Belize Blog – Belizeadventure.com

Sometimes we have a huge group that wants to rent the island. We’ll do this for 28 guests+ in the ‘high’ season (Dec – April, except on holiday weeks) and for 15+ guests the rest of the year (except hurricane season: Sept/Oct). Renting the island includes all the sports gear and guides. We don’t allow our gear to be used without our staff supervision. If you want to rent the island without any sports gear at all included, you can send us an email to inquire about this possibility [slickrock(at)slickrock(dot)com].

First and foremost, our island is truly a private island. There is no one on the island but us and the dive shop. The entire Slickrock facility would be yours. This is unheard of in the Caribbean. Second, our island is as undeveloped as possible. If you come from a camping background, you would consider it cushy, but if your background and expectations are from a more traditional standpoint, you would call it “rustic”.

We are an eco-resort. We do not have flush toilets but use ecologically friendly composting toilets (we flush nothing into the sea.) Also, there are no toilets attached to the rooms, you must walk to the toilets and showers, which are unheated. You can see our accommodations, our facilities and many other aspects of our operation by visiting our web pages: http://www.slickrock.com/longcayebelize.html, http://www.slickrock.com/accommodationsbelize.html and http://www.slickrock.com/islandfacilities.html

Here are the main parameters of chartering a trip, all covered in more detail in the charter policy, which you can request from us:

1 Minimums are listed in the first paragraph. We can sleep 36 in cabanas, double (and sometimes triple) occupancy.

2 For groups up to 20, the cost is 18% off of our regular rate of $1975/person, which comes to $1620 each. For groups larger than 20, the discount is higher, request charter policy. Children pay the same as adults, unless you don’t need to count them towards your total to reach a certain size for a higher discount. If you wish to pay children’s rates, request our kid’s policy.

3 Free spots: one free spot for groups 15-18 paying guests, 2 free spots for 19+ paying guests.

4 This is for one week on the island, (6 full days, 2 half days, 7 nights) with hotels and restaurant meals before and after.

INCLUDED
All transport and meals in itinerary (see http://www.slickrock.com/glvitin.html)
Hotel and island accommodations listed in itinerary (booked double occupancy if possible)
Cabanas include linens, mattresses, pillow and blankets
All kayaks, fishing kayaks, windsurfers, surf kayaks, surf boards and accessories
Daily guided activities, all day, every day
3-6 staff per trip, depending on group size
Cold beer, soda, juice, and water on the island (alcoholic beverages to take out to the island are available in Belize City before we depart)
Glover’s park entrance fees
Fishing license fees
All taxes, all other fees
Slickrock t-shirt

NOT INCLUDED
Flights to and from Belize
Taxis to and from Belize International Airport to the Biltmore
Any services not listed in itinerary
Fees and equipment for scuba activities
Snorkeling gear (mask, fins, snorkel)
Fishing gear, motor boats and guides for fishing (can quote as extra cost if you are interested)
Any extra expenses due to late arrivals or delays
Belize departure tax: approx. $35
Alcoholic beverages (except beer on the island)–most people bring out a bottle or two of rum, which costs about $10 each
Tips for staff

Twenty years ago when we first explored Belize’s stunning Barrier Reef looking for a new kayaking trip no one there had ever seen a sea kayak. We began as a traditional sea kayak outfitter, running self-contained camping trips on islands near the coast. As this amazing country became increasingly popular with its tropical climate and idyllic reefs, we began looking for a more exclusive experience.

Searching for more than just translucent turquoise water to paddle in, a given in Belize, we sought a more remote and pristine place to call home. We needed the ideal sea kayaking, diving and snorkeling environment and hoped to add other sports like surfing and windsurfing. The first time we saw 13-acre Long Caye with its forest of palms shading white sand beaches we knew we had found exactly what we wanted. What an island! We have a consistent wave break just offshore for surfers, a near-constant 12-15 knot wind for windsurfers, a private coral reef within swimming distance for snorkelers and divers, and a clear neon-blue ocean full of rays and dolphins to paddle with.

We only had to build a few simple palm-thatch cabanas to transform it into a comfortable place for our clients. By keeping our development low-key and our groups small we have attained the ideal balance between comfort and the wildness of this pristine coral eco-system. This allows sea turtles to continue to nest and tropical fish to swim right up to the shore.

We have just posted a new detailed Belize map online. Earlier this winter I was searching for an accurate Belize map online and could not find anything useful, so I created one. Anyone looking for a specific island or town will hopefully find this map valuable. Visit our website: http://www.slickrock.com/detailedbelizemap.html

New Slickrock action videos We just completed a website video project, check out our website to see a series of six videos of our island and adventure sports. We shot the footage during our Dec. 18, 2009 trip with the help of David and Diane Wilcox of Seattle, a team of professional film makers who attended one of our trips with their families. They employed the latest HD cameras, including a very small ‘cam’ style waterproof cameras which we were able to attach to our kayaks, windsurfers, helmets, and boards to get some real POV footage of some of our staff and friends in action. These videos really bring to life the fun and excitement of surfing, sailing, paddling, and diving at our island in Belize.

Belize windsurfing video
Belize sea kayak and snorkel video
Belize paddleboarding video
Belize private island video
Belize kiteboard training video

Belizeans have a diet quite unlike ours. We are used to having the world’s cuisine at our fingertips, but Belizeans have about 7-10 dishes that they eat over and over: rice and beans, stew beans and rice (two different dishes, believe it or not), stew chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, vegetable salad (what they call a tossed salad), whole fried fish, scrambled eggs, fry jacks, Jonny Cakes, cassava bread, fried plantain, and coconut rice are their mainstays. They will eat some version of these dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One could describe their diet this way: Comfort Food 24/7.

One time a friend of mine from Dangriga came up to visit me in the big city of Belize. We planned to go out for lunch. I asked him: “Where do you want to go for lunch? My favorite is the Lebanese, want to go there?” He looked at me with scorn and replied in a heated tone: “I am not Lebanese, I am Belizean! I eat rice and beans!” So we went to the regular Belize restaurant that served all the same dishes he ate everyday.

Belizean Stew Chicken is a wonderful way to prepare chicken. Here’s the traditional recipe that we serve on the island:

Serves 6-8

3 whole chicken, cut into pieces
juice from 3 limes
Belizean recado: spice paste sold in balls, aka red achiote paste
1-1/2 T chicken bouillion
½ can salsa casera
½ T Season All
¼ bottle BarBQ sauce
1 T garlic salt
½ T thyme
½ t black pepper
1 onion
1 green pepper
½ head garlic
1 T chopped fresh cilantro

Wash the chicken with lime juice. Skin it and put it in a big bowl. Mix enough recado with a little water just to color and add to bowl. Slice onion, chop pepper, mince cilantro, and garlic and add that and everything else to bowl. Mix well. Let sit for at least an hour. Remove chicken from bowl. Saute’ chicken in frying pan until almost done. Add onions, garlic and pepper from bowl on top of the chicken and let it finish cooking.

Belize Snorkeling Tours: On our Belize private island trips, no other item is as important as snorkel gear; exploring the underwater world is the trip’s highlight. You get what you pay for; cheap gear may mean that you spend your snorkel session with salt water in your eyes and throat, or blisters forming on your feet. We don’t provide snorkel gear because this is personal gear; it must fit your body. It’s a good idea to test your gear in a pool so you know it will work for you before you get to Belize. Everything can be ordered online, but it may be best to buy your mask at a dive shop; they can help you with the fit.

Do not presume you can buy snorkel gear in Belize. It is simply not available (except possibly on Ambergris Caye); all snorkel gear in Belize is imported from the US. You may be able to rent it in the US and bring it down if you don’t want to buy it.

We are always surprised that the general consensus is that you need better fins for diving than snorkeling. When diving you are almost always drifting and you are followed by a motor boat; you barely use your fins at all. When snorkeling you are aggressively swimming and moving your body both with and against the current. After years of working with beginning snorkelers on our island, we have the following recommendations:

Fins:
The most important aspect of any fin is how flexible it is. Trying to snorkel with fin that is unyielding is like strapping a board to your foot and trying to swim. To test a fin you are thinking of buying, grasp the fin down at the end where your foot goes and aggressively wave it up and down. A good fin should flap easily. You can spot a good fin because it will have a visible weak spot built into the structure of the fin. This acts like a hinge that allows the fin to “flip” up and down when you kick your foot. Fins that are just a flat piece of synthetic material without holes or hinges may be too stiff and difficult to propel ones’ body through the water with.

How to turn $20 fins into $80 fins

Last season we figured out how to alter a pair of stiff fins, so that they act more like expensive fins. We don’t recommend buying cheap fins just to change them, but if you already own cheap fins this works. It’s a huge improvement if you alter your fins this way. This takes about 30 min/pair, using only a sharp Exacto knife. It’s best to copy a pair of expensive fins so you know how far up to split the fin and where to put the weak spot that creates the hinge. These pictures represent “before” and “after” the fix. This pair of fins was a particularly awful set, and the inspiration for figuring out how to make them work. It was do that or throw them away, they were that bad.

There are two kinds of fins: (1) fins with a built-in shoe and (2) fins with a strap on the back that fit over your booties. The 2nd system is preferable, although those fins are more expensive. If you have fins with a built-in shoe, you might need regular socks also to discourage blisters. Even with the built-in shoe kind you still need booties to walk out to snorkel spots, but then you leave the booties on shore and continue walking backwards in the fins to get to where you can begin swimming. If you choose the second type, buy your booties first and then make sure the toe cup of the fin fits over your booties.

Snorkel:
Get a snorkel advertised as a “dry” snorkel. This will have a device on the top of the tube that keeps waves from entering the tube and then funneling salt water into your mouth. The Impulse snorkels are fantastic, although expensive ($50). They are only sold at authorized dealers, not online. To find dealers: aqualung.com. Your dive shop may have a different recommendation. The mouthpiece is another important part of the snorkel. Get a very flexible mouthpiece or else you will create intense jaw-pain from clutching a stiff piece of rubber with your teeth.

Mask:
There are many good masks available, just be sure to get a good fit. This is the best reason to buy snorkel gear in person at a dive shop; they know how to spot a good fit. Persons who need corrective lenses can easily purchase corrected masks. They are not your exact prescription, but there are various standardized prescription lenses that will be a big improvement over clear glass for those who need correction. A neoprene snorkel strap (one brand is called “slap strap”) is a wonderful thing for people with long hair. The strap included with your mask will get caught easily; the slap strap is soft and supple and doesn’t get as easily tangled. Slap straps usually also float, which is handy if your mask is stored on the deck of your kayak and you tip over inadvertently, causing all of your gear to come off of the kayak.

In summary, what you are seeking in snorkel equipment is gear that is so comfortable, and fits so well, that you cease to notice it. A snorkel session spent fiddling with leaky or chaffing gear is no fun. Take the time to search out the gear that is just right for your body, so that when you are swimming through the sea you don’t think of anything but the turtles, colorful fish, and coral you are seeing right before you!