depthcharge65
Registered
groovy greetings,
just returned Aug. 28 from a week of diving in Utila. had a great time and did some awesome diving with Utila Dive Center.
Earned advanced open water, nitrox and wreck specialty certification. had great weather and viz the entire week, with only a night dive cancelled because of high winds and choppy conditions.
didn't spot any whale sharks, it was a little too early in the season, but there was still some incredible undersea life present on the reefs, including a number of huge grouper and snapper, two beautiful green morays, plenty of angelfish and the like, pufferfish, lots of yellowtail snapper, spiny lobsters, a few seahorses, a small octopus, a couple of barracuda and snook, needlefish, and and one wahoo. tons of small colorful fish. there were beautiful coral walls on both the north and south side.
CJ's Dropoff was our first dive. It was pretty intense going over the side and seeing nothing below but the deep blue abyss. we followed with Pretty Bush. there was spectacular coral at both spots, but both appeared to have been heavily fished out, so there wasn't much around except a few parrot fish. but maybe it was just a bad day.
We dove Spotted Bay and the Labyrinth on the second day. both were a lot of fun, and had more creatures than the first day. there were several channels through the coral at the Labyrinth and each was thrill.
Dove the Halliburton wreck and Madeleine's on day three. A grouper that must have weighed at least 75-100 pounds was hanging out around the Halliburton. It was quite fun just to glide alongside it. though the Halliburton was just sunk in the late 90s, it's already crusting over pretty good with coral, and there are lots of cool fish hanging around. interesting worms, etc on the coral. madeleine's is good for small stuff, including seahorses, but we spotted a barracuda there as well, some large angelfish and a few juvenile drumfish.
In many ways, Duppy Waters on the northside was the best dive of all on day four. Again, it was a wall dive. but because of the currents and recent weather, there were a lot of nutrients and plankton being pushed up, so consequently lots of fish. spotted my first moray here. what a beautiful animal, some barracuda, large grouper hanging out under the overhangs. Did my first night dive that night on Lighthouse Reef, less than a few hundred yards from the dock. man, what an experience. a whole different cast of characters below, including a beautiful blue and pink octopus, banded sea cucumbers and tons of other stuff. incredbile coral, and that octopus was so graceful.
Went back to the Halliburton on Day five and six for nitrox and the wreck dives. There was an enormous dog snapper hanging out around the wheelhouse. again, it must have gone at least 75-100 pounds. There were a half-dozen smaller snapper about half that size. Dove an unnamed seamount on day five as well which featured a free-swimming moray that came up to check me out, myriads of smaller fish and a wahoo that came cruising past at one point. Finished up on Friday with two nitrox dives on the Halliburton and practiced basic wreck diving skills. Did a penetration on the last dive. I thought I might get a little nervy going in, but it actually had a calming effect, making me concentrate on my breathing, bouyancy and fin movement, so as to not stir up any sediment or get snagged up on anything. It wasn't technically difficult. I'm sure plenty of other wrecks are more challenging. But still it felt really cool to know that I had total control of myself and could trust in my skills.
For anyone considering a trip to Utila, I would highly recommend Utila Dive Center. Most of staff is fairly young, but they are all good people, attentive, and very safety conscious. Most of the dives were done with small groups, usually less than 10 divers. The most we ever had one a boat was 16 people and that was on the first day.
I booked through Aqua Dreams Travel, in Cape Coral, Fla. The price, including accomodation and meals at the laidback Mango Inn, came out at around $900, including airfare from San Pedro Sula to the island and back. I handled my own airfare from the States, which ran about $531 and added on the wreck and nitrox courses once I got there for around $200 extra. I went solo, but it's cheaper, of course, if you travel with a buddy and book double occupancy.
You can probably pull off the same trip for several hundred dollars less, if you just fly down and arrange everything once you're on the island. But booking through Aqua Dreams, UDC's stateside agent, does have its advantages. Most importantly, you get more personalized instruction if you sign up for a course. I had a single instructor to myself the entire week. He was a cool guy, a great dive buddy, and a knowledgeable and helpful instructor. Plus, we got along really well. I got a chance to dive with several other divemasters during two days of fun dives and was really impressed with them all. They all seemed pretty intent on making sure that everyone got as much as they could out of each and every dive.
Like Utila itself, the Mango is a funky place. great atmosphere. Caters to a mix of backpackers and people who are just down for a quick, easy vacation. I met everyone from 20-somethings on extended trips to a couple of families just bopping around for a couple of weeks. If you're looking for high-end resort living, this certainly isn't it on either count. But Utila is pleasant, people are very friendly and the Mango is comfortable and fun. Only two bits of advice -- if you're traveling with another person, book yourself in a cabana. The standard double rooms are a bit cramped. They're roomy enough for one, but tight for two, especially if you haul around a lot of gear. You also might want to take a lightweight sleeping bag or a couple of sheets. Personally, I found the bedding to be a little itchy, though the rooms are otherwise clean and comfortable.
already planning the next one.
keep on keeping on,
depthcharge
just returned Aug. 28 from a week of diving in Utila. had a great time and did some awesome diving with Utila Dive Center.
Earned advanced open water, nitrox and wreck specialty certification. had great weather and viz the entire week, with only a night dive cancelled because of high winds and choppy conditions.
didn't spot any whale sharks, it was a little too early in the season, but there was still some incredible undersea life present on the reefs, including a number of huge grouper and snapper, two beautiful green morays, plenty of angelfish and the like, pufferfish, lots of yellowtail snapper, spiny lobsters, a few seahorses, a small octopus, a couple of barracuda and snook, needlefish, and and one wahoo. tons of small colorful fish. there were beautiful coral walls on both the north and south side.
CJ's Dropoff was our first dive. It was pretty intense going over the side and seeing nothing below but the deep blue abyss. we followed with Pretty Bush. there was spectacular coral at both spots, but both appeared to have been heavily fished out, so there wasn't much around except a few parrot fish. but maybe it was just a bad day.
We dove Spotted Bay and the Labyrinth on the second day. both were a lot of fun, and had more creatures than the first day. there were several channels through the coral at the Labyrinth and each was thrill.
Dove the Halliburton wreck and Madeleine's on day three. A grouper that must have weighed at least 75-100 pounds was hanging out around the Halliburton. It was quite fun just to glide alongside it. though the Halliburton was just sunk in the late 90s, it's already crusting over pretty good with coral, and there are lots of cool fish hanging around. interesting worms, etc on the coral. madeleine's is good for small stuff, including seahorses, but we spotted a barracuda there as well, some large angelfish and a few juvenile drumfish.
In many ways, Duppy Waters on the northside was the best dive of all on day four. Again, it was a wall dive. but because of the currents and recent weather, there were a lot of nutrients and plankton being pushed up, so consequently lots of fish. spotted my first moray here. what a beautiful animal, some barracuda, large grouper hanging out under the overhangs. Did my first night dive that night on Lighthouse Reef, less than a few hundred yards from the dock. man, what an experience. a whole different cast of characters below, including a beautiful blue and pink octopus, banded sea cucumbers and tons of other stuff. incredbile coral, and that octopus was so graceful.
Went back to the Halliburton on Day five and six for nitrox and the wreck dives. There was an enormous dog snapper hanging out around the wheelhouse. again, it must have gone at least 75-100 pounds. There were a half-dozen smaller snapper about half that size. Dove an unnamed seamount on day five as well which featured a free-swimming moray that came up to check me out, myriads of smaller fish and a wahoo that came cruising past at one point. Finished up on Friday with two nitrox dives on the Halliburton and practiced basic wreck diving skills. Did a penetration on the last dive. I thought I might get a little nervy going in, but it actually had a calming effect, making me concentrate on my breathing, bouyancy and fin movement, so as to not stir up any sediment or get snagged up on anything. It wasn't technically difficult. I'm sure plenty of other wrecks are more challenging. But still it felt really cool to know that I had total control of myself and could trust in my skills.
For anyone considering a trip to Utila, I would highly recommend Utila Dive Center. Most of staff is fairly young, but they are all good people, attentive, and very safety conscious. Most of the dives were done with small groups, usually less than 10 divers. The most we ever had one a boat was 16 people and that was on the first day.
I booked through Aqua Dreams Travel, in Cape Coral, Fla. The price, including accomodation and meals at the laidback Mango Inn, came out at around $900, including airfare from San Pedro Sula to the island and back. I handled my own airfare from the States, which ran about $531 and added on the wreck and nitrox courses once I got there for around $200 extra. I went solo, but it's cheaper, of course, if you travel with a buddy and book double occupancy.
You can probably pull off the same trip for several hundred dollars less, if you just fly down and arrange everything once you're on the island. But booking through Aqua Dreams, UDC's stateside agent, does have its advantages. Most importantly, you get more personalized instruction if you sign up for a course. I had a single instructor to myself the entire week. He was a cool guy, a great dive buddy, and a knowledgeable and helpful instructor. Plus, we got along really well. I got a chance to dive with several other divemasters during two days of fun dives and was really impressed with them all. They all seemed pretty intent on making sure that everyone got as much as they could out of each and every dive.
Like Utila itself, the Mango is a funky place. great atmosphere. Caters to a mix of backpackers and people who are just down for a quick, easy vacation. I met everyone from 20-somethings on extended trips to a couple of families just bopping around for a couple of weeks. If you're looking for high-end resort living, this certainly isn't it on either count. But Utila is pleasant, people are very friendly and the Mango is comfortable and fun. Only two bits of advice -- if you're traveling with another person, book yourself in a cabana. The standard double rooms are a bit cramped. They're roomy enough for one, but tight for two, especially if you haul around a lot of gear. You also might want to take a lightweight sleeping bag or a couple of sheets. Personally, I found the bedding to be a little itchy, though the rooms are otherwise clean and comfortable.
already planning the next one.
keep on keeping on,
depthcharge
