Beaches

One of things I am very disappointed with here in Belize is the beaches.  This a wonderful place to go out to the reef and snorkel or scuba dive but, not a good place to walk the beaches or take a swim.

The problem starts with the reef.  Because it creates a natural barrier for the island, there are no waves reaching the shore.  Therefore, you get a large growth of sea grass.  The grass, along with a lot of trash comes to the shoreline at high tide.

When the tide recedes you are left with the beaches defined by the leftover grass and debris.

When walking on the beach you can only go into the water at certain places, and then only for a few feet.  And, every time we walk the beach, we find at least a couple dozen sandals and flippers—none of which ever match any of the others.

I guess I have to keep in mind that we are about two and a half miles south of town.  As you get closer t town the beaches do improve a lot.  In fact, right in town wherre the restaurants and hotels line the beach, it is not dirty at all.

But out here, to enjoy the ocean you really need to go out beyond the grass where the water is a clear, turquoise in color, warm, and, at least on the shore side of the reef, shallow enough that you can stand.  And, just about everyone has a pool with either fresh or salt water anyway.