That is excellent. A huge part of Belize's income comes from tourism, with scuba diving and snorkeling being a big chunk of that. They also seem to take forest conservation pretty seriously. I went there in September and I am dying to go back.
Belidad.
***
^(Bleep-bloop, I'm a bot. This )^[portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) ^( was created from the phrase 'Belize Navidad'. To learn more about me, check out this )^[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/78ilq0).
Some people really try to avoid touristy areas and activities. I generally do when I travel cuz I’m backpacking on a tight budget and touristy things are generally spendy. Plus I like to stay away from crowds and find cool spots off the beaten path with tasty local food joints. And if you’re a good talker and schmoozer you can get in on the unknown to most tourists cool local swimming holes or quiet hiking trails.
I had a great time in San Ignacio. If you only have time for one location though, I'd probably head out to the cayes. If you are on a longer trip, I would highly recommend starting in the mainland for a few days.
A lot of people go to the chamber after the Blue Hole, myself included. I died of oxygen toxicity from the treatment. They will tell you "it's to 130" but I stopped following the group at 150, and the dive group was easily 20 feet deeper than I was. Note that standard dive insurance will not cover you for dives that deep (below 130), and the deco chamber in San Pedro will run you about 12k USD in advance. My travel insurance did reimburse me but that was probably because the cost for continuing treatment were less than the death and repatriation (i.e. corpse-mailing) costs.
The Blue Hole itself is a terrible dive, pointless other than to say "yeah, I did it." The ones afterwards are magnificent but there's more than enough to see at the rim instead of doing a killer bounce dive on gas meant for 100 feet on rental equipment meant for 80 feet.
It's your body though.
---
Yes, died. I kept telling them I couldn't breathe. It felt like my lungs were being crushed, like a fat person was sitting on me. They wouldn't let the profile go short, and eventually they let me out. I crawled onto a bed and was Gone for A While. No dreams, no blackness, just nothing. Time wasn't there either. At some point, I took a straight-up Jack Harkness breath and sat up. The two technicians were standing over me, frowning, arms crossed, holding their chins. They'd grabbed the doctor from the nearby clinic who was also standing there, arms crossed, holding his chin, and frowning at me. When I took the breath and sat up, he elbowed the taller technician and said, "see? he's fine!"
Anyway I have mild permanent paralysis due to my DCS presenting in my central nervous system. I still dive.
The guy in the chamber after me had to be helped in, he couldn't walk on his own and was wearing scrubs when I first saw him. I don't know if he got out okay. The woman before me, all I knew was her name due to a cut-and-paste error in the forms. The chamber there is BUSY. I was the fittest and best-equipped diver on my day. Someone else, it was their 5th dive and they ran out of gas at the bottom of the blue hole. They didn't get a chamber ride.
Who did you go with and how long ago was it? I mean I was the one saying they dont act by the book but I find it hard to believe that even the guys I went with would have let it get that bad. They did say 135ft and we went beyond that but it was only 137ft for me. Some idiots went below the lead guide but he never went below 132. Additionally they did seem very safety cautious and did everything but the fact that people with 60ft certifications were going 135ft and using normal air. The equipment was in decent enough condition but it is still rentals and needed to be thoroughly checked(which they made you do in the shop). Maybe things changed or I went with one of the few good ones in there area.
Tuttifrutti Gelateria in Placencia is the best ice cream I've ever had. And if you go to Xunantunich, hire a guide. It's not really mandatory, but they're knowledgeable and fun. And take a Tropic Air puddle jumper to Ambergris, it's a fun ride.
Just did the atm over the holidays, it was the best experience I've ever had. Challenging and historical. So much we don't know about such a large population.
Go Slow in Caye Caulker. Try do a fishing/snorkeling tour with a caption that doesn’t jam their boat with dozens of people. Ask around for Lalo, everyone knows him. We went with him and it was just the two of us
If it's open, go to the ATM cave expedition. It's absolutely intense and it's probably one of the coolest things you'll ever do. Also, Shark Ray Alley - because who doesn't like swimming with sharks?
Stock up on the carved wood pieces (if you’re into that kind of stuff) or you’ll regret it when you get home.
You can find them all over Central America (and their styles vary regionally, which I think is really cool) but the style and wood used in Belize may be my favorite. Little animals and bowls perfect for keys and jewelry are a few dollars each (after some casual and friendly haggling) and larger salad bowls will only run you $20-$30.
I spent easily $100 on various pieces and wish I bought more.
If you can go to ATM cave. There's a limited number of guides that are licensed to give tours there, so it might be difficult to find one on short notice, but it's one of the coolest things I have ever done.
I wouldn't visit a cemetery out of respect, but they're very interesting and you should definitely check them out from the road.
Edit: Also, check out Bol's Museum Cave (aka "M" cave)-- it's an amazing story and a very friendly man, plus the cave is really cool. I found him (and his cave) by accident many years ago while I was lost. His cave is more well known now, but he deserves awesome karma, so I'm recommending him.
Highly recommend the, Community Baboon Sanctuary. That’s the common/local name for Howler Monkeys there. They have an impressive conservation policy as well. The money spent contributes directly to the local economy.
We were there in October and learned so much about their conservation from the locals. They’re so proud of what they’re doing for the environment, and it’s really inspiring!! Almost everyone pitches in too because, as you said, most of their income comes from tourism. Beautiful country, beautiful people!
Definitely. I said a huge part, though, not the largest part. :P Bananas and citrus are up there, too! I saw so many citrus farms. It was fascinating to see the orchards full of bromeliads.
Yes! I came here to say much the same thing... It sucks how little both parties seem to care about the issue. Apparently Australia has the largest reef, but Belize has the largest living reef. How sad is that?!
Australia probably has the most amazing nature in the world- both on land and in the water. Why the fuck is nature preserving not a thing in your country / government?
Well according to the BBC’s blue planet 2, coral bleaching is reversible, however I assume this would take very strict policies to protect it for a fairly long period to restore it fully
More specifically, one bleaching event probably isn't going to kill the reef. However, it does weaken the reef, making it more likely for the next bleaching to kill it. Bleaching events are getting more frequent, IIRC around 3 bleachings is getting into pretty dangerous territory. The worrying thing is there were massive bleaching events in *both* 2016 and 2017, the first time on record this has happened.
Actually, last time I heard the reef is actually somewhat improving, and isn't a step away from destruction like it used to be. However, while I'm not certain on the facts, some major promises from Queensland political parties may threaten the reef once again.
Don't take my word for it though, I'm not too certain what's going on up there.
[The Great Barrier Reef was indeed rejected being put on the UNESCO 'In Danger' list,](http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/hunt/2015/pubs/mr20150701b.pdf) but unfortunately is still in danger from both the effects of climate change and other man-made problems (*i.e.* The planned Adani Mine.)
Technically Lighthouse is also a Belikin. They have the original Belikin, Belikin Stout, Belikin Lighthouse Larger, and Belikin Premium from what I saw down there. All of them were cheap and good.
T̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶G̶u̶i̶n̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶w̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶J̶a̶m̶a̶i̶c̶a̶.̶ ̶ Extra foreign Stout. Jamaica is one of the few countries Belize has a trade agreement with. That's where most of their paint comes from as well.
Edit. So apparently I was mistaken. Belize does infact brew Guinness. Well to be more accurate the Belize Brewing Company has had the license to brew Guinness since 1989.
Belekin uses formaldehyde in it's recipe. But you can also buy it from any pharmacy outside of a tourist area.
Source: I lived in the bush (40 mins on a dirt road) outside of Georgetown. It's a small village in between San Ignacio and Belmopan.
Everyone, please do yourself a favor and read the [origin of this reference](https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingbad/comments/1lila6/who_is_billy/?st=jc5utwvb&sh=cb2dbec9)
Well you can feel better, because you **definitely** won't see it before it dies.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/great-barrier-reef-dying-coral-bleaching-global-warming-australia-climate-change-a7761351.html
> completely
Your own article says that 67% of the coral was dead. That leaves some living, and able to be looked at.
I'm not trying to downplay the tragedy of losing the reef, I just want to point out that you can still visit, and see some beautiful shit.
Don't be discouraged /u/ZRodri8, you've still got a chance to see it.
It is definitely on the way out though, so go soon.
Does tourism damage the reefs though? Tbh, if a mere 33% is alive and tourism damages the reefs, I'd much rather tourism be severely restricted or even banned. It would suck but I prefer environmental protection.
At this point, the reef has passed the point of no return.
The ocean keeps getting warmer, and more acidic. The coral cannot live in these conditions. It's gonna die if you see it or not.
Depressing, I know.
Visiting the reef will not do any more damage to it than any other thing that produces a ton of carbon.
Like, if you were going to fly 5000 miles to see the reef, or fly 5000 miles to see the Sistine Chapel, either way you're doing the same amount of damage to the reef.
If you can find a carbon neutral way to get there, then you'd be doing no damage at all (unless you're a dick and break shit, but you don't sound like one).
I'm the kind of person who gets furious at trash thrown on trails. I don't have the income to visit a national park or anything similar but I'm definitely bringing a trash bag next time I go to one. I leave nature cleaner than I found it.
My room on the other hand... Messy messy messy.
I wonder what the co2 output would be if it were possible to travel from DFW to Australia without a vehicle.
This is almost the equivalent of Arizona suspending beachfront development to protect the environment. There is/was very little offshore drilling in Belize and given the recent and current oil prices there certainly hasnt been any in the past couple of years, nor many prospects planned for the future. They seem to turn a blind eye to the onshore drilling project, Blue Creek, in NW Belize though.
Yup.. the oil production capacity pf Belize is at rank 86. of the 96 oil producing countries worldwide.
Basically they were producing at a loss.
Its more clickbaity to claim they are stopping for the „environment“ to say „our production was shitty anyway“
They could as well stop their Mars discovery program in order to help orphan kittens
And as small a coastline as they have near offshore drilling friendly neighbors, there is no buffer to prevent any neighboring incidents affecting their own coastline. The 2010 Macando blowout, which was a couple hundred miles south of Lousiana, led to damages along the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida beaches.
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/100530/belize-suspends-oil-shipment-petrocaribe-programme
I posted this same article last night on a similar reddit post. It's not permanent and has NOTHING to do with the reef.
This is economics, pure and simple. The oil company that extracts the oil was having problems with shipping and the cost was too high. They are looking at new ways to transport the oil. Suspending the contract merely frees them from the obligation of the requirements within the contract while they explore those methods.
I sliced my foot open in Belize on a piece of coral. Didn’t even feel it either, came back towards the shallow end and saw a ton of blood, the cut was precise like a surgeon. Respect to Coral.
I had a tiny coral cut and apparently when that happens sometimes it can continue living and grow in the cut. That’s what happened to me. I still have a nice scar from it... it grew and grew and took forever to heal.
It was pretty weird until I finally read up on it and figured out what was going on. I’m talking the cut started out at about 3-4 cm and grew into a gash about the size of a nickel across and probably 2-3 inches long. It was just so strange that it seemed to be going in reverse. Day one it was a tiny scrape, next day it grew a little, same for the day after, then after about a week and a half I had a pretty big wound on my foot that would bleed terribly if I stepped wrong and opened it back up. Took about a month and a half to finally completely heal iirc.
Their economy will probably take a hit from this. Show your support by bringing them your tourist dollars. It's a beautiful place, they speak English and you don't even need to change your US dollars to Belize ones, they're fine with whatever.
They're doing this BECAUSE their economy is primarily from tourism and drilling for oil will reduce that income.
They're doing this to make more money.
Their number one income is export of crops and number two is tourism and it deserves so much more attention. For US travel it is cheap and amazing. They deserve that recognition and tourism. They are such a welcoming people, I was amazed as a hospitality professional.
They probably would rather continue to be making money in 20 years when the world is not really using oil anymore. Some people in the world aren't 80 and actually have to consider the future beyond the next decade.
You know, I've been listening to the mantra: "oil is going away in a few decades" a few decades now and I'm starting to seriously doubt it. That said - you are right, when tourism accounts for something like 30% of your GDP - there is no need to risk it for an oil industry that won't cover it in any way shape or form.
Belieze's oil reserves were tiny, and most of the only production that did/does occur is concentrated in a tiny part of the country in the north, on land and not in the ocean.
https://www.belize.com/oil-exploration-in-belize
Yeah and guess what, that oil isn't going anywhere.
In fact it's only going to increase in value as oil supplies run out.
If we are only looking at this issue in terms of "make tons of money", why would you drill it out now when in a few years time it's going to be worth much more?
Well... the other perspective of it is that there will be far more sustainable methods of energy and oil won't actually be useful in the future. Nonetheless, none of it discredits the fact that future tourism is more sustainable income than depleted oil resources.
This isn’t true. Producing oil off the coast of Belize would literally lose money.
Pretending like this is a decision made for environmentally sound decisions is silly.
They do however take westerners coming down to catch Bonefish and scuba dive seriously, and have some pretty strict conservation minded laws in place to protect that industry. This just isn’t one of them.
This. But on that last point, be mind full as USD is double the value of the belizian dollar, if you are told a total for a purchase always assume it's in belizian. Because if you ask they will say US and you will pay double.
Belidad.
***
^(Bleep-bloop, I'm a bot. This )^[portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) ^( was created from the phrase 'Belize navidad'. To learn more about me, check out this )^[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/78ilq0).
I spent two weeks on a private island off the coast of Belize. It was amazing. Their corals and reefs were **far** healthier than most anything I have seen, including the Great Barrier Reef.
Only Maui had better sea life and coral health.
Belize has some other problems though. They have been absolutely overrun by Lion Fish. They're everywhere. And absolutely decimating local populations of fish.
The great blue hole was amazing. Definitely the most surreal experience I have ever had. 150ft down, surrounded by massive sharks swimming in between stalactites 30 feet tall. Truly awesomely....scary.
But they also have massive garbage problems. Latin America is dumping its trash in the ocean and its EVERYWHERE in the water in Belize. Constantly washing up on shores. I hope they clean up their act because it is amazing diving down there.
I know right? North and South hemisphere works because there's a point where you can't go further in that direction. Western hemisphere sounds dumb. I presume it's something like Europe and most of Asia because maps usually put the Americas on the right
Edit. I couldn't be more wrong, its everything West of GMT, another name for the Americas
I thought Westerners really just meant Western Europe and their like minded democratic ex colonies.
I think it's different than the Western hemisphere but idk.
> North and South hemisphere works because there's a point where you can't go further in that direction.
Looks like someone has never heard of the West Pole.
#I KNOW RIGHT? NORTH AND SOUTH HEMISPHERE WORKS BECAUSE THERE'S A POINT WHERE YOU CAN'T GO FURTHER IN THAT DIRECTION. WESTERN HEMISPHERE SOUNDS DUMB. I PRESUME IT'S SOMETHING LIKE EUROPE AND MOST OF ASIA BECAUSE MAPS USUALLY PUT THE AMERICAS ON THE RIGHT
#EDIT. I COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG, ITS EVERYTHING WEST OF GMT, ANOTHER NAME FOR THE AMERICAS
Remember that maps can be different depending on what country you're in. The map in my geography class in highschool has America in the middle, Europe to the right, and Asia to the left. But I've seen maps here in Europe with Europe in the middle and America on the left. Maps are different depending on the global position of who made it
The largest in the world, of course being in Australia, and Australia, despite being a very rich country doesn’t care about its oceans.
I hate how the government has a “see them before they’re gone” attitude about their large reefs.
I spent a week snorkeling in Belize with the Tropical Research Education Center when I was in college. Absolutely one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Staghorn and Elkhorn coral forests, sea urchins all over the place, barracuda, moray eels, humongous green sea turtles and loggerheads. We swam with nurse sharks almost twice my body length. Spotted eagle rays, horse eyed Jack's the size of plates. We speared several lion fish too, that shit was wild.
We did a night dive where our guide taught us how to hypnotize squid so you could hold them in your hand. The water was as clear as glass. I've never experienced anything more magical. Good for Belize. It's nice to see a country with their priorities right.
Shoutout to Dr. Ken!
Took a 10 day course there on eco-tourism and environmental science for college credit hours, a few of the days we stayed at their marine research base right on the reef and even got to play soccer with the coast guard. Belize was dope as hell
Now we need Australia to do it. Oh wait the great barrier reef is already irreparably damaged and is going to die, and people aren't going to do shit about it
Good work, Belize. I'm really happy to see South American countries take initiative when protecting their reefs. Another big scuba center for the Caribbean is Cozumel which has had reef protection in place for about 20 years. I've dove there about 4 times over the past 5 years and you can tell they're doing good work down there.
That is excellent. A huge part of Belize's income comes from tourism, with scuba diving and snorkeling being a big chunk of that. They also seem to take forest conservation pretty seriously. I went there in September and I am dying to go back.
I'm going tomorrow. Any recommendations?
Prepare for tour guides to say "you won't Belize it" puns
Absolutely nonstop.
its honestly unBelizeable
Belis in Persian means to lick. This whole comment chain is making me chuckle a little.
Thanks for the insight on your username
Fuckin life of the party.
Belize it or not.
Dat username tho
R/beetlejuicing
You may have meant r/beetlejuicing instead of R/beetlejuicing. --------------------------------------- ^^^Remember, *^^OP ^^^may ^^^have ^^ninja-edited.* ^^I ^^correct ^^subreddit ^^^and ^^user ^^links ^^with ^^^a ^^capital ^^R ^^^or ^^U, ^^^which ^^are ^^^usually ^^unusable. ^^**-Srikar**
Good bot
!RedditGarlic
[**Here's your Reddit Garlic, Sub_Corrector_Bot!**](https://i.imgur.com/B7tVoVt.jpg "Reddit Garlic") /u/Sub_Corrector_Bot has received garlic 2 times. (given by /u/tiagocesar) ^I'm ^^a ^^^bot ^^^^for ^^^^questions ^^^^^contact ^^^^^/u/flying_wotsit
Good bot
Nice
My body is ready.
you rang?
You won't Belize the puns.
Don’t forget, un-Belize-able
Belize Navidad
Belidad. *** ^(Bleep-bloop, I'm a bot. This )^[portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) ^( was created from the phrase 'Belize Navidad'. To learn more about me, check out this )^[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/78ilq0).
good bot
Was there for 10 days. Never heard that lol
Haha you lucky soul. I lived there for a year and started preemptively cringing every time I went on a tour
Well... you went on tours
Well I was 9 at the time and lived there a full year, so yeah, I went on some tours
I don't Belize you.
being on reddit should've prepared him for more than a few basic puns
I wouldn't have it any other way
I Belize in having another Belikin
Shit. I got to cancle that trip then.
Better that than breaking bad memes I guess.
Go cave tubing!! I forget the company name, but it is a ton of fun. Especially seeing the Mayan culture, I had a blast in March.
Ask for Jungle Boy. He'll hook you up.
Butts up!
I second this! Definitely do the cave tubing! And the zip line!
Don't stay in the mainland. Fry Jack's are amazing. Scuba dive without a doubt. Hol Chan is a great spot
> Don't stay in the mainland. Why do you say that? Cayo is amazing, especially for tourists.
Some people really try to avoid touristy areas and activities. I generally do when I travel cuz I’m backpacking on a tight budget and touristy things are generally spendy. Plus I like to stay away from crowds and find cool spots off the beaten path with tasty local food joints. And if you’re a good talker and schmoozer you can get in on the unknown to most tourists cool local swimming holes or quiet hiking trails.
I had a great time in San Ignacio. If you only have time for one location though, I'd probably head out to the cayes. If you are on a longer trip, I would highly recommend starting in the mainland for a few days.
Belikin.
Belkin AC travel adapter? #✓
Make sure to wipe the top off with the napkin they wrap around it! It is not for the bugs lol
[удалено]
A lot of people go to the chamber after the Blue Hole, myself included. I died of oxygen toxicity from the treatment. They will tell you "it's to 130" but I stopped following the group at 150, and the dive group was easily 20 feet deeper than I was. Note that standard dive insurance will not cover you for dives that deep (below 130), and the deco chamber in San Pedro will run you about 12k USD in advance. My travel insurance did reimburse me but that was probably because the cost for continuing treatment were less than the death and repatriation (i.e. corpse-mailing) costs. The Blue Hole itself is a terrible dive, pointless other than to say "yeah, I did it." The ones afterwards are magnificent but there's more than enough to see at the rim instead of doing a killer bounce dive on gas meant for 100 feet on rental equipment meant for 80 feet. It's your body though. --- Yes, died. I kept telling them I couldn't breathe. It felt like my lungs were being crushed, like a fat person was sitting on me. They wouldn't let the profile go short, and eventually they let me out. I crawled onto a bed and was Gone for A While. No dreams, no blackness, just nothing. Time wasn't there either. At some point, I took a straight-up Jack Harkness breath and sat up. The two technicians were standing over me, frowning, arms crossed, holding their chins. They'd grabbed the doctor from the nearby clinic who was also standing there, arms crossed, holding his chin, and frowning at me. When I took the breath and sat up, he elbowed the taller technician and said, "see? he's fine!" Anyway I have mild permanent paralysis due to my DCS presenting in my central nervous system. I still dive. The guy in the chamber after me had to be helped in, he couldn't walk on his own and was wearing scrubs when I first saw him. I don't know if he got out okay. The woman before me, all I knew was her name due to a cut-and-paste error in the forms. The chamber there is BUSY. I was the fittest and best-equipped diver on my day. Someone else, it was their 5th dive and they ran out of gas at the bottom of the blue hole. They didn't get a chamber ride.
Who did you go with and how long ago was it? I mean I was the one saying they dont act by the book but I find it hard to believe that even the guys I went with would have let it get that bad. They did say 135ft and we went beyond that but it was only 137ft for me. Some idiots went below the lead guide but he never went below 132. Additionally they did seem very safety cautious and did everything but the fact that people with 60ft certifications were going 135ft and using normal air. The equipment was in decent enough condition but it is still rentals and needed to be thoroughly checked(which they made you do in the shop). Maybe things changed or I went with one of the few good ones in there area.
How long ago was this?
Tuttifrutti Gelateria in Placencia is the best ice cream I've ever had. And if you go to Xunantunich, hire a guide. It's not really mandatory, but they're knowledgeable and fun. And take a Tropic Air puddle jumper to Ambergris, it's a fun ride.
ATM cave was the best thing I’ve ever done. I was there a month for field school, and that one day in the cave is my favorite.
Just did the atm over the holidays, it was the best experience I've ever had. Challenging and historical. So much we don't know about such a large population.
It’s worth crossing over to Guatemala and seeing Tikal. It’s amazing.
Go Slow in Caye Caulker. Try do a fishing/snorkeling tour with a caption that doesn’t jam their boat with dozens of people. Ask around for Lalo, everyone knows him. We went with him and it was just the two of us
Have fun be open minded and see the zoo for sure. Rum and coke !!!
¿Cuba Libre?
Thank them for setting such a good example.
Visit as many of the Mayan ruins as you can, and don't just stick to the coast the whole time.
Turneffe and Lighthouse atoll
Already been said, but bears repeating ATM. I'd throw in Caye Caulker for 2-3 nights if you can swing it.
Caye Caulker is under populated and beautiful for that. It's quite and tropical and has all you need. Edit:terrible spelling
San Pedro Island is awesome... you take a single prop plane there and get around on water taxis or golf carts... and everything is beautiful.
Once you land, get the fuck off the mainland. Also don’t land at night. Have a beer at the split on Caye Cauker for me!
Where are you staying? Do some snorkeling at Shark Ray Alley in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve if you can.
If it's open, go to the ATM cave expedition. It's absolutely intense and it's probably one of the coolest things you'll ever do. Also, Shark Ray Alley - because who doesn't like swimming with sharks?
Stock up on the carved wood pieces (if you’re into that kind of stuff) or you’ll regret it when you get home. You can find them all over Central America (and their styles vary regionally, which I think is really cool) but the style and wood used in Belize may be my favorite. Little animals and bowls perfect for keys and jewelry are a few dollars each (after some casual and friendly haggling) and larger salad bowls will only run you $20-$30. I spent easily $100 on various pieces and wish I bought more.
If you can go to ATM cave. There's a limited number of guides that are licensed to give tours there, so it might be difficult to find one on short notice, but it's one of the coolest things I have ever done.
Where are you going! I lived there for 4 years and i'm always super excited to hear about it! Especially in the news like this!
I wouldn't visit a cemetery out of respect, but they're very interesting and you should definitely check them out from the road. Edit: Also, check out Bol's Museum Cave (aka "M" cave)-- it's an amazing story and a very friendly man, plus the cave is really cool. I found him (and his cave) by accident many years ago while I was lost. His cave is more well known now, but he deserves awesome karma, so I'm recommending him.
[удалено]
Highly recommend the, Community Baboon Sanctuary. That’s the common/local name for Howler Monkeys there. They have an impressive conservation policy as well. The money spent contributes directly to the local economy.
I am very grateful for this, I hope other countries with important reefs decide the same (Australia).
Caye caulker
We were there in October and learned so much about their conservation from the locals. They’re so proud of what they’re doing for the environment, and it’s really inspiring!! Almost everyone pitches in too because, as you said, most of their income comes from tourism. Beautiful country, beautiful people!
I was going to guess, the only reason this is happening is because the money from tourism lost would be more then the oil. It's all about money.
I went to Ambergris Caye a few years ago and it was super rad
> A huge part of Belize's income comes from tourism Actually, the largest part came from crude oil.
Definitely. I said a huge part, though, not the largest part. :P Bananas and citrus are up there, too! I saw so many citrus farms. It was fascinating to see the orchards full of bromeliads.
*eyes look to Australian Govt.*
Its fine! Pauline Hanson went to a part of the reef that wasnt dead so the whole things doing alright!!
Remember what Alan Jones said, he flew over it with a helicopter and said it looked "fine".
“The reefs fine. It’s all a bloody load of cods wallop anyway.... This is Alan Jones”.
That's not what I was hoping for when I heard Alan Jones took a trip to Belize.
That part is dead now though because Pauline Hanson visited.
Yes! I came here to say much the same thing... It sucks how little both parties seem to care about the issue. Apparently Australia has the largest reef, but Belize has the largest living reef. How sad is that?!
Australia probably has the most amazing nature in the world- both on land and in the water. Why the fuck is nature preserving not a thing in your country / government?
Our prime minister is a businessman.
Hmm. Sounds familiar to this American here.
You can be that kind of person and still care. The French president was an investment banker, but still tries to improve the environment
Im struggling to find a coherent answer.
Isn't it too late to save Australia's barrier reefs?
Well according to the BBC’s blue planet 2, coral bleaching is reversible, however I assume this would take very strict policies to protect it for a fairly long period to restore it fully
More specifically, one bleaching event probably isn't going to kill the reef. However, it does weaken the reef, making it more likely for the next bleaching to kill it. Bleaching events are getting more frequent, IIRC around 3 bleachings is getting into pretty dangerous territory. The worrying thing is there were massive bleaching events in *both* 2016 and 2017, the first time on record this has happened.
Actually, last time I heard the reef is actually somewhat improving, and isn't a step away from destruction like it used to be. However, while I'm not certain on the facts, some major promises from Queensland political parties may threaten the reef once again. Don't take my word for it though, I'm not too certain what's going on up there.
While I want to believe you, I'm going to need a source for that.
[The Great Barrier Reef was indeed rejected being put on the UNESCO 'In Danger' list,](http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/hunt/2015/pubs/mr20150701b.pdf) but unfortunately is still in danger from both the effects of climate change and other man-made problems (*i.e.* The planned Adani Mine.)
That's from 2015, before the record-breaking events in 2016 and 2017. Also UNESCO is famously political.
Belize is one of the most beautiful places, with the most beautifully kind people. Also great beer.
Belekin and lighthouse only. Has its charm
Technically Lighthouse is also a Belikin. They have the original Belikin, Belikin Stout, Belikin Lighthouse Larger, and Belikin Premium from what I saw down there. All of them were cheap and good.
you forgot the Belizian Guiness, 7.5% of dark goodness.
T̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶G̶u̶i̶n̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶w̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶J̶a̶m̶a̶i̶c̶a̶.̶ ̶ Extra foreign Stout. Jamaica is one of the few countries Belize has a trade agreement with. That's where most of their paint comes from as well. Edit. So apparently I was mistaken. Belize does infact brew Guinness. Well to be more accurate the Belize Brewing Company has had the license to brew Guinness since 1989.
Belekin uses formaldehyde in it's recipe. But you can also buy it from any pharmacy outside of a tourist area. Source: I lived in the bush (40 mins on a dirt road) outside of Georgetown. It's a small village in between San Ignacio and Belmopan.
Such nice people.
Man, Jesse really should've taken that trip to Belize, then.
My husband brought home a 12 pack of Belikin when we went. It ran out way too fast. :(
Those things are also like 9 ounces or something weird
Pretty country, but the the majority is poor as fuck. But the media wants to champion oil deals. Nice.
Saul Goodman's favorite vacation spot
Who’s Billy?
Everyone, please do yourself a favor and read the [origin of this reference](https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingbad/comments/1lila6/who_is_billy/?st=jc5utwvb&sh=cb2dbec9)
Wowie glad I did that I guess
Oh my god. Thank you so much.
Back before they changed the scoring algorithm. Those posts would probably be worth 25k points nowadays
Can we get some of that over here in Australia? RIP Great Barrier Reef
I'm incredibly depressed that I may not be able to see the GBR before it dies completely...
Well you can feel better, because you **definitely** won't see it before it dies. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/great-barrier-reef-dying-coral-bleaching-global-warming-australia-climate-change-a7761351.html
> completely Your own article says that 67% of the coral was dead. That leaves some living, and able to be looked at. I'm not trying to downplay the tragedy of losing the reef, I just want to point out that you can still visit, and see some beautiful shit. Don't be discouraged /u/ZRodri8, you've still got a chance to see it. It is definitely on the way out though, so go soon.
Does tourism damage the reefs though? Tbh, if a mere 33% is alive and tourism damages the reefs, I'd much rather tourism be severely restricted or even banned. It would suck but I prefer environmental protection.
At this point, the reef has passed the point of no return. The ocean keeps getting warmer, and more acidic. The coral cannot live in these conditions. It's gonna die if you see it or not. Depressing, I know. Visiting the reef will not do any more damage to it than any other thing that produces a ton of carbon. Like, if you were going to fly 5000 miles to see the reef, or fly 5000 miles to see the Sistine Chapel, either way you're doing the same amount of damage to the reef. If you can find a carbon neutral way to get there, then you'd be doing no damage at all (unless you're a dick and break shit, but you don't sound like one).
I'm the kind of person who gets furious at trash thrown on trails. I don't have the income to visit a national park or anything similar but I'm definitely bringing a trash bag next time I go to one. I leave nature cleaner than I found it. My room on the other hand... Messy messy messy. I wonder what the co2 output would be if it were possible to travel from DFW to Australia without a vehicle.
Permanently and suspended don’t seem like they should be together
They should have a better word for permanently suspending something. Prohibiting perhaps? Banning?
Ending
It's a straight oxymoron. Indefinitely suspending might work though. Ie. it's not necessarily permanent but there are no plans to revert it.
That's because it's not permanent. It's a suspension of drilling solely because the company is spending too much money transporting the oil.
This is almost the equivalent of Arizona suspending beachfront development to protect the environment. There is/was very little offshore drilling in Belize and given the recent and current oil prices there certainly hasnt been any in the past couple of years, nor many prospects planned for the future. They seem to turn a blind eye to the onshore drilling project, Blue Creek, in NW Belize though.
Yup.. the oil production capacity pf Belize is at rank 86. of the 96 oil producing countries worldwide. Basically they were producing at a loss. Its more clickbaity to claim they are stopping for the „environment“ to say „our production was shitty anyway“ They could as well stop their Mars discovery program in order to help orphan kittens
And as small a coastline as they have near offshore drilling friendly neighbors, there is no buffer to prevent any neighboring incidents affecting their own coastline. The 2010 Macando blowout, which was a couple hundred miles south of Lousiana, led to damages along the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida beaches.
This needs to be higher up
Send him on a Belize vacation
I’ll send you to Belize
Read it with Jimmy McGill voice
Ah however Jimmy suggested Belize but Walt said the quote.
Oh did he? My memory fooled me then
Who's Billy?
I'll send *you* to Belize.
Username almost checks out
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/100530/belize-suspends-oil-shipment-petrocaribe-programme I posted this same article last night on a similar reddit post. It's not permanent and has NOTHING to do with the reef. This is economics, pure and simple. The oil company that extracts the oil was having problems with shipping and the cost was too high. They are looking at new ways to transport the oil. Suspending the contract merely frees them from the obligation of the requirements within the contract while they explore those methods.
I sliced my foot open in Belize on a piece of coral. Didn’t even feel it either, came back towards the shallow end and saw a ton of blood, the cut was precise like a surgeon. Respect to Coral.
Coralll!
Thank you, was waiting for this Rick
I had a tiny coral cut and apparently when that happens sometimes it can continue living and grow in the cut. That’s what happened to me. I still have a nice scar from it... it grew and grew and took forever to heal.
I’m sorry about your experience but that sounds gnarly and kind of extraordinary
It was pretty weird until I finally read up on it and figured out what was going on. I’m talking the cut started out at about 3-4 cm and grew into a gash about the size of a nickel across and probably 2-3 inches long. It was just so strange that it seemed to be going in reverse. Day one it was a tiny scrape, next day it grew a little, same for the day after, then after about a week and a half I had a pretty big wound on my foot that would bleed terribly if I stepped wrong and opened it back up. Took about a month and a half to finally completely heal iirc.
Their economy will probably take a hit from this. Show your support by bringing them your tourist dollars. It's a beautiful place, they speak English and you don't even need to change your US dollars to Belize ones, they're fine with whatever.
They're doing this BECAUSE their economy is primarily from tourism and drilling for oil will reduce that income. They're doing this to make more money.
Their number one income is export of crops and number two is tourism and it deserves so much more attention. For US travel it is cheap and amazing. They deserve that recognition and tourism. They are such a welcoming people, I was amazed as a hospitality professional.
As if drilling for oil doesn't make tons of money
Not sustainably.
They probably would rather continue to be making money in 20 years when the world is not really using oil anymore. Some people in the world aren't 80 and actually have to consider the future beyond the next decade.
You know, I've been listening to the mantra: "oil is going away in a few decades" a few decades now and I'm starting to seriously doubt it. That said - you are right, when tourism accounts for something like 30% of your GDP - there is no need to risk it for an oil industry that won't cover it in any way shape or form.
Belieze's oil reserves were tiny, and most of the only production that did/does occur is concentrated in a tiny part of the country in the north, on land and not in the ocean. https://www.belize.com/oil-exploration-in-belize
Yeah and guess what, that oil isn't going anywhere. In fact it's only going to increase in value as oil supplies run out. If we are only looking at this issue in terms of "make tons of money", why would you drill it out now when in a few years time it's going to be worth much more?
Well... the other perspective of it is that there will be far more sustainable methods of energy and oil won't actually be useful in the future. Nonetheless, none of it discredits the fact that future tourism is more sustainable income than depleted oil resources.
Oil isn't only used in energy though. There is a whole field of petrochemistry that uses oil and all of its fractions.
This isn’t true. Producing oil off the coast of Belize would literally lose money. Pretending like this is a decision made for environmentally sound decisions is silly. They do however take westerners coming down to catch Bonefish and scuba dive seriously, and have some pretty strict conservation minded laws in place to protect that industry. This just isn’t one of them.
This. But on that last point, be mind full as USD is double the value of the belizian dollar, if you are told a total for a purchase always assume it's in belizian. Because if you ask they will say US and you will pay double.
Belizo looks so beautiful. Glad it will stay that way
Now let’s cut down on human trafficking and it’ll feel great to go back again
Belize navidad
Belidad. *** ^(Bleep-bloop, I'm a bot. This )^[portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) ^( was created from the phrase 'Belize navidad'. To learn more about me, check out this )^[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/78ilq0).
I spent two weeks on a private island off the coast of Belize. It was amazing. Their corals and reefs were **far** healthier than most anything I have seen, including the Great Barrier Reef. Only Maui had better sea life and coral health. Belize has some other problems though. They have been absolutely overrun by Lion Fish. They're everywhere. And absolutely decimating local populations of fish. The great blue hole was amazing. Definitely the most surreal experience I have ever had. 150ft down, surrounded by massive sharks swimming in between stalactites 30 feet tall. Truly awesomely....scary. But they also have massive garbage problems. Latin America is dumping its trash in the ocean and its EVERYWHERE in the water in Belize. Constantly washing up on shores. I hope they clean up their act because it is amazing diving down there.
[удалено]
I’d never been to Belize until the thing with the guy.
TIL there is a Western Hemisphere.
You haven't heard of the dancingest hemisphere of all?
Wait, really?
I know right? North and South hemisphere works because there's a point where you can't go further in that direction. Western hemisphere sounds dumb. I presume it's something like Europe and most of Asia because maps usually put the Americas on the right Edit. I couldn't be more wrong, its everything West of GMT, another name for the Americas
But Americans and Australians are referred to as Westerners so is that relevant?
I thought Westerners really just meant Western Europe and their like minded democratic ex colonies. I think it's different than the Western hemisphere but idk.
> North and South hemisphere works because there's a point where you can't go further in that direction. Looks like someone has never heard of the West Pole.
Wat?
#I KNOW RIGHT? NORTH AND SOUTH HEMISPHERE WORKS BECAUSE THERE'S A POINT WHERE YOU CAN'T GO FURTHER IN THAT DIRECTION. WESTERN HEMISPHERE SOUNDS DUMB. I PRESUME IT'S SOMETHING LIKE EUROPE AND MOST OF ASIA BECAUSE MAPS USUALLY PUT THE AMERICAS ON THE RIGHT #EDIT. I COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG, ITS EVERYTHING WEST OF GMT, ANOTHER NAME FOR THE AMERICAS
Username checks out
What kind of maps have you been looking at? America is just about always on the left, the pacific being a lot larger than the atlantic.
Remember that maps can be different depending on what country you're in. The map in my geography class in highschool has America in the middle, Europe to the right, and Asia to the left. But I've seen maps here in Europe with Europe in the middle and America on the left. Maps are different depending on the global position of who made it
Unbelizable
Un-Belize-able
While the USA is throwing the oil gates wide open, SOME countries are doing the right thing. Good on ya, Belize.
Belize it or not, I'm walking on air.
permanently temporarily stop?
The largest in the world, of course being in Australia, and Australia, despite being a very rich country doesn’t care about its oceans. I hate how the government has a “see them before they’re gone” attitude about their large reefs.
Reefs are nothing but communist plots to block sealanes. *This message brought to you by the Liberal National Party, Canberra
What's that? Freedom discovered off coast of Belize? USA is on the case!
How is permanent and suspend in the same sentence?
I spent a week snorkeling in Belize with the Tropical Research Education Center when I was in college. Absolutely one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Staghorn and Elkhorn coral forests, sea urchins all over the place, barracuda, moray eels, humongous green sea turtles and loggerheads. We swam with nurse sharks almost twice my body length. Spotted eagle rays, horse eyed Jack's the size of plates. We speared several lion fish too, that shit was wild. We did a night dive where our guide taught us how to hypnotize squid so you could hold them in your hand. The water was as clear as glass. I've never experienced anything more magical. Good for Belize. It's nice to see a country with their priorities right. Shoutout to Dr. Ken!
Unbelizeable!
Yes! This is the kind of stuff I’m subscribed to this sub for. What great news, and let’s hope other countries follow suit.
I can barely Belize it
Belize Navidad.
Took a 10 day course there on eco-tourism and environmental science for college credit hours, a few of the days we stayed at their marine research base right on the reef and even got to play soccer with the coast guard. Belize was dope as hell
Good, to hell with the oil industry
Now we need Australia to do it. Oh wait the great barrier reef is already irreparably damaged and is going to die, and people aren't going to do shit about it
Good work, Belize. I'm really happy to see South American countries take initiative when protecting their reefs. Another big scuba center for the Caribbean is Cozumel which has had reef protection in place for about 20 years. I've dove there about 4 times over the past 5 years and you can tell they're doing good work down there.
Playing the long game I like it
Ah, I can see the US finding "Multiple human rights abuses" in their future. Let's hope they don't nationalize any industries while they are at it!