How's the kayaking in and around Ambergris Caye and the rafting in and around Ambergris Caye?
Christian Burn
Kayaking in Ambergris Caye is absolutely amazing. It is endless. You will be on see-through, turquois water. The water is very clear because when you are inside the reef, there are no waves so you will see stingrays, dolphins, pelicans, and everything around you. There is nothing better for me than going kayaking with my dog, Shaggy (pictured)! You can also kayaking outside the reef. The advantage of being on Ambergris Caye is that the reef is fairly close. The...
Kayaking in Ambergris Caye is absolutely amazing. It is endless. You will be on see-through, turquois water. The water is very clear because when you are inside the reef, there are no waves so you will see stingrays, dolphins, pelicans, and everything around you. There is nothing better for me than going kayaking with my dog, Shaggy (pictured)! You can also kayaking outside the reef. The advantage of being on Ambergris Caye is that the reef is fairly close. The reef is only about half a kilometer so it is easy to go kayaking outside of the reef if you want to. There is an opening to the reef right in front of Gran Baymen and Exotic Caye and once you are on the reef, you will get the bigger swells and the big blue ocean. The reef here is a spur and groove formation. There are fingers of coral that reach out into the sea so you still have about 40 feet under you and then, it drops down anywhere from 500 to 1,000 feet, which is the shelf. So it’s spectacular.
If you are adventurous person, like myself, I will go out on the reef on a day when the waves are not too big and enjoy big rollers and it is a lot of fun. If you can surf the waves, that will be even more fun. We have stand up paddleboards to enjoy. If you are a little bit more into the cruising, then you can stay inside the reef and it is fantastic. You will be paddling around docks and you will see other water enthusiasts like wind surfers or kite boarders, other kayakers or swimmers out in the water with you. It is a lot of fun.
And about the safety, the waters of Ambergris Caye is absolutely safe. It is safer to be in the water than in the bars!
There are also rivers and mangrove areas, but they are behind the island. You can also go in there if you want to. Rafting is also available here out in the San Ignacio area. We used to run a lot of white-water trips on the Belmopan River. The mouth of the Belmopan River is in Guatemala and it travels from Guatemala, through Belize, and out to the ocean. That is where they run an exciting race every year called La Ruta Maya. This event has brought a lot of Belizean people into the sport of river paddling. I am very fond of it. I competed in that race about 10 years ago. I was actually one of the only women teams in the race, and my girlfriend and myself won it.
Posted December 19, 2014
Allan Lima
We have two single kayaks for rent at the Blue Tang Inn in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. People come here and rent these kayaks and they usually just kayak along the coastline or they kayak out to the point before you get out to the reef and then they come back. People do not kayak on the other side of the reef because once you go past the reef, the water is extremely deep and the waves are huge. You are in the open ocean once you cross the reef. A little kayak will turn over as soon as...We have two single kayaks for rent at the Blue Tang Inn in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. People come here and rent these kayaks and they usually just kayak along the coastline or they kayak out to the point before you get out to the reef and then they come back. People do not kayak on the other side of the reef because once you go past the reef, the water is extremely deep and the waves are huge. You are in the open ocean once you cross the reef. A little kayak will turn over as soon as it crosses over to the other side of the reef. Most water activities are done within the reef. Nobody crosses to the other side, unless they are going deep-sea fishing, and for that, they will need a big boat. Scuba divers also go outside of the reef because that is where some of the best dive sites are. But other water activities, such as snorkeling, parasailing, kite sailing, and kayaking are all done within the reef area.
Posted February 19, 2015
Rachel Jensen - Grand Baymen
Just recently, they had en eco-challenge kayak race here on Ambergris Caye. They two person teams kayak around the island, for a total of 42 miles. I wanted to sign up for it but I haven’t kayaked in a really long time so I’m actually quite nervous, the race is over night and I didn’t have a partner. The over night part of the race is a camping experience. There were a pair of 10 year olds who did that, which I find really impressive and...
Just recently, they had en eco-challenge kayak race here on Ambergris Caye. They two person teams kayak around the island, for a total of 42 miles. I wanted to sign up for it but I haven’t kayaked in a really long time so I’m actually quite nervous, the race is over night and I didn’t have a partner. The over night part of the race is a camping experience. There were a pair of 10 year olds who did that, which I find really impressive and neat. Kayaking is a very popular activity in Ambergris Caye and I’m really hoping to get in a kayak soon.
Before coming here, I used to swim laps in a pool, but here on Ambergris Caye, I find it really easy to swim in the sea since it is pretty flat. There are resorts that have docks where you could get into the water. You can swim from dock to dock. There is some current but it’s not terrible. There are waves but it’s very easy to get acclimated to them. You have to acclimate your breathing to the waves and it’s a nice little challenge with very little current.
I am not too sure if there is rafting in and around Ambergris Caye, but there are tours where you can go tubing at the Mayan caves on the mainland of Belize. It’s about 2 hours away from Ambergris Caye.
(Pictured: sea kayaker at Ambergris Caye, Belize.)
Posted June 18, 2015