Utila Lodge - what to expect?

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Hey folks, I'm going to be traveling with my local dive club to Utila Lodge in November. I don't find much in the threads about it. What can we expect? Any reviews? What dive sites on Utila do we want to avoid and what are your favorites. Thanks for the info.

 

[itsjustme0770]

Some of the folks who work there are regulars here, so I am sure they will chime in. Very nice folks all. Rain will be kicking in in November, so vis may be a little lower, still fine, but a little lower. Northside diving is great for some amazing walls. I am sure you will hit Black Hills, which is a very nice dive. South side is all about the little creatures. Go slow, perfect your buoyancy and spend time looking at a patch of reef. You won't believe the critters you can find. No need to go deep, so of the best creatures are found @ 20 feet. Anything in particular you are looking for? FYI, I've not stayed at the UL, but usually rent tanks from them when I am in town. Everyone there is always super nice. My 60 year old mom got her certification from them and they treated her great.

 

[TrumpetFishLover]

Utila Lodge is pretty good. The Sea Sprite is a nice dive boat and the captain, Willie, is an absolute riot. Usually, the first dive will be at Little Bight, a really nice site with a big sand patch and some sea horses if you are lucky enough to find them. With the Lodge, you do three dives a day, with night dives on Monday and Wednesday. Everyday is a different site so you get to experience all the awesome ones around the island.

My favourites: Black Hills, Aquarium, The Haliburton, Airport Caves, CJ's Drop Off to name a few.

You should expect the water temperature to be around 29C/87F. It will be rainy season in November. And some common aquatic life include: spotted drums, trumpets, rays, flounder, grouper, snapper, turtles, angel fish, eels, jacks, barracuda, trunkfish, cowfish to name a handful.

While you're on Utila, check out some of the local bars like Tranquila and Treetanic.

Hope you found this useful!

 

[itsjustme0770]

TFL-

Have you actually seen sea horses at Little Bight? If so, can you give me an idea of where? I know the site. Thanks again.

Agree completely on your dive site favorites and bar recs.

 

[TrumpetFishLover]

TFL-

Have you actually seen sea horses at Little Bight? If so, can you give me an idea of where? I know the site. Thanks again.

Agree completely on your dive site favorites and bar recs.

I have seen sea horses at Little Bight tons and tons of times. It's usually best when there aren't a lot of boats or classes going on so that the sand isn't kicked up.

I usually find them in the sandy patch from 12-17 metres where all the pinecone looking plants are. It's usually only a couple of metres from the wall if you are heading east. The one that's usually there is the little baby one but I've been fortunate to see the big red guy there on several occasion. The little one is much smaller than the plant life and is very dark so you have to look really to see it.

The other location is at about 20-24 metres with the same pinecone plants but a little more west. I've seen the yellow guy there only once but several of my fellow divers have seen him and the red one there on quite a few dives.

 

[scuba066]

Yep, I found a sea horse there also, a yellow one to be exact. Utila Lodge is very nice, you have made a great choice. Very nice facility and very nice people. South side dives are nice but the north side, if you catch it right, will blow your fins off. The Pinnacle was my first dive on the north side and it was great! In my log book, i describe it as "the drop off in Finding Nemo" Black Hills was a nice dive, but, was not my favorite, I preferred the walls over the sea mounts. I did not get to dive with Willie but John and Feddy were great divemasters and alot of fun to dive with. Enjoy!

 

[TrumpetFishLover]

Yep, I found a sea horse there also, a yellow one to be exact. Utila Lodge is very nice, you have made a great choice. Very nice facility and very nice people. South side dives are nice but the north side, if you catch it right, will blow your fins off. The Pinnacle was my first dive on the north side and it was great! In my log book, i describe it as "the drop off in Finding Nemo" Black Hills was a nice dive, but, was not my favorite, I preferred the walls over the sea mounts. I did not get to dive with Willie but John and Feddy were great divemasters and alot of fun to dive with. Enjoy!

Ahhh, you were on the school's boat!

 

[scuba066]

Yes, I did not go out on the Sea Sprite. But, the schools boats were nice also. I miss those warm waters. I just got back from a short vacation on Vancouver Island in Canada. Water Temp, 50'F as compared to 83'F in Utila. What a cold dive, makes me cold just thinking about it.

 

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Thanks to everyone for their replies. I am looking forward to a great relaxing time at the Lodge. It looks like it is going to be rainy but I think we can manage. Thanks again. -Brian