Need Utila advice

[domino22]

Hey Domino,

Surprised to hear you had these problems at UDC. Of course nobody is perfect. Just a clarification on the boats. UDC has 5 dive boats with varying capacities. For this reason usually the group sizes are small. What time of year were you at UDC? UDC now also employs the Divers Alert Network DIDS system. These are the tags that are clipped on to your BCD so that we can keep track of you.

I was there last May. The tags are no help when the boat is 300 yards away and ALL the divers are drifting away from the boat. And the only person on the boat is the captian sitting at the helm looking out into open ocean and the group is looking at the back of his head as it gets smaller as you drift away from the boat in current! For the tags to work the boat would have to find the divers first don't ya think?

 

[tatonkadive]

We're considering a 1 week dive trip to Utila (Feb/Mar) and wanted to get opinions on accomodations, dive operators and of course on the diving. We're 4 guys more interested in great diving than great nightlife. We don't need super luxury but also don't want to stay anywhere that's too "rustic"! . This is an annual trip and we've been to Grand Turk, Cayman Brac, Cozumel and Bonaire in the past. The whole whale sharks thing and relatively unspoiled diving is appealing but certainly would want as much input based on experiences of others as possible. Any thoughts??

I dove in Utila for a few months from Aug-Oct and absolutely loved it. Had loads of great diving, brilliant small stuff, magnificent big stuff, and got less than an arms length next to two different whalesharks! Feb/Mar should be a great time to go from what I hear.

As for places to stay, there are many options, depending on your definition of "not too rustic". As someone else said, the Mango Inn is a rather nice accommodation, great pizzas at their restaurant, and they have a pool and bar. You get a discount there if you dive with UDC, so definitely worth checking out.

I dove at the Bay Islands College of Diving (if you're coming off the ferry dock, take a left and go 5 mins. to the fire station, same building). Great staff. I thought they had the newest and best maintained equipment, bigger and speedier boats, and I thought that they were good about paying attention to safety and technique. They also have the added benefit of having the Chamber right there on the premises, which although hopefully you are careful enough not to get bent, I found it interesting to check out. They have their own small pool on site, and a bar on the roof that is quite nice and has good happy hour prices. They also serve the Utila Lodge, which is also onsite. If you stop into BICD, then they can help you locate lodging that fits your budget and accommodation needs.

Be sure to check out all of the dive shops. There are something like 10 shops on the island, and since pricing is all standardized, your best bet is to check out the staff, equipment, boats, and services that each offers and choose the one that best fits your group's personality and diving lifestyle. I could literally find a reason to recommend each of the dive shops I think, depending upon the person.

I'm sure that it will be a hoot!

 

[Sue-ba]

We are planning to take the family in July or Aug. Waiting to hear from a few more dental schools for our daughter before we can decide which month to book. We hope to rent a home there that looks great online. I am excited and cant wait. My biggest worry is our littlest daughter (9). I am hoping someone on Scubaboard knows someone on the island that would be a great babysitter. I would feel better knowing I had a reference than waiting till we get there and find a stranger with no reference. If all else fails, we can take turns not diving to stay with her, but I am sure she would prefer to find someone with kids the same age that she can play with and make some new friends on her vacation. Any suggestions?

 

[Cudabait]

I was there last May. The tags are no help when the boat is 300 yards away and ALL the divers are drifting away from the boat. And the only person on the boat is the captian sitting at the helm looking out into open ocean and the group is looking at the back of his head as it gets smaller as you drift away from the boat in current! For the tags to work the boat would have to find the divers first don't ya think?

Domino,

About the only drift diving done on Utila is in pursuit of whale sharks, sea mounts and on some infrequent wall dives on the north side. I know that what happened was no fun. What specifically happened?? Did you surface and then drift down current until ya'll found another buoy to latch on to?

A strong current is unusual on Utila. It would seem, based on what you have written, your group (you were in a group?) went the wrong way at the onset of the dive. If you did go the wrong way, then it would be the normal thing for the captain to be visually searching the water in FRONT of the boat for bubble sign of returning divers. Tied to a buoy, the dive vessel would naturally be pointed up current. This would have put your group surfacing somewhere behind the boat. Regardless of why, (your profile indicates you're a solo diver) your group did not return to, or was not led to the correct mooring buoy before surfacing at the end of the dive. The language in your post implies that you began the dive at a buoy. Anyway, I hope the following dives were much more enjoyable.

Regards,

 

[Chivas]

If you are going to Utila I'd suggest that you do so quickly. We got the last 2 seats on the flights we wanted. Could have used different airlines and flight times but may have had to over night in Miami, Houston or San Pedro Sula.

 

[mabasrn]

We're considering a 1 week dive trip to Utila (Feb/Mar) and wanted to get opinions on accomodations, dive operators and of course on the diving. We're 4 guys more interested in great diving than great nightlife. We don't need super luxury but also don't want to stay anywhere that's too "rustic"! . This is an annual trip and we've been to Grand Turk, Cayman Brac, Cozumel and Bonaire in the past. The whole whale sharks thing and relatively unspoiled diving is appealing but certainly would want as much input based on experiences of others as possible. Any thoughts??

I've been diving on Utila for the past 3 months now and it's been amazing. I'll be leaving in about a week but I highly recommend diving with the Bay Islands College of Diving. I've been lucky enough to see 6 diferent whale sharks during my stay and have had lot's of fun hanging out with the staff here. This place is highly addictive you might plan a trip for 2 weeks but end up staying for months like me.

 

[AboutUtila]

Check out the www.AboutUtila.com web site.
I am in the process of building this web site to answer question like the ones you pose.
A Dive Site Map is available at
http://www.aboututila.com/Maps/Map_Dive_Sites.htm

I still got plenty more work to do, but then you have to start somewhere.

 

[tlilienfield]

What is the area by Blue Bayou like? We are thinking of staying at a house there. Thank you.

 

[itsjustme0770]

We recently stayed at slumberland on Blue Bayou. You can find them online at www.slumberlandutila.com.

Tell Kurt that we sent you and say hello. They are very comfortable and we were very pleased. Its a hike from town, so either rent bikes, motorcyles or golf carts while you are there. Lance Bodden is a good guy to rent from.

Hope that helps.