Caribbean Islands Sailing Belize

Let me tell you about the Caribbean Islands we experienced on our Belize Vacation. These Caribbean Islands are the in the south if you're Sailing Belize. We got to these island using bareboat charters with Caribbean-Sea-Adventures. The first thing you will notice is that they are called Cays in Belize

Many of the anchorages listed here have WAYPOINTS entered into the Chart plotter on board Always & All Ways for you convenience. So you can easily get to them also. So here area some of the best Caribbean Islands you will every experience.

South Water Cay (16:48.929'N, 88:05.035'W) This in the one place out on the reef that you can fill up your water tanks. Mac at IZE can fix you right up. While there, be sure to inquire about dinner. They serve a family style dinner at very reasonable prices. If you are spending the night (necessary if you are having dinner as travel after dark is verboten!), be sure to set your anchors in the patches of sand you can find amongst the turtle grass. We rode out a fairly strong NW blow quite comfortably after digging in both our Delta and Fortress in a patch of sand. A more protected anchorage is available near by at Twin Cay if you are not staying for dinner. While ashore, be sure to check out all the displays and activities at IZE as well as chatting with the folks at the bar. It is quite an interesting operation, bringing folks from all over for a variety of environmental oriented studies. For snorkeling, take your dinghy to the edge of the cut between S. Water and Carrie Bow Cay. Very healthy coral and lots of fish. We speared several for dinner.

Carrie Bow Cay You can take your dinghy across the cut to snorkel here, but we motored over and anchored just West of the cay in eight feet. The snorkeling along the North was great. Once again, the edge of the reef at the cut was the most vibrant, but the flats inside the reef had lots of soft coral and fish. We also found a good supply of conch. If you make it to S. Water Cay, don't fail to make the short trip over to Carrie Bow - you will not be disappointed!

Spruce Cay (16 43.393N, 88 09.507W) What a find! Getting here is not easy. (In fact, this area is off limits to charters without a captain.) From Carrie Bow Cay, you need to wind your way around numerous patches of coral that rise from 60' to 4' or less! In good weather the color changes make this easy, but don't attempt it if it is overcast! Once you get to Spruce Cay, you wind your way around a full circle of coral into a beautiful lagoon. It is quite deep inside (30' in places), but you can find shallower areas to anchor. You will be well protected and totally surrounded with reef. We found the best snorkeling to the West, but it all was fun. And what a great place to be - in your very own tropical lagoon.

North Long Cocoa Cay This is not an overnight anchorage, but one of the best day stops we had. There is a tiny beach at the north end of the cay, about where the sun reflection is in the picture. It suffered some hurricane damage, but has plenty or room to lay in the sand (you'll undoubtedly be alone) and is fun to explore around the tip of the cay. The best snorkeling is near the southern end of the cay, as indicated on the sketch map in the Cruising Guide. The depths are only 3'-12', but the patch reef is just incredible. It has the most beautiful array of soft coral I have ever seen. Better than anything else we have seen in Belize so far and better than anything in the BVI or Grand Turk. There were also lots of fishes. This is definitely an island not to miss if you enjoy snorkeling!