AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Caye Caulker Sale of the Split

I'm not picking an argument, I have just seen a lot of temporarily clandestine deals go down in Belize.
It's a controversial enterprise, only makes sense to keep things to yourself.
Talk to the guy if he's still around who started a project 4 blocks south.
He hit a complete void 2 feet down, water only.
He had to put dozens of columns under foundation that bottomed out at 16 feet if I remember right.
The place was for sale for a while, he had the pictures.
That's just one "shallow" isolated chamber that can be verified, there may well be much deeper ones.
The map I saw of the cave had many branches that went sideways.
I happened to watch them drive some of the ones at the split.
They all hit the soft material you describe.
If there was a void they would have fallen right in.
They got lucky so far, but the fact remains this has to be verified.
This link says there are many large caves under the Caye, according to a long time native.
http://cayecaulker.org/history/

That's Caye Caulker all right., seashell.
If you own a property which is now right up to the sea because of erosion, you must allow a 33 ft right of way along the seafront. This is rarely enforced but at least a way to walk down the beachfront has always been enforced based on complaints.
The owner knows this but is not in love with it because the Split beach is so narrow it creates a problem for developers.

I see your point.
The condos at the split might have hit a void when they drove them. It seems logical that it would have fallen in but pilings derive most of them support from the side pressure of the sand along the column.
Like driving a nail that comes out the other side. The nail is still just as stuck.

Did the guy have any idea how an open void covered with 2ft of soft sand didn't collapse? Maybe an engineer looked at it and suggested something.
We used to bury barrels with a tiny pump inside to use as underground well. The top would be two or three ft down. When the top rusted out the sand filled it up. We just buried another.

I have been gathering info on this for thirty years.
Pilings we have driven reach acceptance depth from 13 to 20 ft in different parts of the Caye., consistent with the guys experience.
That means you can't drive them in any more.
It probably isn't bedrock they hit since it is kinda soft in the caves even at 50 -60 ft. It may just be friction on the side.

The pictures I saw were were of a crane simply lowering them into the void, there was nothing but water, no friction.
There were men with levels to plumb them and with pumps and long nozzles to jet away the sand that had collected in the bottom.
He told me they repeatedly raised and dropped the 20' columns several feet while they were jetting until they bottomed out.
This was confirmed by the crane operator here on the island.
The crane was also parked on the job-site so apparently the "roof" is pretty solid.
There are other wells in the neighborhood that are on this void.
There are also 3 story concrete "local's" buildings very near it, no clue if they did their homework.
A 20' concrete/steel column weighs a lot more than the hammer on a pile driver.
If there was anything remotely soft they would have went through it.
I heard the project was now going to continue, but who knows anything for sure on Caye Caulker.

Thanks for the info.

I opened a little Middle-Eastern restaurant with my wife next door to this property.
Does anyone have a clue what's going on with it?

I don't know anything about the project, but after reading all the reviews for your restaurant, we'll be making a trip over on the San Pedro water taxi in order to check you out at Aladdin's!!

Hi Tammy,
Thank you, come on down.
We are open almost right through the slow season, closed on Tuesdays.
We have a poor man's website, FB page, https://www.facebook.com/Aladdinsbelize
If you are coming, 660-1550, call if you want.
I have a few improvements to do while it's slow, nothing major, but just in case let us know when and we'll be happy to accommodate!

Not sure who Tammy is, but I'll take that as an invite for us as well. ;-)

Sorry, my mistake, Tammy's name was in the border in the comment above your post.
Anyway I'm Dennis, come on down!