We hopped a boat to explore the Belize Barrier Reef – the second largest reef system in the world – and to get this close-up of a magnificent frigatebird.
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Frigatebirds are the pirates of the sky. Unable to get their feathers wet, they can’t fish themselves, so they let other birds catch a meal and then harry them until they drop it.
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Double-crested cormorant
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A baby frigatebird, probably just days old.
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Imogen ready for snorkelling! She took to it like a fish, and is already asking us when we can do another trip where she can snorkel again.
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Geared up and ready to swim! Leighton didn’t love snorkelling this time and didn’t last long – although it may partly be because she had a very loose tooth which would fall out on this very boat trip.
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Into the water to snorkel along the Belize Barrier Reef – and with this manatee!
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Snorkelling with my girls (not pictured is Sloane, who decided to watch and take photos from the boat)
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Common remora or suckerfish taking advantage of the shelter provided by the manatee’s tail
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A southern stingray takes off, shaking the sand off him as he climbs off the ocean floor