Utila: how is dive in mid-November ???

[fjd]

I will be heading to Utila in mid-November. Being the rainy season, how are the dives?

I heard that rain or shine the dives will go on, unless the water is too choppy for the boat.

how does the dive work in rain? north side vs. south side? visibility?

i'm hoping for not too much rain. cheers!

 

[laurenceh]

diving goes on everyday, rain or shine. if its rainy and rough then you'll dive the south shore and the sites nearest town (airport caves etc.). if its rainy but calm most boats will still go to the northside in the mornings, south in the afternoon.
viz, clarity, will be best on the northside generally as there's little runoff there, the south water gets a bit brown if its been raining a lot as the lagoons will be draining into the sea near town. however viz is generally still decent 60-75 feet, its just not as colorful underwater as it is feb.-sept.

 

[fjd]

diving goes on everyday, rain or shine. if its rainy and rough then you'll dive the south shore and the sites nearest town (airport caves etc.). if its rainy but calm most boats will still go to the northside in the mornings, south in the afternoon.
viz, clarity, will be best on the northside generally as there's little runoff there, the south water gets a bit brown if its been raining a lot as the lagoons will be draining into the sea near town. however viz is generally still decent 60-75 feet, its just not as colorful underwater as it is feb.-sept.

it's great that you confirm that diving does go on, rain or shine.

other than bringing a wind breaker, i am not sure what else would be different diving in rain. any tips you or anybody else can share?

i just hope that it is not a monsoon-type of rain, where it just rains all day long. that will be a bummer.

how has the weather been compared to the 'norm'?

 

[Davemohio]

We went to Utila last November..the 3 thru the 10th. It rained every day but one.

Diving went on every day.

I would have preferred the sun but the diving was great.

Hope the sun shines for you more than that!

 

[Doc]

...other than bringing a wind breaker, i am not sure what else would be different diving in rain. any tips you or anybody else can share?

i just hope that it is not a monsoon-type of rain, where it just rains all day long. that will be a bummer.

how has the weather been compared to the 'norm'?

November is by far the rainiest month of the year in the Bay Islands statistically.

I would suggest a GoreTex parka (unlined). Understand that you will feel the wind between dives. Select your dive boat wisely.

The pitching or rocking of a lesser quality boat will also contribute to issues with speed of surface interval core temperature recovery.

Motionless and windlees, preferably in the warm sunshine... that's your best choice for surface interval benefit. A small, unclovered dive boat can exacerbate these issues.

 

[laurenceh]

who are you planning on diving with??

 

[Mario Chow]

Hi.

I just got to Utila, iv'e been diving 2 days now with Bay Island College of Diving, the diving is great, the weather not so. It rains often, however the boat still goes out, its really not that choppy, just the nuisance of the weather. I do recommend bringing a towel and a jacket on the boat cause you could get very cold if you surface while it's raining...

Regards

 

[rob@diveinutila.com]

All good advice - choose a dive center that has a decent cabin and/or seating out of any wind. Weather can be just as much sunny and hot as cooler and rainy. We just had several beautiful days of warm sunshine in which we managed an over night trip to Cayos Cochinos. The "northers" bring the rain from North America and a definite cooler feel. Nice for sleeping at night without a/c but you can definitely feel it between dives! Definitely bring a jacket and towel for the surface intervals if you get weather like that.