A group of 20 of us from Central NY headed to FI on 12 - 19 August.
It was an excellent vacation
The resort is different from Deep Blue in Utila (also marvelous), offering a wide variety of social-oriented activities as well as good diving. The kinds of things available include kayaking, snorkeling, a zip line run over the jungle, flying in a small sea plane over the vicinity, and nightly things such as fire dancing, limbo, karaoke,...
The hotel operation was solid. Rooms were spacious, clean, with good AC and refrigerators. Hotel staff were all courteous, efficient, and friendly.
The diving was good, lots of neat small things to see, and the boat staff (Darren our DM, Moses our Captain) were superb. The group had a wide variety of skills, from Course Director down to newly certified OW, and the boat staff allowed us tremendous flexibility, people weren't forced into herd-diving mode.
The general operation was a boat dive at 9, second dive departing around 11:00, third dive at 2:30. This allowed people to sleep in, if they chose, still do two boat dives during the day. One boat night dive was held, a clean job.
Unlimited shore diving was available, with a good site being a waterside gazebo that made for nice additional night dives. There's an underwater cable, with clear markings, leading to a wreck, and night creatures including octopus and slipper lobster greeted those who went. A small skiff would take divers and their gear to the gazebo, with a phone there to call back for pickup when done. I and my GF (goat fish) did 3 night dives there -- a pleasant way to end a day.
Food was OK, available in quantity, cafeteria/buffet style self-serve. For a bit of something higher end, a night on the town, the group took a bus to Geo's -- highly recommended!
A big plus was no mosquitoes! August can be a bear at dusk and dawn, but it looks like they fog early in the morning to suppress the local skeets. I took my anti-malarial, but don't recall even one mosquitoe bite during the week. I also heard reports of sand fleas prior to going, but only recall one evening watching an event where they seemed prevalent.
Water temp was pleasant, mid 80s, and the location was fun enough that I chose to go on 22 dives over the week.
As usual, be careful to make sure you don't drink unfiltered water, including the simple things like not rinsing your toothbrush under the tap. FI provides water in the refrigerators, and bottled water is readily accessible in the gift shop.
A good place to visit...
It was an excellent vacation
The resort is different from Deep Blue in Utila (also marvelous), offering a wide variety of social-oriented activities as well as good diving. The kinds of things available include kayaking, snorkeling, a zip line run over the jungle, flying in a small sea plane over the vicinity, and nightly things such as fire dancing, limbo, karaoke,...
The hotel operation was solid. Rooms were spacious, clean, with good AC and refrigerators. Hotel staff were all courteous, efficient, and friendly.
The diving was good, lots of neat small things to see, and the boat staff (Darren our DM, Moses our Captain) were superb. The group had a wide variety of skills, from Course Director down to newly certified OW, and the boat staff allowed us tremendous flexibility, people weren't forced into herd-diving mode.
The general operation was a boat dive at 9, second dive departing around 11:00, third dive at 2:30. This allowed people to sleep in, if they chose, still do two boat dives during the day. One boat night dive was held, a clean job.
Unlimited shore diving was available, with a good site being a waterside gazebo that made for nice additional night dives. There's an underwater cable, with clear markings, leading to a wreck, and night creatures including octopus and slipper lobster greeted those who went. A small skiff would take divers and their gear to the gazebo, with a phone there to call back for pickup when done. I and my GF (goat fish) did 3 night dives there -- a pleasant way to end a day.
Food was OK, available in quantity, cafeteria/buffet style self-serve. For a bit of something higher end, a night on the town, the group took a bus to Geo's -- highly recommended!
A big plus was no mosquitoes! August can be a bear at dusk and dawn, but it looks like they fog early in the morning to suppress the local skeets. I took my anti-malarial, but don't recall even one mosquitoe bite during the week. I also heard reports of sand fleas prior to going, but only recall one evening watching an event where they seemed prevalent.
Water temp was pleasant, mid 80s, and the location was fun enough that I chose to go on 22 dives over the week.
As usual, be careful to make sure you don't drink unfiltered water, including the simple things like not rinsing your toothbrush under the tap. FI provides water in the refrigerators, and bottled water is readily accessible in the gift shop.
A good place to visit...
