We’re on vacation this week in Ambergris Caye, Belize. It’s such a beautiful place, with friendly people everywhere. Yesterday we took a snorkeling/fishing trip with our new friend Oliver (in red).

(Read more about our trip to Belize here and here.)

Or is it Denzel?

No, Oliver.

Denzel is that you?

Oliver? Or Doliver?

Anyway, he was quite charming, along with Alex. And don’t let Alex fool you with that Mickey Mouse hat on. He’s got skilz. Mad skilz. There were also two super nice couples from Texas ready for the day full of adventure. With hundreds of pictures documenting the day, this post will focus mainly on the food, which is always a good thing.

Our group left out early in the morning and soon ran into these guys spear fishing for spiny lobster.

Lobster season just opened a few days ago, so the waters are covered with small groups hunting for the lobster down below.

They paddled from a larger boat that we could hardly see in the distance, and, beginning at day break, began diving for the lobster. Unbelievably hard work. When we met up with them they had already been going at it for about 4 hours. Oliver called them over so we could take a peek at their catch.

Look at those beauties.

Whoa. What a boat load.

Oliver bought some for later.

Talk about fresh! That was so cool. We continued on to snorkel for a bit and fish.

The water was crystal blue.

The guys caught a few on board.

While they were fishing, Alex spear fished and brought in a hog fish (I think that’s what it’s called)…

More lobster…

And a few other fish.

It was getting close to lunch time, so we headed to a teeny tiny island, much like Gilligan’s Island, (which I can’t wait to tell you all about in another post) to break for lunch.

Alex prepared the lobster and fish.

He added seasonings. Oh, yeah, there was some chicken too. (I’ve got a picky eater.)

He was the man to have on hand.

The filleted fish were placed on the bottom, followed by the lobster, then all was topped with onions, peppers and more seasonings.

All the while, Oliver was getting the fire ready. He used coconut shells to start the flame.

And here’s the kitchen where it all came together.

The food was covered and steamed over the fire.

We all hung around waiting and watching these guys do their thing. Here are our fellow adventurers for the day, Mike, Jarod, Sheree (she’s Jarod’s wife) and Mandy (Mike’s spouse).

Nicer folks you won’t find. It was great fun.

In no time, lunch was ready. We feasted on coconut rice…

Lobster…yum!

And fish stew.

Fresh and tasty doesn’t even begin to describe it.

My hat’s off to Alex.

A mighty fine meal indeed. And a big thanks to Denzel, uh, Oliver for a great day on the water.

I can’t wait to share the rest of the outing with you.

Wish you were here!