Belize, Reef to Rainforest 2/05

I got this crazy idea in my head that I wanted to be an underwater photographer.Where to go? I figured underwater would be a good place to start. I also had heard that coral reefs were pretty neato. Everyone seems to know the world's longest barrier reef is in Australia, the Great Barrier Reef. But I'm a tight-wad so I opted for something closer: the world's second longest barrier reef, which is right next door off the coast of Belize. At 160 miles long it is nothing to scoff at.

How to get underwater to take pictures? I can't seem to stay underwater for more than a minute without drowning. A Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus of some sort would be helpful. So I opted for SCUBA. Watching the PADI training tapes you get the feeling that you're joining some sort of creepy brainwashing cult ("Fact: scuba divers are always happy" says the video)

Speaking of brainwashing, this is a picture of a brain coral. Underwater. I crack myself up. . . . NEXT >