Laguna Beach Resort, Utila: Trip Report, March 15 - 22nd

[GoProHonduras]

Sorrows,

To call Utila town a dump was simply inappropriate, I have lived their nearly 9 years and in no way would every describe it as you had. The island is a beautiful place, and both the islanders and the ex-pat community take pride in maintaining the town. They have limited resources and work hard to protect the island, and are working to restore the health of some areas of the reef.

I do not know any site where 80% of the coral is dead, that was an exaggeration, and misleading. As an island that depends upon visiting divers and the revenues they bring, to reinvest into the infrastructure and community, including the reef systems, your comments were lacking thought and potentially destructive.

I know the sites you have listed, and am shocked you think that 80% of the corals are dead there. At least you acknowledge any other time you could have had a better experience, but still some of those sites are far from dead!

I am sure you saw buoys at every dive site, the resorts and operators practice good diving etiquette to ensure divers do not damage the reefs, and fishing off the reef is illegal. There is even a Honduran NGO on the island that works to educate and conserve the islands resources for future divers, and generations to enjoy.

You spent 1 week when weather conditions were bad, you were limited to a few dive sites that were not the healthiest, and what you had traveled a great distance for and spent time and money on, and when you visited the island, it was at one of the busiest periods of the year, Semana Santa, when street cleaning, and garbage collection were overwhelmed.

If you had visited a different time got to dive more sites, as the majority of divers do, and explored the island a little more on your off day, your review would have been completely different, and a more accurate reflection of what visiting divers to Utila will see and encounter. It is a shame that you will never see the real beauty of what the island has to offer.

The 'Reef creature series' group (Humann et al) have made several visits to Utila, during October, not looking for Whale sharks, and do so for the diversity of creatures they find on Utilas reefs.

I hope you have better conditions on your next dive vacation, and if not, think about posting a more objective and factually correct report.

 

[Hawk]

Factually correct? He reported what he saw when he was there, nothing more or less. Why would you bad mouth someone who wrote what they saw? If it is not that way normally then write how it usually is, show underwater pictures etc. To put someone down for taking the time to write about their own personal experience is uncalled for in my opinion.

For what it is worth I experienced much the same thing when I was there last March. The entire town stunk like a sewer, there was trash everywhere, and the diving on most of the south side was poor.

We go to Roatan at least a week, sometimes two every year and I was expecting something similar, not the same, similar. I was very disappointed.

The weather was pretty bad when we were there, maybe that had something to do with it. Perhaps it was some special time, I don't know, but the streets did not look like in the photos posted here. It was a constant workout to keep from getting run over by people riding 4 wheelers.

There were good parts of my trip also. We got to see whale sharks several times, dolphins on a regular basis, some nice dive sites on the north side, and met some very nice people. The Mango Inn is a great place to go for dinner. I am building my own outdoor oven after eating there.

My trip was not a waste of time as I am sure he feels the same about his. To belittle someone for giving their opinion though, is not the right way to reply as far as I am concerned.

 

[Doc]

How a diver feels about Utila, I think, depends entirely whether or not
they saw a whale shark. We did not.

The DMS were very good about pointing out unusual or hard-to-spot species.
We saw numerous seahorses, pipefishes, even a pipehorse! Other divers
reported seeing a short-nosed batfish. I found a juvenile trunkfish (tiny
pumpkin!) and various other interesting juveniles.

The 'Reef creature series' group (Humann et al) have made several visits to Utila, during October, not looking for Whale sharks, and do so for the diversity of creatures they find on Utilas reefs.

Herein lies the quandry in which Utila has created for itself. Sorrows pointed it out, but did not see, in spite of their obvious advanced diving and observational skills.

There is much to recommend the diving in the shallows of Utila. Just as the South side of Roatan, the reef holds the miriad tiny creatures that entices the likes of Paul Humann and other micro-junkies, myself included.

In order to differentiate, in an effort to entice tourism, you have to go with what sells. Many years ago over beers, I spoke with UTLGirl and both Bills and Doc and we all agreed that pushing the Whale Shark possibilities of Utila might be a good advertising angle for the PR "staff" of Utila. Looks like that is what they did. Whale Sharks in the Caribbean have become synonymous with Utila.

Kind of the opposite deal of Belize and their vaunted Blue Hole. Here you have a geographic anomaly that offers its best view from 15,000 feet above. Ever wonder why you don't see u/w photos of the Blue Hole on those Belize posters? It doesn't matter, everyone wants to come to belize so they can dive the Blue Hole. Luckily for Belize, the Blue Hole is their stationary and predictable "Whale Shark". It's a sure thing. Boring as all get out, but it draws like mosquitos to a yellow porch light. It's the sizzle that sells.

Much as people clamor to dive Mary's Place on Roatan. Everybody that comes has-ta got-ta dive the famous Mary's Place. The reason that it is so popular is that it is the single most visible and recognizable rock formation (versus the South side's lush vertical walls that are packed with tiny critters). It gives the beginner and average diver something to attach a memory to. You can show any number of guests a Pipefish, but unless it moves, they are unlikely to identify it, much less remember it. The may see the Jawfish, but it is unlikely they saw it aereate it's eggs. Observational skills are yet to be developed~ they are usually firmly inhibited and handicapped by a digital camera blocking the diver's view and education.

Bay Islands diving- at least the good stuff, is advanced level stuff. It requires perfect buoyancy and excellent observational skills. If you see a Whale Shark, that's the bonus.

Much as love, if you go looking for a Whale Shark, you'll likely be disappointed.
Come for the amazing array of micro critters, take the Fish that Swallowed Pinoccio as a gift when it occurs.

Unfortunately, this reality is hard to convey on that travel poster that entices you to this little island, Utila. How can you tell people that if they stick with the DM's and enjoy the bounty of unusual and rare- he will tap them on the shoulder when Tiburon Ballena should grace you with his presence.

Come see Utila now before the cruise shippers grow tired with their impending destructive efforts on Roatan and redirect their assault on this last, unspoiled paradise.

Go see Utila now. Look for that Pipefish... but cross your fingers

 

[Hawk]

You are correct, Doc. I enjoy diving that area for just that, the small stuff. Much of my time is spent in just a small area looking with an amazed wonder at the tiny little world going on about it's business in just a few square feet. Much like the area I enjoy so much, the area just in from the strobe buoy at CoCoView. A lot of people are in a hurry to get back and just pass this by. I can and do spend hours enjoying a small patch and what is going on there.

This is probably why I was disapointed with Utila the most. Yes I got to see the whale sharks, cool. Yes I got to see some dolphins, gracefull and fun. What I really wanted to see were reefs in good shape and all of the fun stuff that goes on in the small world. What I saw was a reef system that looked like it had been trampled to death (literally) b y the student diving heards. I was disappointed when I saw formations of students all wearing the same gear from whatever shop they were with, just plowing what could have been, and maybe what someday will be again, a beautifull place.

In my opinion there are too many buoys too close together which makes for overlapping dives by different groups. It's almost like a diving zoo.

Perhaps a group should be fromed to limit the fishing, repeated diving by student groups, etc. in order to help the reefs to repair themselves. It seems like it would be benneficial to all involved. The potential is there, many sites are still pretty nice, but many need a rest and recovery period.

As far as the town goes, well most of it is nice. There are however places that bring the whole perception of what it is like down badly. If you travel from west to east in town you get to one spot on the left side where there is a large house on the left with sewage sludge under, beside and behind it with so much trash behind it where you can look back to the water it is sickening. I have been to many small third world countries and the stench coming from this place rivals the best of them. I seriously had a hard time keeping from puking each time I came within a hundred yards from there.

I know it is a poor area. I know it has limited resourses. Most of the area is nice, perhaps a bit more of a comunity effort to make the bad areas match the rest would leave a better impression in peoples minds.

Someday I will probably go back. Maybe after we move to Roatan. Right now though I will agree with the two other couples we went there with that I would rather spend my time and money elsewhere. I hope my perception will be changed if I do ever go back.

Later, Hawk.

 

[diver 85]

Sorry for jumping in here but out of curiosity, GoProHonduras or UTLgirl, does either one of you you know a Greg(& Robin) Lynch from Tampa??....

 

[GoProHonduras]

Sorry no, UTLgirl?

 

[PNW Dive Girl]

Thank you for your review. We went to Utila and stayed at Laguna Beach in 2003. We loved it. The staff was great and the diving wonderful. I'm concerned about the reef conditions. We'd love to return and will some day.

 

[diver 85]

Sorry no, UTLgirl?

Reason I ask, we have a house together on Roatan(Sandy Bay area past AKR on the water) and Greg is a CPA---does the 'books' for Utila Lodge(I'm 99% sure this is the resort he does) & therefore goes there yearly......

 

[Sorrows]

GoProHonduras, obviously I've offended you very deeply with my comments about the town of Utila, and for that I apologize. I should not have used the word "dump". But there was a lot of trash and dirt the day I was there; for every charming or well-maintained house there were also empty lots that were being used to dump trash; the streets were teeming with people and vehicles. Perhaps it looks different on every other day of the year, but this is what I saw on Good Friday, 2008.

As for the coral, the "80%" came from the coral expert that was at the resort that week. As I said, he was visibly shaken by what he saw on the reefs. I'm not an expert, but I can tell you--objectively and factually--that I have never seen so much dead, white coral in my life. Yes, at one place it was "as far as the eye could see." (Admittedly, viz was pretty low that day.) And the lack of fish was even more disheartening. It was as if nearly all the grazers of the reef had simpy disappeared.

I've already stated that if we'd been able to get to the North side where the better diving is, limiting our exposure to the South to a few sites such as the wreck or the awesome Little Bight, and certainly if we'd seen the whale sharks, my report would have been vastly different. But that doesn't mean the one I wrote wasn't factual and objective--I based it on what I saw and experienced. And I fully believe that if a diver here were to go to Utila during a week they couldn't get to the North side, they would find pretty much the same thing our group found.

Finally, you wrote As an island that depends upon visiting divers and the revenues they bring, to reinvest into the infrastructure and community, including the reef systems, your comments were lacking thought and potentially destructive.

I actually put a lot of thought into that report. As sympathetic as I am to the people of Utila and to the employees of LBR in particular, I'm afraid I didn't write it for them. I wrote it for other divers who may or may not find it useful. It was intended as a candid report--full of the good and the bad--not a glowing press release from the Utila tourist association.

 

[Sorrows]

Doc, I think you have made some excellent points. I would have loved to have seen--and snorkeled with--the whale sharks; I know my teenager (avid UW photographer) would have loved it as well--but all of us saw that as a bonus. Still, there is no doubt that the Whale Shark is the big selling point for Utila.

But I do love the macro--and (repeating myself) the weird, the wacky and the wonderful. I'm a total Fish ID fanatic, so that part of the trip was really great for me. My dream diving vacation isn't Cocos, or the Bahamas or any of those places divers go to see the big stuff; my dream is Indonesia and muck diving.

I was blown away by the pipehorse, the juv. trunkfish, and the golden brittle star I found--a lot of the other divers sort of shrugged and swam away. (I guess they expected more when I started "quacking"!) Buoyancy is part of the problem, as you say. The juv. trunkfish--that little pumpkin--was a tricky little fellow that kept darting in and out of his coral home. You had to really stay there for a while to see it.

I wonder, though, if we'll even have these little treasures in a few years? Worsening conditions on the reef and overfishing will eventually effect the small ones, won't they?