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Caye Caulker

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17°44′33″N 88°01′30″W / 17.74250°N 88.02500°W / 17.74250; -88.02500 Caye Caulker is a small limestone coral island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea measuring about 5 miles (north to south) by less than 1 mile (east to west). The town on the island is known by the name Caye Caulker Village, though the correct name from old maps is Santa Elena. Some have said the islands name is derived from the practice of caulking or sealing the seams in wooden boats to make them watertight, due to the high number of shipwrights on the island. "Caye Corker", the alternative spelling of the name used by British cartographers, has largely fallen into disuse. This was a phonetic spelling which in older English was pronounced the same.

It is now generally agreed that the name was derived at a much earlier date from the Spanish name for the island "Cayo Hicaco". This refers to the Hicaco plum which grows wild on the island and was gathered by Spanish seafarers to combat scurvy.

Caye Caulker main street

Caye Caulker is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north-northeast of Belize City, and is accessible by high-speed water taxi or small plane. In recent years the island has become a popular destination for backpackers and other tourists. There are over 30 tiny hotels, and a number of restaurants and shops.

Geography

The island is basically a sand bar over a limestone shelf. Underwater caves are found in the limestone (which have claimed the lives of several scuba divers exploring them). In front of the village, a shallow lagoon, between 6 inches (150 mm) and 14 feet (4.3 m) deep, meets the Belize Barrier Reef to the east. In front of the village, the reef is known as a dry reef with the reef exposed at the surface, while further north the reef is a deep reef and lies under 2 to 8 feet (2.4 m) of water. This area is popular with windsurfers.

A narrow waterway known as the Split divides the island in two. Some people state that the Split was created by Hurricane Hattie in 1961 which devastated Belize City, however villagers who actually hand dredged it maintain that it is largely a man-made feature. The Village Council Chairman at the time, Mr. Reyes, recounts that he and others dredged the waterway by hand after Hurricane Hattie opened a passage a few inches deep. This made a practical water way between the west and east sides of the island, intended at first for dugout canoes. The increasesd flow of tidal water has natually dredged the opening to 20 feet (6.1 m) deep until larger boats can now easily pass. The natural erosion continues to this day and threatens the soft sand banks of the waterway.

History

Adapted from http://www.cayecaulker.org/ (courtesy of Ray Auxillou).

Settlement

Caye Caulker is thought to have been inhabited for about 10,000 years, however the recent population levels didn't start until the Caste War of Yucatan in 1847 when many mestizos of mixed Maya and Spanish descent fled the massacres taking place across the Yucatán.

The area of the village was granted by the Queen to Luciano Reyes around 1870. Lots were sold to six or seven families, most of which still have descendants on the island today. The influence of these families is still very apparent.

The location of the main settlement on the island is thought to have remained unchanged for thousands of years. The bay at the back of the village provides shelter for boats while the reef at the front provides good protection from large waves. Also, the coral sand near the village provides good anchorage compared to the soft mud found elsewhere on the island.

Hurricane Hattie

When Hurricane Hattie hit the island in 1961, a storm surge swept across the narrow part of the village. The wooden schoolhouse, being used as a shelter at the time, was smashed by the waves killing 13 people (mostly children). Fortunately, the eye of the storm passed to the south of the island sparing it devastation on the scale of nearby Turneffe Atoll which disappeared completely along with around 300 residents. However, of the 90 houses on the island, only 8 remained intact.

The village council was supported in the task of rebuilding by Governor Thornley's Emergency Committee and formed teams to do various types of work. About 42 houses were built in a few weeks. The British Army also helped with helicopters bringing medical and food supplies. Caye Caulker remains vulnerable to direct hits from hurricanes because it has no defenses from storm surges.

In modern times there have been at least four major hurricanes which have devastated the island, the most recent of which was Hurricane Keith in 2000. Since the island is only 8 feet (2.4 m) at its highest point, a strong storm surge can easily cover the entire island, as occurred during Hattie and Keith.

Economy

The main industry on the island prior to tourism was fishing. The island sits in the middle of natural migration routes for fish, and feeding grounds for conch and lobster. During World War II, fishermen living on the island also collected debris from torpedoed ships in the Caribbean that came floating ashore. The most lucrative were bales of rubber. The fishing industry is thought to support about 80 families on the island.

The growth of tourism on the island

Tourism first started on the island around 1964, with only a few visitors on weekends from the mainland Belleview Hotel, brought out by a local boat called 'Sailfish', built by a schoolteacher beside the then Teachers House. The early tourists were mostly people working with the Belize Government. Around 1969, Dr. Hildebrand of the University of Corpus Christi started visiting each winter with a Marine Biology Expedition of around 24 students. Backpackers also found their way to the island at this time, but transportation was only by fishing sailboats and there was no accommodation. The Alamina, Reyes and Marin families pioneered the tourism industry and the first Scuba Diving lessons and trips were started around the late 1960s.

As speedboats came into use in the 1970s tourists became more regular. Hippies following the so-called "Gringo Trail", of Isla Mujeres, Tulum, Caye Caulker, Tikal and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala passed though the island (many of them making use of the easily available marijuana). The reputation spread by word of mouth.

Today, the diversified economy of the village still includes lobster, fish and tourists. Internet e-commerce is growing in a small way. Recent hurricanes had a major effect on lobster fishing as well as dramatically affecting the vegetation. The island ecology is slowly returning to that prior to the storms.

The small airplanes and asphalt-paved airstrip of Caye Caulker Airport may appear small to visitors accustomed to jet airliners and long concrete runways, but the system of barrier islands support a lively network of air transportation with an array of travel times. For those passengers preferring a route more commonly adopted by locals, there is a regular water taxi service providing transportation to and from the island. Taxi service is available from the main Belize City airport. The speedboats used are capable of carrying around 50 people. The watercraft typically sport two or three large motors and make the journey in about 35 minutes.

Once on the island, the main mode of transport is simply walking. The paths are well defined, and crossing the island takes 20 minutes at most. Bicycles and golf carts are also common and can be rented. Visitors prone to sunburn should take precautions, as the island is entirely white coral sand, and reflected sunlight can cause mild sunburns even in the shade.

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