Adios Texas, Hello Bay Islands

[Cudabait]

Hola, amigos

Gonna try to keep my word, in spite of Jester's pain, and make another short post. We left on the BRAZEN, a 40' motor sailer with 12' beam for the Cayos Cochinos. A small chain of about 11 islands located somewhat inland from Roatan and Utila and are usually accessed via La Ceiba by boat. Population max 100 Garifunos. There is only one resort/dive op one the islands. Plantaion Inn. This place is PRIMITIVE and ISOLATED. Smithsonian has an enviromental ongoing on one of the islands and it is designated as a NO IMPACT area. Two native villages in the islands....Cacajuate and East Village.

The seas had really built when we left and we made into wind and seas some to 10 and 12 feet. Thanks for a heavy, sea kindly boat. All in all it was not too bad and we were completly dry. 5 hours later we tied up in a cove at Cayos. We made arrangements at the dive op to rent tanks. All the diving was limited to the sheltered side of the island. The diving was good and we had fun diving our own profiles and just poking around. Got a few pics, not too many. The wind continued at near gale force entire time. Yesterday morning we left at about 8 30 and three hours and fifty minutes we were back in Utila. We had following wind and seas. Then it was hot showers,dinner and to bed.

Due to the rough seas there have been no whale shark sightings in the past three or four days. On an interesting note, I have collaborated with the cinema owner, Deep Blue Divers and another guy shooting digital.....At this point we have just about finalized a 45 minute DVD which we reviewd the day before we left for the cayos. It looked pretty good and has everything from macro to turtles and whale sharks.

Thats all for now

Regards,


e had following sea nad winds. It was hot showers, supper and to bed.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

I have noticed on the webcams at CCV the seas and the wind has been high the last couple of days. Glad everything is going well. Would love to see the dvd

 

[Dee]

Sounds like quite a crossing! I'd like to see the DVD, too.

 

[austintx74]

Very jealous. You'll be glad to know it is raining and cold (for texas) back home. Keep us updated; your posts are creating another bay islands adventure for me in April.

 

[Cudabait]

Last night we did a night dive on a shallow reef, believe it or not, right in the middle of Utila bay. I can only say it was fantastic. The list of critters in Ann' log book runs on. Suffice to say we saw from lettuce slugs to lots larger stuff. This morning we went to the north side and started with a deep dive along one of the reefs. The viz was about 150'. Lots of huge dog and cubera snapper along the drop. While on surface interval and returning to the S. side we spotted a pod of dolphin. So we snorkled up and got in with them. By chance we could see the bottom. My guess was about 100'. I've never seen anything quite like this....the animals were playing and having fun. One of them had a stick of some sort under one of it's lateral fins and was carrying it around....then it would turn it loose, grab it in it's mouth and bat it around with it's snout. A remarkable sight. No whale sharks seen on our boat today. The second dive was a good dive also. We spent time poking around and shootin photos of all the beautiful stuff. Viz has been exceptionally good the past few days. It has just run on and on. Parrothead, we're not bored yet...as long as we can keep diving. You know this is a pretty little place and we're asleep by 9PM. Jester..,sorry this post was so long....I got carried away but I did cut it REAL SHORT.

rEGARDS TO ALL

 

[Foo]

Wow, what a story. I just finished watching Sophia Loren in the 1957 "Boy on a Dolphin." This is as close as I could come... but I did get a kick out of their dive gear. The reg was pretty cool, bubbles behind the head instead of in front, with double hoses. Seems like a feature that would have been good to keep.

Foo

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Sounds like you and Ann are having a wonderful time. dolphins in the wild there is nothing better than that. I hope when you return you post some of the pictures that you hve taken. Until the next post happy diving.

 

[Cudabait]

Wow, what a story. I just finished watching Sophia Loren in the 1957 "Boy on a Dolphin." This is as close as I could come... but I did get a kick out of their dive gear. The reg was pretty cool, bubbles behind the head instead of in front, with double hoses. Seems like a feature that would have been good to keep.

Foo

Foo,

That's the regulator I learned to dive with. I still own one (do not use) My friends all thought I was suicidal when I showed up the first time with a single hose reg...by the end of the year they all had them.

We woke up this morining and it was raining....it was also nice and cool. We opted not to dive today and have been chilling out on shore.

Still not bored, Parrothead.

Regards,

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Paul, I am so happy you are not bored . I on the other hand am bored. this working all day has got to stop. I need a 6 week vacation like Cudabait. Only a couple of more months until I go to CCV.

 

[Cudabait]

Saga continuation,

Last four dives and some interesting info:

Yesterday we returned to Blackish Point, our favorite dive site at Utila. The viz was 150'+..seen were midnight parrots, huge rainbow parrots, spotted morays, green morays, grouper, dog snappers, many other snappers, spotted drums, one wahoo, spanish mackrel aand the other resident critters.

The second dive was a return to another of our favorites, Black Hills, a sea mount in open water. We had looked for whale sharks on SI but no luck. The dive on the hill was great, as usual...it was enhanced by a cooperative hawks bill turtle.

We have been alternating our diving between Deep Blue Divers and Ecomarine. Yesterday Deep Blue Divers sighter a couple of Sperm Whales on the north side, headed toward Belize. Not able to get in the water with the animals as they seemd to be traveling. Proximity was about 100'.

With Ecomarine today....Today we dove on the Haliburton wreck to 101' Interesting....large groupers, lasrge green moray and what was no doubt the largest spotted drum I've ever seen under the hulk of the ship. This guy was the size of a good sized sheephead. Thought it was a small grouper at first. The wreck is now sporting a pretty godd growth of coral and other marine fauna.

Second dive was at Moon Hole to 35' for 1:04hrs. Great dive....we just mucked around shooting some pics..found a little (tiny) slug in the sand..still need to ID. Some squid, coral crabs, and all the other carribean critters.

Not bored yet.....but we're alway glad to get home.

Regards to all