Today we are moving to the more exciting part of the trip: The Cayes.
I think the “Cayes” would be the equivalent of “Keys” in Florida terms, but just in a more traditional, English spelling. Belize has the largest barrier reef system in the Western hemisphere. And along the barrier reef there are countless sand bar islands. Ambergris Caye is one of the largest, and San Pedro is the metro center of this island.
To reach the islands from Belize city, you can either take a short small airplane ride, or take one of the many speed boat services there. The San Pedro water taxi service is one of the largest with fully covered boat and an option to be in the open upper deck. The upper deck is smaller with limited seating. But is a great way to see the ocean and enjoy some fresh air in the open when weather is nice. But would be a torture if the weather is less than desirable.
During the ride the boat crew will constantly come in the lower deck and ask people to shuffle from one side of the boat to another or front to back depends on the water current, wind direction, etc, in order to achieve the smoothest ride possible. The boat does not require passengers to wear a life vest. And to be honest, the water is shallow enough during the entire ride to San Pedro that even if the boat encounters an accident and sink, almost everyone would be able to stand on the boat’s canopy in knee deep water.