DiverDonn
Contributor
Just returned from my first visit to Utila. Went with one of my local dive shop groups.
The non-stop Continental flight from Newark to San Pedro Sula ( and Back) was uneventful and convenient. Since we had a fairly large group, Charter flights were arranged from SPS to Utila by the Laguna Beach Resort where we were staying. It made everything very convenient without having to coordinate with Ferries.
Laguna Beach Resort
Although I had read several things about this operation, I, and most of my fellow divers, were very pleasantly surprised by the Resort. Yes it is a "typical" dive resort, with less choices than you might get at a mainland 4 star hotel, But, the rooms were clean and everything worked as it should. Although the resort is outside of town, it was only a 7 minute boat ride back and forth and the people at the resort were most accomodating in arranging transportation. The meals only offered 1 main course for each dinner, but the food was plentiful and quite good. What sets Laguna Beach apart from most other places, is that EVERYONE involved with the resort went out of their way to make all of us feel welcome and to offer any service that was needed. This is truly a service oriented group from the Management down to the Kitchen staff (and certainly all the Dive masters and boat captains).
The Diving
The boats (37' Newtons) and the equipment supplied and all staff were first rate. Even though we had as many as 14 people on our boat there was plenty of room and there was always fresh fruit, clean towels, plenty of water and often other snacks available on board after each dive. The Coral around Utila may very well be in the best shape of any coral I have seen anywhere in the world. Very Healthy and diverse. Personally, no one in our groups even saw a Whale Shark during the entire week we dove, and I was disappointed in the quantity of the marine animals. A few of us had the impression that the area had been fished out. That said we did see a lot of smaller fish including a Bat Fish and a rare Zebra Sole. Rather than include photos here, look at DiverDonns gallery for some shots.
Overall)
This was a fun trip and certainly a great value for the 5+ days of 3 tank diving. I really liked the resort and will recommend it to anyone. I think that somewhere in all the hype, it should have been made clear that you are forbidden to dive with the Whale Sharks, but rather can only snorkle with them IF they are even found. Not sure If I would return here again, but would certainly suggest that it is a place that everyone should try. One other thing that should be mentioned is the bug problem. We were pretty lucky in that there was usually a slight breeze which helps keep the mosquitoes down. 40% DEET also helped a lot. One lady in our group was using a 12%DEET wipe and did get bitten up frequently. All in all, my impression was that the bug problem was not as bad as I expected.
I heartily recommend Utila, and the Laguna Beach Resort. Any questions either ask them here, or PM me. Good Luck,,,,DD
The non-stop Continental flight from Newark to San Pedro Sula ( and Back) was uneventful and convenient. Since we had a fairly large group, Charter flights were arranged from SPS to Utila by the Laguna Beach Resort where we were staying. It made everything very convenient without having to coordinate with Ferries.
Laguna Beach Resort
Although I had read several things about this operation, I, and most of my fellow divers, were very pleasantly surprised by the Resort. Yes it is a "typical" dive resort, with less choices than you might get at a mainland 4 star hotel, But, the rooms were clean and everything worked as it should. Although the resort is outside of town, it was only a 7 minute boat ride back and forth and the people at the resort were most accomodating in arranging transportation. The meals only offered 1 main course for each dinner, but the food was plentiful and quite good. What sets Laguna Beach apart from most other places, is that EVERYONE involved with the resort went out of their way to make all of us feel welcome and to offer any service that was needed. This is truly a service oriented group from the Management down to the Kitchen staff (and certainly all the Dive masters and boat captains).
The Diving
The boats (37' Newtons) and the equipment supplied and all staff were first rate. Even though we had as many as 14 people on our boat there was plenty of room and there was always fresh fruit, clean towels, plenty of water and often other snacks available on board after each dive. The Coral around Utila may very well be in the best shape of any coral I have seen anywhere in the world. Very Healthy and diverse. Personally, no one in our groups even saw a Whale Shark during the entire week we dove, and I was disappointed in the quantity of the marine animals. A few of us had the impression that the area had been fished out. That said we did see a lot of smaller fish including a Bat Fish and a rare Zebra Sole. Rather than include photos here, look at DiverDonns gallery for some shots.
Overall)
This was a fun trip and certainly a great value for the 5+ days of 3 tank diving. I really liked the resort and will recommend it to anyone. I think that somewhere in all the hype, it should have been made clear that you are forbidden to dive with the Whale Sharks, but rather can only snorkle with them IF they are even found. Not sure If I would return here again, but would certainly suggest that it is a place that everyone should try. One other thing that should be mentioned is the bug problem. We were pretty lucky in that there was usually a slight breeze which helps keep the mosquitoes down. 40% DEET also helped a lot. One lady in our group was using a 12%DEET wipe and did get bitten up frequently. All in all, my impression was that the bug problem was not as bad as I expected.
I heartily recommend Utila, and the Laguna Beach Resort. Any questions either ask them here, or PM me. Good Luck,,,,DD
