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Philip Haylock ♦
On one of those sunny weekends in Belize with nothing much to do, take a short 45-minute boat ride off the coast of Belize City. You’ll arrive upon a sleepy little island called Caye Caulker, appropriately nicknamed by locals as The Go-slow Island.
At first glance, Caye Caulker doesn’t look like much. However, as you approach the wooden, pastel-colored stilt houses along the seashore and the palm trees swaying in the breeze, you realize that this little island is home to some of the most festive and beautiful spots Belize has to offer. People of every shade of the rainbow call this island home, from Rastafarians pushing fruit carts to blond-haired, blue-eyed café owners, to Chinese shopkeepers from whom you can get your local fast-food favorites.
Quick history lesson: Years ago, Caulker was much bigger than it is today. However, in 1961 Hurricane Hattie hit the country of Belize, killing more than 400 people and leaving thousands homeless. It was the strongest storm to hit Belize to date. With accurate weather predictions still in their infancy, an attempted evacuation was only partially successful. The storm caused catastrophic damage countrywide, some of it permanent, especially on the island of Caye Caulker. The entire island was submerged as a result of the storm’s surges. After its passing, the locals discovered that Hattie had divided the island into two parts, forcing the locals to find new ways of traversing from one end to the other.
Over time, the increased flow of water enlarged the opening to its present depth of 20 feet. This created a rapid channel through which boats now navigate and in which locals and tourists swim and snorkel. It was appropriately named “The Split.”
Though the island has a great eastward-facing beach, everyone flocks to the Split. There is a small bar and restaurant where you can purchase finger foods, snacks, cocktails, and, of course, ice-cold Belikin beers while listening to good music. You can also sprawl out on a towel or lie back in a chair on the small beach area or the newly renovated wooden dock.
With both the young and young at heart coming out to sun, swim, and snorkel while sipping on ice-cold drinks, the day goes by very fast at the Split.
If chilling or snorkeling at the Split is not enough for you, you can also take a tour with one of the local dive shops to the barrier reef and snorkel with sharks in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Tours to Hol Chan take you to Shark Ray Alley, where you have the chance to get up close and personal with nurse sharks and stingrays in their natural habitat. You can pose for pictures or swim with them, and even pet them; they are well-accustomed to humans. Scuba diving trips to the famous Great Blue Hole is also an exciting option for exploring the underwater world and seeing not only many more sharks, jellyfish, and stingrays but countless other species of marine life.
Measuring at only 5 miles (8.0 km) north to south by less than 1 mile (1.6 km) east to west, Caye Caulker is small enough for you to tour by foot along well-defined paths. This takes twenty minutes at most. However, many of the locals often travel by bike or golf cart. Rental bikes are available for a small fee at almost all the local hotels or shops, while golf carts, which tend to be a bit more expensive, can be rented from specific golf cart rental companies. All three modes of transportation will allow you to go to almost every part of the island and view sites such as the Caye Caulker housing area, burial ground, local airstrip, and water plant.
Although Caye Caulker is known as The Go-slow island, locals and tourists also enjoy numerous festivals, contests, and other activities on the island. July marks the beginning of the Lobster season when the island hosts its annual Lobster Festival. This festival honors all things about this crustacean and features almost everything made from lobster including ceviche, tacos, and even lobster ice cream. If you're more into the nightlife scene, you won’t really find that at Caye Caulker. The island has about two nightclubs and a few sports bars, all of which close shortly after midnight. This leaves you with not much else to do in the earlier hours of the morning except sleep.
Which might be another reason why you’ll want to take that short boat ride away from the mainland. Caye Caulker is sure to meet all your island fantasies and much more. ♦
Photos by Jessica Jones
Philip Haylock is a business management major at the University of Belize. He lives in Punta Gorda and Belize City and enjoys playing sports and listening to music.