcomed. Everything here was excellent except for their new Mexican restaurant called Habeneros. Here we found the service very slow with appetizers taking an hour to get to the table. The food when it did come was good. I would pass on this place until I heard other guests talking favorable about it.
Monday was our return date to the states. The nice thing about a later flight is a leisurely morning. Except for Gary L we were all lounging in bathing suits at the beach until about 11AM. Gary K was dressed to go at 8AM and ready to go. The other nice thing about this place is that you can show up at the airport 15 minutes before the plane leaves with out worrying about missing it. Our flight left Plancencia on time at 11:45 giving us a view of Robert’s Grove and the coast, landing in Belize City 25 minutes later. Check in at American Airlines was quick and my customer Compton Fairweather met us at the airport to pick up Ken for his additional stay in Belize. He directed us to have a picnic lunch on the 2nd floor of the airport and saw us off to the gate. Ken in our group was staying by himself for another week. He was taking the ferry to some of the less tourist visited islands to try the fishing and diving there. We told him to do a good job scouting for us. We also told him we are coming back and getting him if we do not hear from him. (I can only hope his wife sends us back to get him!)
This place certainly put a twist on our annual fishing trip. There is something said about a day or so of less fishing and having the option to dive or go exploring inland. The warm weather was also a nice change to sometimes cold rains we get in Canada.
I have been to Central America 4 times now. My opinion is that there are places here that have not been discovered or spoiled by Americans. The prices are very good and the people and places are great. It will be an interesting debate as to where to go next year fishing.
Cheers!
Tab Hauser
www.tabhauser.com for more stories
tabh@hascorelays.com
Below is Ken’s email to us on his extended stay.
Okay guys, you are going to hate me but here it is. Caye Caulker is
truly Paradise. every bit as much as that small island near the reef
where we ate lunch last week, It is quaint fishing village with an
tourist business consisting of mostly young european and american
vacationers, backpackers, college kids on spring break and Belizians
living on the island and vacationing. My big decisions are whether to go diving, fishing or relaxing. So far I did a 3 dive trip to Turniffe
atoll. Top level diving [Beautiful corals/caves/ valleys/walls, big fish turtles and diving with dolphins]. I am thinking a doing the Blue Hole Sat. [mainly for the other 2 dives on Lighthouse atol - the furthest on out with the reputed best diving. Today I went commercial fishing for 4 hours with a local fisherman for snapper - 20 -30 from 1 - 7 lbs. And the night life I won't discuss. Only that I have been good. so far. One thing about it - there is alot of excellent live music. I think there are alot of retired/burnt out musicians living here and others passing through. Must go now to meet the dive boat returning from blue hole to check it out. Hope you are all well and enjoying the snow. Until later, Ken