Page 177 - OVATION Magazine (Issue 1)

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One of three Family Coppola Hideaways in Belize, Coral Caye offers direct access to the world’s second- largest barrier reef.
we were about 200 yards off
Laughing Bird Caye when I heard the shouting. Surfacing from the Caribbean Sea, I spotted our boat captain on the beach, waving his hands frantically and calling out to our snorkeling guide, Dorin, who was busy searching for barracuda along the Belize Barrier Reef. My two daugh- ters were swimming beside me, and I grabbed their hands and pulled them close.
After getting Dorin’s attention, we listened to the captain above the wind and
waves, bobbing in the 25-foot- deep water with eyes peeled. Following a minute or two
of uncertainty, the captain’s words finally cut through the chop: “Man-a-tee!” he shouted. “Behind you!”
All fear suddenly turned
to excitement—perhaps in
no one more than Dorin. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” he exclaimed before darting off toward the open sea.The chase was on, and we pushed deeper and farther from the island’s rapidly shrinking shore. Finally, about
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