A week on Belize’s remote atolls brought vibrant reefs, effortless drift dives, and moments of connection — including an eagle ray that chose to guide us through the blue as if welcoming us back.

(Be sure to scroll below to view our photos and videos after our story for this trip.)

A bright aerial view of Turneffe Atoll in Belize, showcasing turquoise shallows and reef structure on the first day of diving. — *Drone view of Turneff Atoll on the first day of diving*

Almost a decade ago, my wife and I fell in love with Belize. In fact, we bought property there in hopes of building a modest home near the ocean where we would spend the rest of our active lives diving her pristine reefs and atolls. As the saying goes though, best laid plans of mice and men; new nests in Houston and Playa del Carmen, and a worldwide pandemic later resulted in several years since we last found ourselves in Belize. January’s trip brought both intrigue and a surprising amount of anxiety; intrigue since we were joining a fish conservation group to learn and help with their activities, and anxiety in the way it feels to reconnect with a high school sweetheart after many years — familiar yet uncertain.

And just like hugging your old lover and feeling like not a single minute has passed since you last saw each other, the anxiety instantly disappeared when we walked in and out of the terminal at the international airport in Belize City. The terminal and the town’s surroundings looked exactly the same as they did when we last visited. Heck, we even ran into the same person that rented us our car years ago. Belize felt exactly as we remembered it — comfortable, warm, and unchanged in all the right ways.

No rental car needed this time though; our trip was exclusively spent on a liveaboard. Admittedly, I’m not keen on them since spending all your time aboard a boat deprives you of experiencing the culture on land. I only partake when they’re the only or best option for visiting certain dive locations. But given that we had previously spent notable time exploring Belize’s mainland, I relented. The thought of spending a full week with five daily dives to explore Lighthouse Reef and Turneffe Atolls was too good to pass up. Permission to come aboard, Captain.

From the onset, the magic of the Belize reef system — on the second-largest barrier reef in the world — showed its literal colors. Yes, there was visible damage caused by global warming, but the reefs remained in notably good health, likely due to constant monitoring from the park rangers. Most of Belize’s reefs are highly protected, with some elevated to the highest levels of national stature. Every single dive brought large schools of fish and plenty of shark and ray sightings. The photo and video opportunities were nonstop.

The highlight of the trip was when an eagle ray took over as our dive guide for 12 minutes. We crossed paths with the ray 15 minutes into our dive as it came directly toward us while making eye contact. At the risk of reading too much into the situation, the eagle ray purposely glided in my direction to perform a 180-degree turn within arm’s distance. I slowed my drift to see if it was merely running away but quickly realized it had no intention of leaving. Therefore, I calmly followed, anticipating that it would eventually accelerate away into the deep blue.

It never did.

Instead, it glided directly in front of us for 8–9 minutes at 70 feet along the wall. Almost as if it knew our dive profiles, the eagle ray suddenly turned 90 degrees up the wall at what was likely going to be our turnaround point anyway. Leading us up to a depth of 30 feet, it turned another 90 degrees at the top of the wall toward the boat. At that point the ray led us for another two minutes before deciding it had completed its role as the substitute dive guide and veered off into the abyss. It’s rare to have an animal choose to stay with you — rarer still to have one guide your entire dive.

Awesome experience!

An eagle ray glides along the reef wall at Lighthouse Reef Atoll, one of many spotted during the week’s dives. — *Eagle rays—like this one—were abundant on every reef and wall at both Lighthouse & Turneff Atolls*

It goes to show you that no matter how many dives you’ve logged, you can still be amazed on any given day, which is why I love being underwater. In Belize, that amazement happens whether you are looking for it or not; whether you’re actively searching for the apex predator in town or busy surveying reef fish.

On that note, a little more about the fish conservation group and the citizen scientists performing data-gathering activities on this trip. On one hand, it was a great experience learning about their methods for collecting data and their processes for keeping said data — used worldwide by scientists and conservationists — as pristine as possible. On the other hand, I couldn’t comprehend their dedication and sole focus on surveying reef fish while showing indifference to the eagle rays, turtles, and sharks swimming around them. It left me wondering whether my own passion for sharks and rays somehow made my conservation journey too narrow. It was an early opportunity for self-reflection, and I took it for what it was worth: an eye-opening experience to witness firsthand the breadth and diversity of this thing called marine conservation.

I realized that I’m neither right nor wrong for focusing on what excites me because there are so many areas that need enthusiastic attention. Just as the sight of a shark excites me beyond belief, the next person can yawn at my shark while turning their attention to a frogfish with the same enthusiasm. Perplexing, but understandable and humbling. I cannot thank that group enough for the lessons and unintended education they provided me at this early stage of my transition.

And so our trip came to an end as we arrived at port in the timeless town of Belize City. The diving experiences, while new, were somehow old — comfortable, but not taken for granted. Belize, we love you, and we’ll be back again soon. And unlike that old high school sweetheart, there will be no anxiety next time as we promise we won’t let so much time go by before we see you again. CaaS

Gallery: From quiet night dives to soaring eagle rays, grazing turtles, and the steady presence of reef sharks, these moments capture the color, calm, and rhythm of a week exploring Belize’s remote atolls.