Turn Left at the Turtle

For the first day, my daughter and I used a ceramic turtle as a landmark to locate our room at our hotel in Placencia, Belize. The world’s second largest coral reef lies just off Placencia (the largest is off Australia) so the area is a haven for divers, snorkelers and jungle adventurers.

Our snorkel expedition was run through Splash, an incredibly efficient, helpful organization operated by Patricia Ramirez.

Splash picked us up at our hotel and took us to their HQ where we were outfitted with fins and masks.  A hour’s boat ride brought us to an island where you might expect to run into Crusoe’s man Friday, it’s that away from it all. Brian, a  patient, helpful Splash guide, took charge of five of us while five more experienced snorkelers bubbled after another guide.

Full disclosure: the warm and lovely Caribbean wasn’t particularly so that day and before we were fully out there, I realized that fifty minutes was going to be far too long.  I made do happily snorkeling in the shallower, warmer water. When Carolyn returned, she relayed tales of hundreds of brilliant colored fish, a nurse shark, a sea urchin and the thrill of swimming over coral.  We’d been told to be wary of the coral because hitting it could hurt us and damage it as “less than an inch represents ten years growth.

Coral at the Barrier Reef, Belize

The boat took the divers further out along the reef to do whatever it is scuba divers do, a delight that’s always eluded me. Splash puts both groups together so families can be together at lunch and on the boat, an idea that seems to work well as everyone gets what they came for.

Lunch was corn chips and salsa, watermelon, grilled BBQ chicken, baked beans, scalloped potatoes and cole slaw, courtesy of the Splash cooks whom we brought along.  An afternoon snorkel/dive took place before we headed back to Placencia.  Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea!

Ceviche

                                Ceviche

Note: use the freshest, best-quality fish possible and make this the day you buy the fish. In Belize you can be almost one hundred percent sure the fish just left the sea.  This makes enough for about 8 servings.

2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned

1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 cup of chopped fresh seeded tomatoes

1 Serrano (or Habanera) chili, seeded and finely diced (wear rubber gloves)

2 teaspoons of salt

Dash of ground oregano

Dash of the hot sauce of your choice.

In a Pyrex or ceramic casserole dish, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Leave it for about three hours before serving.