Adios

The last few days have been pretty stressful. My mother and sister's birthdays are both on February 1st and we are going on a little vacation to mainland Belize. Planning this and packing the house up to get ready to go has been a lot of work. It didn't help that the weather has been fairly bad and we could not get out of the house to do anything on the water. I have been working extra hard in school this week too because I am not going to be having any schoolwork this Thursday or Friday. Taking the boats out of the water today was another task that took some time and effort to prepare for our absence. Well at least I am coming back from our stay on the mainland to enjoy the greatest show on earth, the superbowl. Peace.

Deep Sea Glory

Recently we have been hit with a surprising streak of good luck. Me and my father have gone deep sea fishing the last few days and they have been anything but disappointing. All kinds of fishing revolve around technique, knowledge, patience, and persistance and when all of these things come together you are able to find great success.

Two days ago we got all of our gear together, set our outriggers up, and went out deep sea fishing for about half a day. At first things started off slow with no strikes for about the first hour. A ways into the trip we noticed that we had forgotten some things. While collecting of the things we would need, we neglected to bring our fighting belt which helps make the fight easier when you are bringing in a fish that can weigh as much as you. We also forgot our gaff which is essential for landing a large fish on the boat. Taking this into account we figured that we were sure to catch some fish the only time that we came unprepared.

I was sitting up by the front of the boat drnking an orange Fanta when I heard the first fish hit. The scream of the drag on the reel while the fish on the other end rips the line from the its resting point gets your blood pumping as fast as possible. I quickly ran to the back thinking of the irony of attempting to land a big one without the tools we are used to. I picked up the pole and the scream abruptly ended and I thought we had lost the fish. Reeling in the line I could feel that there was something on the other end but I knew it wasn't anything too big. Getting it up to the boat we realized it was a fish in the tuna family called a Little Tunny. As the trip wore on, we circled the spot where we caught the previous fish and ended up getting two more.

Yesterday, it was such a nice day out on the water that we decided to once again try our luck outside the reef deep sea fishing. The waters were tranquil and it seemed almost flat across the entire Caribbean. On the same lure we had caught the little tunnys on the day before, we quickly got another strike on. The same procedure occurred with the fight and we once again brought a little tunny. We ended up with two more at the end of the day. After a long day of trolling for the big one, we took a rest still fishing outside the reef at a depth of about 40-55 feet. We caught ten yellowtail snapper and threw several more back because we caught too many. Trolling back to our house came another adventure just when I decided to reel the lines in and head home, I got a strike. Getting the fish up to the boat was an easy task so I figured it was something small. When I first saw the fish I knew right away that it was a King Mackeral. After seeing the boat, the mackeral had a run that nearly broke the rod. It got off the line and needless to say, I was disappointed to let that one get away.

Wahoo Challenge

January 20th was a very exciting day on our little island here. The first annual Wahoo Challenge took place and was a huge sucess. Boats from all over Belize came and took part in this fishing tournament attempting to catch as big and as many Wahoo as possible.

A wahoo is a large gamefish that inhabits the waters of the Carribean. It is world renound for being the fastest fish in the ocean reaching speeds of around 60 mph and giving daring anglers the fight of their life. Belize has been a hot spot for wahoo fishing for many years and the world record of 158 lbs 8 oz came in the water just north of Belize in southern Mexico.


After the tournamnet was all said and done, it ended up that some good friends of our family and a neighbor just a few houses down the beach collected all of the prizes. Charlie Reed and Ivan Staines in the boat Catch of the Day took in over eight thousand dollars in prize money and won overall (average of two biggest fish caught), cumulative (most fish cuaght), and Ivan's son even won the junior angler prize.

Under the Surface

Growing up in Belize has changed my life in so many ways. When I was three years old I took to the water and began snorkeling. Although I was very young, I was instantly fascinated with marine life and all activities out on the water. When I was about six years old, I began spearfishing. Starting off with smaller and easier fish and eventually working my way up to the bigger and more elusive fish and sea creatures.

Ever since then my true passion has been underneath the surface, not only spearfishing but also snorkeling. Although I havn't yet, I am anxious to get certified to dive and enter an entirely new world underwater.

I use what is called a JBL 9 foot polespear with a penetrator three-prong tip. Its basically a long metal pole with a huge rubberband on one end and three very sharp points on the other. There is nothing like the feeling of spearing some fresh rock lobster that is sure to be treaured as a amazing meal late that night. Hunting many species of fish has become a hobby of both my father, bother, and I for many years. Although it is not a typical thing for a family from the suburbs of Cleveland to enjoy doing, we certainly have a passion for this.

A Real Belize Adventure

Here in Belize, there are many different nationalities living in harmony with each other. Ever since I first came here, I have always been surprised at the amount of Canadians living here. The Carlsons, some close friends of our family that have a house here on Ambergris, are from a tiny town in the Yukon territory of Canada called Watson Lake. A week or two ago we took a sailing trip with the Carlsons and it was certainly a time that I will never forget.

Since I was a little boy I have always heard stories about Turneffe Atoll and how it has the best fishing in Belize along with some of the most pristine reef in the world. For those of you who dont know what an atoll is, it is an island that was created by a volcano that has sunken into the earth's crust. Over the years, a circular reef has formed around the island creating the perfect habitat for all kinds of marine life. Turneffe is one of four atolls in the entire Atlantic Ocean, three of which are in Belize.

My family and the Carlsons chartered a 43 foot Fountaine Pajot catamaran to eat, sleep, and live on for the next week. The first day was mostly sailing out to Turneffe. The weather was relatively gloomy with brief spurts of sunshine. The next day was full of action with lots of snorkeling, spearfishing, and linefishing. Thankfully the weather improved tremendously with only a few small squalls throughout the day. One of my favorite parts of the trip was learning how to sail from our captain named Half-Inch. His knowledge of the seas and the art of sailing intrigued me. This trip to Turneffe was truly a great experience that led me to hear, see, and feel things that many don't have the chance to in their entire lifetime.

La Isla Bonita

A small island sits off the coast of a tiny almost unknown country in Central America. Ambergris Caye, Belize is attracting more and more attention as time wears on. The island is known mainly for it’s excellent snorkeling and fishing along the Great Barrier Reef just about a quarter of a mile offshore. Travelers from around the world come to this relaxing paradise to just get away from the stresses of life.

Although Ambergris Caye is unknown in the minds of most people, it has been favored by a few celebrities for some time. About 20 years ago Madonna came out with a song called La Isla Bonita meaning the beautiful island. After visiting Ambergris she wrote this song about the island. In the song she sings about the town of San Pedro and how she fell in love with and dreams about it. Actor Leonardo Dicaprio visited Ambergris and soon after purchased Blackador Caye, a sister island to Ambergris. Harrison Ford filmed a movie named Mosquito Coast just south of San Pedro town on Ambergris.

Although I have left Kenston, the staff has agreed to allow me to let everyone know what I am doing. My parents bought land on Ambergris Caye over 25 years ago. A few years later they built a house on it. Due to my fathers job having the winter season off, we get the chance to travel down to Belize for the winter and relax while I get homeschooled. Having done this every year since I was a a baby, I am very accustomed to the Belize culture. It has truly become a second home for me and my family. I will be sure to keep all of you back home updated on what is going on.

The Missing Dollar

Three friends check into a motel for the night and the clerk tells them the bill is $30, payable in advance. So, they each pay the clerk $10 and go to their room. A few minutes later, the clerk realizes he has made an error and overcharged the trio by $5. He asks the bellhop to return $5 to the 3 friends who had just checked in. The bellhop sees this as an opportunity to make $2 as he reasons that the three friends would have a tough time dividing $5 evenly among them; so he decides to tell them that the clerk made a mistake of only $3, giving a dollar back to each of the friends. He pockets the leftover $2 and goes home for the day! Now, each of the three friends gets a dollar back, thus they each paid $9 for the room which is a total of $27 for the night. We know the bellhop pocketed $2 and adding that to the $27, you get $29, not $30 which was originally spent. Where did the other dollar go????