Roatan/Utila information

[kent_1848]

Hi Kent 1848,

Current (6/8/06, subject to change as the wind blows) departure tax from your final airport deaprting back to the US is $32.00
There is an inter/intra (?) country tax ranging between $.32 to $2.00 on local flights. From Roatan to Utila I think it's L20.00 (about $1.20).

Utila's current Reef Fee is $3.00 per person, per diving day. There is talk of raising it to either $4.00 or $5.00 to support maintaining the buoy systems, and patroling, but that hasn't gone into effect yet as of this writing.

Sales tax is 12%, Liquor tax 15%, and hotel tax 16%.

Hope the info helps.

I will be flying only into Roatan, diving Mary's Place, then taking the ferry to La Cieba to party for the night, then the ferry to Utila and staying with a friend, so they can take their 16% and shove it!... the liquor tax...well, OK, at least it's less than 16%

 

[Doc]

As any well informed local will attest, Mary's Place is all but impossible to dive with any reputable dive op in a one day visit.

Sure- I am certain that many have done this on the sly, but for a dive op to be legit and comply with the use restrictions for this dive site, you would have to sit through the 25 minute video, attend a dry-land briefing (that by curicullum is 40 minutes long) including site specifics as well as buoyancy tips.

In that it can be a fairly deep (85') dive, it is precluded further from legit visits in that it is to be done never as your first dive on any given Bay Islands trip- the DM's are supposed to have time to look you over, offering any assistance with buoyancy.

Any op that will take you there, bang-out-of-the-box should be viewed with great suspicion. The dive is never to be a drop off, always with assigned mooring times, but lots of tourists come crashing down unexpectedly. Charter with care!

That said, Mary's Place is truly the Coor's Beer of diving. For years, you couldn't get it. Now that you can, maybe there are other goals? Yes, even in the Bay islands, absolutely there are!

Hard to get to, served only be a few resorts, is a much more interesting piece of u/w architecture, Calvin's Crack. But... easy to get to and lots of fun? The Prince Albert Wreck which sits in 35-65 feet of water.

Mary aint all that, certainly no bag of chips. Don't make your life dependent upon diving it. Time better spent elsewhere on the S side with an attentive DM after you explain to them that you want to do a 45' dive for 1:10 and you want them to show you SeaHorses and stuff no larger than that. This is what you come to the Bay Islands to see! Enjoy the details!

and yes... Kimber (and Mickey/Airhog)... dear old pals of mine.

 

[DeputyDan]

Calvin's Crack or is it Calvin's Place and Mary's Crack "only the shadow knows for sure" is just as good a dive...

 

[stiffany]

What you pay in reef fees, international departure taxes, and the like will be made up for by the awesome, inexpensive diving in Utila and the great food. My boyfriend and I were there in March and for $8 or $9 a day (plus probably $2 a day for bottled water from our dive shop between the two of us) we ate like royalty between RJ's barbecue across from Alton's dive shop, this other place off of the main street way before you get to the ferry dock street (blanking on its name - ask any local), and a great bakery set off of the main path in this blueish house right near Utila Dive Center. And, so far, in trying to find a cheap place to go diving in August, we haven't found anything cheaper than Utila in terms of dive packages and advanced open water certification classes.

But Roatan Man also hit the main point of traveling in Central America: There is often a "gringo tax". So, just expect to haggle with taxi drivers on the mainland about the fares (and the bus/van drivers on Roatan), pay more for the ferries as an extranjero, and perhaps not get quoted the best exchange rate from time to time.

Finally, if you like tamales, save an extra ten minutes to stop by the tienda at the Roatan ferry dock (right next to the dock for the Utila Princess) in La Ceiba for some really great (and cheap) corn tamales.

 

[caribbean-diving.com]

Take a look at my profile for a clue as im not allowed to give the link out. You can ask your questions on this board too where we have local shops and divers.
Lets spread the information and make diving better.

rd