Watersports—Belize
Though not an island nation, Belize is renowned throughout the world for its hundreds of tiny cayes—pronounced keys in Belizean, meaning islands. It also has the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. Stretching 200 miles from the Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay of Honduras, the Belize Barrier Reef is considered one of the most pristine destinations in the world. With miles of unexplored beaches, world class diving, snorkeling, and fishing it proves the ideal location for the adventure traveler. My greatest snorkeling and kayak experience was a day spent just off Belize City in a little caye that didn’t even have a name. The beauty of the little caye was astonishing, the marine life indescribable.
TravelBelize.org

Eco-Tourism—The Island of Moloka’i, Hawaii
The lights of Maui are visible at night from the south shore of Molokai, but you feel as if you are among an untamed wilderness. Only 38 by 10 miles in size, it is the least developed of the main Hawaiian Islands. Once the site of a leper colony, it is today open for the world to see. A short air flight or interisland ferry service from Maui takes eco-seekers to a land of gorgeous coastlines, towering sea cliffs, wild rangelands and miles of untouched barrier reefs. It is almost devoid of commercialism. As a local once said to me, “Moloka’i is a state of mind as well as a place.” •
Molokai-Hawaii.com

Ed Boitano is travel editor for “Southern California Life After 50” magazine.