Marty’s photo of the day #4531: The first chapter of my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, takes place in Belize. The year was 2001, and during part of that trip we stayed at the Blackbird Resort on the Blackbird Caye. This photo is from that visit.

Next fall, Deb and I plan an extended trip to Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora, where we will snorkel with sharks and, possibly, humpback whales. But I can’t wait that long!

In my Belize chapter, I humorously write about how I’ve never been a water person, and that snorkeling made me hyperventilate. Well, fast forward to 2024, and after two weeks on Bonaire, I have overcome my difficulties with water and am addicted to snorkeling and underwater photography. Also, if we are going to snorkel with humpback whales, I have to be able to swim 200-some yards in open, choppy, water (because boats aren’t allowed to get close to the whales).

Therefore, I began looking for a quick, easy-to-get-to place to snorkel and practice open-water swimming between now and next fall. Hawaii was an obvious answer, but there we’d have to deal with the crowds, rent a car, etc. Suddenly a return to Belize made perfect sense.

The Blackbird Resort has grown and modernized since Deb and I were there in 2001. It will no longer be “Gilligan’s Island.” So we’ll be prepared for a shock. Nevertheless, it’s still on a private island—with just 17 oceanfront cabanas—and once we’re in the water everything on land will disappear. Finally, I’ll get to experience the underwater world I missed the last time we visited Belize.