Think safety at all times. An accident will not only ruin your experience in Belize, but likely everyone else’s as well.

  • Stay with your “buddy”! When snorkeling, always stay within a few feet of your buddy and within sight of the larger group you’ve been assigned to. Know your buddy’s limitations. Stay within waters shallower than neck deep if that is what your buddy is comfortable with. If you want to snorkel over deeper water, be sure to choose someone with the same desire and swimming ability as your own. If you find that you and your buddy differ, see Dr. Dirnberger before changing buddies. Otherwise, you should have the same buddy throughout the entire 8-day trip (i.e. starting from the Atlanta Airport and ending at the Atlanta Airport).

When we are not snorkeling, you should still know where your buddy is. Did he/she get on the boat, plane, bus with you? Etc.

If you are not completely confident of your swimming ability, you may also want to bring a “shorty” wet suit or buoyancy compensator vest.

  • If you dive below the surface while snorkeling, do not proceed deeper until your ears have cleared. If you feel pressure on your ear drums, move to a more shallow depth.
  • No unauthorized swimming or snorkeling. Remember what happened in the first part of the movie Jaws.
  • Stay out of the forest unless accompanied by aguide. There are several dangerous creatures including the fer-de-lance. Even when walking around the grounds of the station, watch where you step. Don’t reach into an area that you cannot see into. Avoid contact with wildlife and even with domesticated animals including dogs and cats.
  • Be sure to apply plenty of sunscreen and to stay hydrated. You are in the tropics! Apply sunscreen more frequently than you think you should. The backside of your body is especially susceptible to burn when snorkeling for several hours a day. Even a case of mild sunstroke can ruin your trip.
  • No excessive consumption of alcohol. Any use of alcohol that interferes with the course or disturbs other students or the staff will not be tolerated. That includes bad hangovers (remember, you will be out on a bouncing boat in the hot sun for many hours each day). Obviously, recreational drugs are not allowed. Host country’s laws supersede U.S. or KSU laws. Your instructors have the right to send you home at your own expense for violating course or university policies.
  • Wash your hands frequently. We’re a large group in tight quarters, so one persons intestinal illness can quickly become everyone else’s.
  • Take you meds (especially your malaria medicine)
  • Be respectful of Bellizean culture and law. GLBTIQ rights are not generally recognized. Potential violent crime is potentially low in Belize, but take standard precautionsand travel in groups.
  • Exchange phone numbers with other students. Put your professors’ cell phone number in your cell phone.
  • Don’t stand directly under coconut trees. Seriously.

So the four general rules to remember:

  • Microbes are the most dangerous organisms we will encounter (bug spray and hand washing)
  • The other dangerous organisms can mostly be avoided by not sticking your extremities where you cannot see (or standing directly under them).
  • The sun is your enemy (sun screen and hydration)
  • And stick with you buddy!

Please let your professors know if you are having physical or mental discomfort. We cannot fix a problem unless we know about it, and it is generally much easier to fix in its early stages.

Contact information for someone needing to contact you in case of emergency:

EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS:

Monkey Bay 24 hr on-site Manager: Fiona Martin (501) 662-8229

Monkey Bay Office: (501) 822-8032

Cell Phone Numbers for faculty (will not likely work in Belize):

Dr. Mutchler Cell# 607 373-0069

Dr. Reese’s Cell # 770 355-9283

Dr. Dirnberger’s Cell # 770 490-0034