TRAVELS OF ANN

REEF CONSERVATION TRIP TO BELIZE: Can one person make a difference?

Maybe I have a bit of salt water flowing through my veins, inherited from my ship’s captain father. My love for the ocean resides in me, my whole life.

As a kid I wanted to be a scuba diver from watching the 60s, rather lame, TV show, Seahunt.  Upon marrying my husband I became serious in this endeavor but that was the year of the movie Jaws. My partners enthusiasm did not match mine. A few years later on a vacation to Florida. We went snorkeling at John Pennecamp on Key Largo. It was life changing for me. We saw fields of purple elk horn coral, blue stag horn coral forests of purple sea fans. The weightless feeling of floating and the observation of beautiful sea creatures, it gave the illusion of traveling in space.   Back on the boat, Randy said “ That was great, maybe scuba diving would really  be cool.  Upon returning, we started classes, became certified advanced open water scuba diver.

There were fabulous adventures ahead, as we went diving in many places in the world.  I always told my children about that initial experience and that someday I would take them there to see that reef.

When my middle son went to college in Orlando Florida. We went to Key largo, John PenneCamp Underwater Park. The same boat service to the reef, swam ou on snorkel. The reef was all dead! I knew reefs were dying around the world due to global warming, pollution, land run off. Instead of gorgeous colored coral was the brown and white skeleton of the reef. There were still fish, but such a huge disappointment.  At that moment, I knew I must do something! But can one persons desire make a difference?