Day-tripping to Isla Contoy

The bay at Isla Contoy

"Hi, is your name Kevin?" I asked uncertainly, thinking I recognized him.  

"No, my name is Joe, but I can be Kevin if you want me to," he quipped.  His response elicited good natured laughs from everyone, easing the strangers-meeting-strangers awkwardness.  By the time we had been fitted with life jackets, flippers, goggles and a snorkel we were chatting easily.  

After several days of wind and high waves, the weather was finally perfect for a boat trip to the Isla Contoy National Park.  The three of us - our neighbour Andy, my niece Renee, and I - had been waiting all week for this day.  

Lovely and quiet

"Okay, today is the day.  Let's go!"  Captain Tony Garcia's brother Alberto, and his nephew Noah, were our captain and first-mate for the day.  Tony hopped into our boat for a few minutes to give us a rundown on the rules; wear your life jackets, don't touch the underwater critters, and stay with the guide when snorkeling the reef.  Pretty simple.

We left the docks promptly at nine in the morning, and arrived at Isla Contoy shortly after ten.  Paradise. Tucked into a crescent-shaped bay was a clean sweep of white sand, a handful of palm trees, two or three communal outdoor grilling areas, plus a couple National Park service buildings. That's it.  Wild and relatively untamed, the island is home to thousands of nesting birds, plus a few boa constrictors and crocodiles in the jungle areas.  

View from the blue observation tower

Our crew suggested that we explore the island pathways keeping an eye out for the meaner residents, or go for a refreshing swim in the bay while they cooked up a meal for us.  They chopped, and peeled, and sliced, and diced, creating a scrumptiously fresh meal of grilled chicken, grilled fish, pineapple and tomato salad, plus guacamole.  The guacamole was so good "Kevin/otherwise known as Joe" and I were reluctant to share with anyone else.  

Noah Garcia - cooking up a great meal

It was a bit early in the adventure for a meal, but when the crew explained the reason it made sense.  Tony likes to ensure that his boat is the first into the dock, and the first out to the reef, allowing his customers an hour of quiet bliss in paradise before the arrival of the other tourists.  Sitting on rustic wooden benches, under a cool palapa we enjoyed our delicious meal, finishing as three more boats arrived at the dock.  The new arrivals spoke a profusion of European and Asian languages, each with their own multilingual guide informing, and educating the groups.  I much preferred our easy, no structure, explore at your own pace experience.

 

Alberto Garcia - captain and chef

After lunch we floated in the refreshing ocean while the guys packed up the remaining food and beverages.  We then headed out to the nearby reef for a bit of snorkeling. Alberto secured the boat to a mooring buoy just a short swim away from the reef.  Puffing and splashing I struggled to catch up to the group, and then realized that I had forgotten my waterproof camera on the boat.  Darn!  Swimming back, I could hear my fellow travels babbling excitedly about the huge black and yellow grouper that Noah had located. 

Noah Garcia - a man of many talents, snorkel guide

"Hurry up.  Get your camera!"  Yeah, yeah. Easy for you to say, I have two speeds when I swim: slow and slower.  I never did see the grouper.  At the speed I was swimming he had plenty of time to relocate to another reef or perhaps even another island.  I did however see beautiful conchs, starfish, angelfish, butterfly fish, a barracuda, and a whole school of yummy looking dudes that were floating under me.  They didn't appear to be worried, perhaps they know they are protected by the National Park.  

Getting our bodies back on the boat

And then it was time to return to the boat.  Thank goodness for the availability of a good study swim ladder to help us reboard.  It's always such an awkward exercise removing swim fins, balancing on the ladder, and trying to sling a leg over the side while the boat bobs and dips in the waves.  Jacques Cousteau, I'm not.

As we puttered along the shore of Isla Contoy, Alberto slowed the boat to show us a magnificent Manta Ray.  

Beautiful Manta Ray 

The muscular wing-span of an adult ray can reach up to seven or seven and a half meters across. (That's about 25 feet for my metric-challenged friends.)  This Manta Ray cruises around in the sandy shallows of Isla Contoy slurping up his food of choice, tiny inch long krill, through a wide forward facing mouth. Impressive and beautiful, they are endangered in many countries due to commercial fishing of krill, pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and recently the demand for their gill rakers for some types of natural medicines.  We didn't disturb him, but we did try to capture the beauty of his enormous wing-span with our cameras.  

Snorkeling on a nearby section of the Belize Barrier Reef

Our second stop for snorkeling was located on a small part of the nearby Belize Barrier Reef.  It is the second largest barrier reef in the world.  It runs along the Mexican coastline from the state of Yucatan 220 kilometers south to the Gulf of Honduras.   The jagged coral beds slow down the rougher ocean waves, but the swimming is considerably more challenging in the resulting currents.  I stayed on the boat, enjoying the sun, and let my hardier companions experience the surf.  Here the major excitement was the discovery of a nurse shark lounging in the lee of the coral reef, resting.  Perfect.  She can rest there, and I'll rest here on the boat.

Getting wet - Lynda and Kevin/otherwise known as Joe 

Then we were homeward bound, bouncing through bumpy seas.  The waves slapped the bow and splashed over the port (left side) of the panga.  One of our boatmates, Doug, wore his snorkel and mask as the warm water splashed over him.  It was a very wet and laughter-filled ride home.  

Sun-baked, and tired we disembarked on the beach waving goodbye to our new acquaintances - Kevin/otherwise known as Joe, Amber, Doug, Susan, and Shelagh. (Not sure of the spelling on that one ....)  

I needed a shower, and a cold drink, and a nap!   
Great adventure; thank you Tony, Alberto and Noah Garcia.

Cheers  Lynda & Lawrie 

Boatmates!

Note: currently the price per person is $65.00 USD or $800.00 MX pesos.  The cost includes equipment, cold beverages and a delicious lunch.  Bring a towel, sunscreen lotion, sunglasses, and camera.  Wearing your swimsuit is the easiest solution as you will be wet several times during the excursion.  A long sleeved shirt to protect your arms from sunburn is also a good idea.   

Grilled chicken and grilled fish.  Yum!