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 As a recreational divers, I have enjoyed our shallow offshore reef dives, having an amazing experience viewing a large variety of sea life and coral. The shallow diving around Ambergris is spur-and-groove with some deep canyons, swim throughs and reef cuts. Night diving is also popular.
 On our 2 dives today (Tuffey’s Canyon and Esmeraldo), we witnessed: 2 Ancient Loggerhead Turtles, a sleeping Nurse Shark which lay still on the sandy bottom until we swam overtop, numerous other wary Nurse Sharks slowly weaving their way through the canyons and reef, along with numerous Barracuda, Grouper, a thorny Spiny Lobster, Tarpon, Wahoo and Snappers, ending with a finale of 2 gallivanting Spotted Eagle Rays at the end of our dive — at this point I had run low on air and was sharing my instructor’s tank via his reserve regulator. Although not disappointed, I would have totally loved a playful interaction with any Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins that had come our way. Perhaps next time? One can never predict the life one sees on our dives, regardless of the choppy water and visibility. The reefs of Belize are plentiful with coral and rich with life beyond imagination, enough to entertain and delight on many a dive.
Today the waters were particularly rough with large waves rolling us around like bobble-head dolls on the water. Trying to remain steadfast and surefooted on a pitching and swaying boat whilst trying to don our scuba gear was a hefty challenge for me. Far different from our experience out in the Lighthouse Atoll a few days ago! We were very fortunate then to have such calm conditions on the open ocean water. I found that getting back in to the boat after the dive this morning was far more sketchier than any other dives. With a large looming boat bouncing around, grasping the ladder, extracting my fins and weights, all the while teetering with a heavy tank and equipment in hand, I could describe boarding the boat as an interesting experience that I’ll chalk up to borderline seasickness. Truly, boarding the boat is just as dangerous a maneuver as the actual scuba diving skills needed for survival under water! Multiply that times 2. Adventurous dives to be sure!
  Today, we said farewell to many of our friends who were making their way back to the US or Europe. I will miss them all tremendously! Such wonderful beautiful souls who graced us with their presence on the most epic vacation of our lives.
  After a complete day of pure adrenaline, flight and fancy, I was in desperate need of grounding and connecting with myself. To find stillness in the gentle breeze which shape-shifts around and through me, my state of calm quiet solitude spiked with epiphanies of glee from yesterday’s adventures. It’s interesting to return from a place of pure epic proportions, and find normalcy in the humdrum of everyday living. Not to say that our time in Belize is like any mundane day. Quite the opposite, truly. But life continues on in both the quiet and bawdy moments, regardless of the where and how of the world surrounding me. The sun persistently rises and sets, and the wind continues to playfully flow with the ebbing and surging tides. It is within such a place that my inner child endeavours to find silence in the in-between moments, enjoying the bliss of the effervescent sun, surf and sand of Belize. Before I know it, we’ll be back in our Airstream, planning out the next stages of our journey, navigating the unknown as it unfolds in amazing and sometimes confusing new ways. As our journey sculpts wondrous new routes, I am continually surprised by the roots we are planting, along with the growing community we are building. It’s remarkable to see how life is shifting and shaping when the mind and heart is open, regardless of our destination or stops along the way.
To avoid the bends after scuba diving, one generally should wait a minimum of 18 hours to off-gas excess nitrogen in the blood before skydiving or flying (or climbing to any altitude of note). This meant standing down for the morning and early afternoon before even considering making any skydives. This being the last day of the official Belize Boogie, it was truly serendipitous for our friends Dave and Kelly Henderson to show up just in time for the last load to go up, also coinciding nicely with the allotted waiting time for us to jump after scuba. The winds were still a bit too brisk for my liking, so I stayed on the ground with Kelly (savouring in a final water taxi ride to the landing area) whilst both our hubbies enjoyed the view from 14,000 feet. slaDE~ opted to film David’s tandem, and from the look of the jubilant excitement reflected in both of their smiles upon landing, much joy and happiness was had by both. What a fabulous way to end of skydiving adventure on this beautiful Island! So much love and friendship. Astounding.
 Saying goodbye this evening to those we have laughed and skydived with was far tougher than I expected. Europe seems a whole lot more distant than the American and Canadian states where many friends currently reside. I’m feeling very blessed that Richard Grimm provided us with the opportunity to mingle and participate in this organized European boogie. We feel very much loved at this time (especially having been gifted with a canopy flying Belizean carved man which we have fondly named ‘The Bobby’).
   
  The Great Blue Hole is a stunning circular jewel surrounded by a ring of shallow luminous coral reef in the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Measuring 1000 feet across and more than 400 feet deep, this ocean-floor limestone sinkhole is believed to be the world’s largest blue hole, made famous by Jacques Cousteau. Atolls are characterized by a large, fairly shallow lagoon surrounded by coral reefs. Only four known true atolls exist in the Western Hemisphere, and of these, three reside in Belize: Turneffe, Lighthouse and Glovers.
This morning, the dive boat departed the docks at 6am, making excellent time with the pristine and calm waters which offered smooth sailing conditions for the non-skydivers and onboard crew. Because they arrived early at the Blue Hole site, our group of 16 skydivers were quick to gather ourselves in to groups, performing double gear checks on the water gear which we were entrusting our skydive and ocean landing to (most of the rigs were new to us). The nervous and delighted anticipation of the unknown was palpable and exciting. My first water jump (in to a shark-infested shark pit, no less). Woohooooooooo! I was a bit nervous about not having an altimeter to jump over water (where height perception is impossible to gage). However, our friend Whitney was the star of the day and let me borrow her watch altimeter, also offering up her waterproof housed GoPro for slaDE~ to attach to his velcro wrist mount (thus allowing for the luxury of pictures, in addition to our borrowed GoPro video camera, in air!). On top of that, I had my lucky charm ’Scuba Steve’ fastened securely alongside my right-hand mounted floatation device plus an additional left-arm kid’s water-wing for even and extra buoyancy once in the water  . I was ready, somewhat mentally prepared for any and all possibilities that might go wrong (I’ve been dreaming and thinking about this skydive for months!!!). Once we took off, there was no turning back. It’s really a mind game. And I found that once I was in the plane and we had taken off, all fear departed with the land below us and only excitement filled my being. As we approached Lighthouse Atoll, my heart started to beat quicker, stunned by the visual beauty of the landscape below us. With this being the most expensive skydive I’ve ever made, the possibility of remaining in the plane upon arrival at the Blue Hole was NOT an option (in my eyes anyway). There have been 4 other trips to the Blue Hole over the past 2 weeks, and of those groups, only 2 made it to full altitude. The others exited low at 3000 feet and in to windy choppy conditions. I was keeping my fingers, toes and legs crossed that the wind wouldn’t be too dramatic. I have no desire whatsoever to be dragged across the Blue Hole in to an awaiting coral reef!
 Well, we were in supreme luck. The clouds were scattered with giant fluffy cotton-ball clouds. And the winds up at 13,500 were light and variable. A good prediction of the ground winds. Yahoo! Happiness emanated from my every pore as Ginger, slaDE~ and myself climbed out of the plane, launching a simple two way exit for slaDE~ to capture on video and stills. I couldn’t help but gasp at the unearthly grandeur of the sight all around us. It was mesmerizing, captivating and completely made of what dreams can only envision. By far the most exquisite formidable skydive ever. Stunning and breathtaking with the vast array of a colour kaleidoscope below us. At 8000 feet I deployed my main parachute and spent the next 5 minutes in partial disbelief at the absurdity of it all. I kept thinking: ‘How could I possibly be experiencing this, with the wind on my face and a clear window to the world unencumbered by any sounds, structure or gravity (apart from of course the hanging harness which contained me lazily drifting towards the ocean under my wonderful Spectre 135 canopy). This is surreal. This is heavenly. This is perfection, and essence of beauty, complete.’ To tap in to this energy and scene in my mind will be my most precious gift in times of need. It was as close to nirvana as I’ve ever experienced. 5-6 minutes of airy bliss. And as the window of the Atoll grew bigger and closer, my excitement grew at the impending water landing. Because there was little to no wind, I was lazily circling the Blue Hole and after enjoying the tremendous view for as long as I possibly could, I successfully became the second last person to land at the Boogie in Belize (Rich pulled straight from the plane, opening at 13,500). It was truly a perfect landing, flaring at such a height that I softly dipped my toe in the water before gently touching down in to the abyss, right beside slaDE and his hugely smiling face. My water entrance felt graceful and soft as a wet cloud. What surprised me was the light buoyancy I felt with my packed reserve parachute acting as a floatation device in itself. No need to flutter kick or worry about having my head above water. The Blue Hole around us was calm and sheltered by the surrounding reef. I must admit, a pretty remarkable experience for my first (and potentially last) drop in to the ocean.
 Within 10 minutes, the dinghy had collected us all from the water and returned us safely to the 48 foot dive boat. The jubilation from everyone on the skydive was utterly contagious to those who hadn’t jumped. It was still sinking in, what we had just accomplished, when Israel started briefing us on the upcoming scuba dive. He gave us a bit of history of the Blue Hole, and within minutes, we were geared up and scissor dropping in to the depths. No time to fully appreciate the whole experience before leaping in to another abyss. But dive we did, stopping briefly at 35 feet on a sandy ledge before descending alongside a striking looming vertical wall into an incredible cavern … a tranquil exotic void where very little marine life seemingly exists (no shark sightings) and awe-inspiring natural geological formations, such as giant stalactite and stalagmite columns, are located in what’s known as the ‘Gallery’ at the southern rim of the Blue Hole. These structures once formed in a dry cavern above sea level during glacial periods. What a pristine, exotic and stunningly dark dive. Worth diving once for the experience (although from the air, under canopy, the spectacular expanse of the complete Atoll is more breathtaking and scenic than the actual dive itself). It truly is the closest thing to cave-diving without being cave-certified. I can only imagine that one can totally get sucked in by the depths if not aware and particularly careful. Diving to 145 feet as we did is considered on the edge of recreational diving. Not for the faint of heart, to be sure! I have had difficulties with equalizing (the pressure in my ear drum gets intense and painful when I can’t regulate that pressure with depth) on all my dives here in Belize. And because the Blue Hole dive is so deep, I had to be extra cautious in making sure that I was constantly equalizing on the way down in the first 30-40 feet. After that initial 35 foot drop to the sandy bottom, the group swims to the edge of the volcano and rapidly drops down alongside the wall until reaching the maximum depths of the dive. If by chance I had been unable to equalize in the initial descent, I would have had to surface without the rest of the group and wait there.  Unaccompanied diving in the Blue Hole is NOT allowed. Maximum bottom time in the Blue Hole is eight minutes. A 5 minute safety stop was performed at 15 feet before surfacing and gathering once more on the boat ready for our next dive site, the hugely popular ‘Aquarium’. After rounding snorkelers and divers from the southern rim of the Blue Hole, we made the ½ hour trek. It was fascinating to watch the large Manta and Spotted-Eagle Rays fly by underneath our boat as we made haste to our next dive. Here, the water was slightly less calm, but just as superb in temperature and ease. Dropping down to 60 feet at times within the Aquarium, I was in awe at the total explosion of marine life that lined and circled the walls of coral throughout our dive. It truly was spectacular.
From there, we were ready for lunch and a chance to fully appreciate our mornings experiences. Destination: the protected island named Half Moon Caye. Half Moon Caye Natural Monument is a protected marine reserve (since 1981) within the 15 square miles of Lighthouse Atoll. 45 acres in size, the beautiful island teems with bird life and iguanas, and includes a nesting colony of rare Red-footed Boobies. A delicious leisurely picnic lunch was had by all on the idyllic palm-fringed beach. And after enjoying the peace and quiet of such a gorgeous setting, a few of us toured the paths leading to the bird sanctuary so as to view the nesting chicks with their famous red-footed protective mothers from the open shelter of an observation platform in the littoral forest. It was incredible to see so many types of birds circling and swooping overhead, flashing their ‘wares’, actively mating amongst the lively brood.
Our excursion home with the boat (chartered from Ramon’s through Hugh Parkey’s diving facility) took us 3 delirious hours. We were all pretty satisfied, radiating happiness and bliss at our perfect day. Some truly lovely conversations were had amidst our new friends as we lounged in the sun, basking in the warmth of a calm brilliant day.
If you are interested in diving the Blue Hole, here is some information which may help you:
“Blue Hole Natural Monument and the Lighthouse Reef Atoll are located 55 miles east of Belize City. Several PADI dive operators visit Half Moon Caye Natural Monument out of San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins, or Belize City. There are also charter services from many hops along the country, live-aboard dive ships, as well as island lodges that provide packages that get you there. Local live-aboard dive ships are now required to anchor in designated areas as their anchors have caused irreversible damage to the reef. Air charters are available if you want a good aerial view of the Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef Atoll.”
 I’m hung over and quite drained from yesterday’s and last nights escapades. Today would be a good day to rest, veg by the pool, contemplate the enormity of our day tomorrow {I’m SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited / nervous / scared / exhilarated at the the thought of skydiving and then scuba diving in to the vast ocean / Blue Hole}, and just be, enjoying the moment on a vacation that will forever be etched in my memory and record books.
Rock on Boogie in Belize. May there be another in Belize’s future. But with Rich Grimm opening up a new drop zone in Oceanside, California, the chances are slim (quotes Rich) that there will be a Boogie in Belize in the near future, if ever again. The landing area is small as it is, and with the growth of new businesses and accommodation, the current landing area may disappear within the next few years. This leaves few options for the Boogie, as past attendees have known. I’m relishing what we have now, and loving our 3 weeks of dream vacation. Heaven (apart from the odd hiccup).
 I feel completely and utterly privileged each time I make a jump here in Belize. The views are breathtaking beyond imagination and description. The blues, turquoises, greens and coral whites of the Belizean ocean (Caribbean Sea) depict an oil painter’s palate that moulds, shifts and changes, fluidity of colours enmeshed together. Photographs can barely do it justice when the vision is unable to encompass the feeling, smell, magnitude, vastness and depth of the Islands from under canopy. My first jump was truly a sensory overload of colour and magnificent splendour.
Today, Richard Grimm organized a jump into Caye Caulker, situated 21 miles northeast of Belize City and 11 miles south of Ambergris Caye. Caye Caulker happens to be the second-most developed and most-populated of Belize’s islands after Ambergris. An excess of adrenaline pumped through my veins as we circled the airport (a small landing area with a very long paved runway, skirted by marsh and coarse grass / shrubbery) with three separate passes, ensuring the perfect spot and tiptop communication. Rich’s commanding quality as a skydiving organizer is his attention to safety, establishing rules, guidelines and boundaries that are admiral and have been repeatedly successful.
 slaDE and I jumped last, opening higher than the others, all the while marvelling at the kaleidoscope of beauty below and around us. Just the two of us and a GoPro mounted on slaDE~s helmet, attempting to capture the essence of that moment of pure bliss and joy. A safe landing was had by all on both loads which skydived in to Caye Caulker for the very first time in this airports history. A first for us all indeed (‘case of beer!’ as we would call it).
After packing up our gear on the porch of the Tropic Air building, those who didn’t return to San Pedro for a skydiving work day remained on the Island, exploring the new local scenery, restaurants and bars. The locals describe Caye Caulker as a less touristy, less expensive, more friendly sanctuary, with all the beauty and benefits of San Pedro. The vibes are laid back, easy-going, calm. I’d have to agree. San Pedro is haven tourista. Caye Caulker is the epitome of a laid back lifestyle.
After an informal and lovely roadside lunch with Tim & Pam from the UK, we made our way to join the rest of the skydivers at the popular ‘Lazy Lizard’ bar. How does one describe a sample of paradise? This area of Caye Caulker (not necessarily the bar itself — although the Pina Coladas are divine) is magnificent in its low key, tropical ambiance. An area for lounging in shallow waters surrounding the inlet made for luxurious sunbathing, playing and swimming, drifting with the strong currents leading out in to the channel inlet.
After much drinking of yummy frozen rum drinks and Belikan beer, our hired Catamaran pulled in to the harbour of Caye Caulker to pick up the entire crew of 18 skydivers and spouses. We had small groups of 5 transported out to the Cat via dinghy, with South African Tim and his fiance as our Captain and host for the afternoon. What else does one do in paradise, aboard an anchored boat built for 20, other than go diving and swimming under the Cat when the waters are pristine, clear, blue and warm? From the moment we set sail aboard this luxurious twin hulled ‘yacht’ named Infinity, plenty of drinks, smiles, laughter and community flowed between us, fulfilling a life’s dream of friendship and utter bliss. It was if we were living a dream life, and personally, I felt that I had to continually pinch myself in order to believe that this experience was truly happening. A glorious day that instantly fills me with sunshine, love and the biggest smile ever. With the insane number of photos taken on this trip to Belize, I’ll have plenty to remind me of the epic vacation of a lifetime.
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