CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
Ok so I just got back from a 7 day trip to Utila in Honduras. I did 14 boat dives in a seven day period, snorkeled with whale sharks and had a blast of a time. The diving is amazing and the place is so ridiculously cheap it is not even funny. 7 days of stay with 10 boat dives was costing me only 362 USD (Diving and accommodation both). I added two more dive days at the cost of 59 USD per day so that raised it up to 480 USD and every time there was a whale shark sighting, Skipper gets 10 USD per person. We had four days of whale shark sightings so another 40 USD. It was an amazing dive trip and there are not a lot of places in the world where you can dive, snorkel with whale sharks and stay for a week for 520 USD! That’s it! If people thought Bonaire was cheaper than this is super dirt cheap.
I thought I should post a detailed report for those who would like to try out Utila along with my own recommendations of how I would do things differently if I had known what I know now.
First a little …
Introduction to Utila:
It is a smaller island next to Roatan and has a population of around 2500 people. It is one of the friendliest places I have been to with virtually no crime. I was told that people sleep with their doors open at night and the overall culture of the place is extremely laid back and friendly. Locals walk into each other’s homes like they were their own and if you have lived there for a few weeks, you also become an insider. There are very few cars on the island and people drive around in golf carts and mopeds. These are easier to transport to the island than a car and have become the primary mode of transportation on the island. These can also be rented but if you are there for diving alone then they may not be necessary. If you live on the main street then you can walk to anywhere. This is not an island that has great beaches. There are some that are owned by resorts but if you are looking for miles and miles of beach line then Utila is not the place. If you want diving and whale sharks in one trip then Utila is for you.
Getting to Utila:
There are two and a half ways to reach Utila.
Altons Dive Center:
Altons is a great dive and stay facility owned by skipper Alton and Lisa. Lisa manages the office while Alton takes care of boats and operations. They are a great couple and will go to great lengths to ensure you have a pleasant stay and some great diving with them. There are plenty of dive shops in the region but I chose Alton’s because they seem to have the best boats. These boats enable them to make daily trips to the north end of the island which has some dramatic walls and steep drop offs. Since this is deep ocean whale shark sightings happen here at the north end. While other shops offer diving around the island, they do not frequent the northern walls as much as Alton’s and therefore not only are their whale shark sightings less frequent, they also seem to have less dive sites available.
When I landed at the airstrip, Alton had already sent Beto to pick me up. Beto is one of the best dive masters there and he had come in a golf cart to receive me. I was taken to the Dive Center while we chatted about life on the island and diving etc.
Accommodation:
Rooms have bunk beds or twin beds and they cost 10 USD per person. When I arrived there all the rooms were taken except for a King bed room so I got a full room to myself for 10 USD / day. Rooms do not have air-conditioning. You will have a pedestal fan instead. I was warned that rooms will be out-rightly ugly but for 10 USD, the room was really pretty decent. You just need to know what you are getting. It had a bed, a table and a fan. What else do you need?
Bathrooms are shared. You buy your own soap and towels and whatever toiletries you need. This is not a hotel so a shower, a basin and a flush is what you are getting. There are three shared bathrooms in the facility.
Company:
The island attracts a younger backpacker crowd. Most people who lived with me were late twenties and a significant number were in their early twenties. A lot of them were vacation divers who were backpacking their way through Central and South America and decided they wanted to dive. Then there were the newly certified OW and AOW students. There was a lot of drinking and partying and I had to bang on peoples doors in the morning to wake them up for the dives. It is like living in your school dorm with diving thrown in somewhere.
If you want your moments of isolation, they have hammocks in which you can rest and read.
Diving:
I will begin by saying that I am really not a reef diver. I like to dive big animals and ship wrecks and that is why coral reefs are really not something that I am usually excited about. If you have been following my earlier threads, I have created a lot of controversy on scubaboard comparing dive destinations in terms of cost VS quality etc. I wanted to try out Utila to see how different it would be from the reefs in Jupiter FL and Florida Keys etc. For me, Utila was an explosion of color and small marine life compared to anything I have seen in Florida. The coral cover was awesome and the underwater terrain and landscapes were amazing even for someone who is not in the sport for the coral reef.
Interesting side note: I was diving with this girl from Australia and she had done her OW and AOW in the Great Barrier reef. She was telling me that while Australia has more sites because barrier reef is so big, quality wise Utila has dive sites that are right up there with the Great Barrier Reef. This further confirmed my belief that in the world of dive-travel quality of diving and price have no real connection. In Utila, it is possible to experience GBR class diving for under 600 USD whereas a trip to Australia would cost over 6000 USD with the airfare.
Some of my favorite sites were Airport Caves, Maze, CJs Drop off and Blackish Point.
The reefs had a lot more life than Florida Keys though big animals were not as frequent as Jupiter. In one week of diving I saw eels (spotted and green,) rays (southern sting ray as well as spotted sting ray), turtle (Hawkbill), porcupine fish and the general reef life in large numbers.
Visibility was 60 feet on most dives and except for my last dive at CJ drop off, there was never any current.
Snorkeling with Whale Sharks:
These snorkeling sessions are seasonal with the best season being March and April. Whale sharks are spotted by the bubbles or “boil” they create on the surface. Upon spotting the boil, skipper will give the signal for a whale shark sighting and you are required to snorkel up and form a two lines sitting in crotch against butt position against the other person. No scuba is allowed. When whale shark appears near the surface, the whole line starts to slide into the water one person after the other so as not to create a splash. From there on it is a stampede of snorkelers following a whale shark.
Additional Tips and Pointers:
Food is plenty and cheap but do not expect luxury or fine dining. If you are staying in Altons then you can walk to a lot of restaurants and eat for 10 USD.
Bank machines are dangerous. A few problems have been reported. Firstly they have run out of money while printing bills and people have been given receipts that they have been paid 100 USD while the machine ran out after 40 USD only. So you get shafted from whatever amount the machine runs out. Secondly, some machines have the reputation of copying credit and bank card information. How far that is true? I do not know. Bank is the safest way to take money and it is walking distance from Altons. The only form of ID they accept is your passport.
Best time to dive is March April and May because of Whale shark probability.
Bug spray and sun-screen are essential.
Besides diving there is nothing else to do. There is a big party scene going on and you can rent a bicycle to explore the island.
I thought I should post a detailed report for those who would like to try out Utila along with my own recommendations of how I would do things differently if I had known what I know now.
First a little …
Introduction to Utila:
It is a smaller island next to Roatan and has a population of around 2500 people. It is one of the friendliest places I have been to with virtually no crime. I was told that people sleep with their doors open at night and the overall culture of the place is extremely laid back and friendly. Locals walk into each other’s homes like they were their own and if you have lived there for a few weeks, you also become an insider. There are very few cars on the island and people drive around in golf carts and mopeds. These are easier to transport to the island than a car and have become the primary mode of transportation on the island. These can also be rented but if you are there for diving alone then they may not be necessary. If you live on the main street then you can walk to anywhere. This is not an island that has great beaches. There are some that are owned by resorts but if you are looking for miles and miles of beach line then Utila is not the place. If you want diving and whale sharks in one trip then Utila is for you.
Getting to Utila:
There are two and a half ways to reach Utila.
- Plane: This is my preferred mode of transportation and something I would recommend. Keep in mind that there is no airport or concrete runway for plane to land on. You will have to buy a spot on one of the private planes. These take off from Roatan and land on a dirt and gravel strip in the middle of banana trees. It is one of the best plane rides that ends in the bumpiest landings I have experienced. This way of going to and from the island adds 300 USD to the vacation but is the most reliable and the most fun way of getting there. The planes are small and you will have to sit on your luggage but since the plane ride is only 15 minutes, it is really not bad.
- Ferry: There is no direct ferry from Roatan to Utila. Had there been one, Utila would be as popular a dive destination as Roatan but for some reason there is none. This means that after coming into Roatan you will have to take the ferry to main land (La Cieba). From there you will board another ferry to Utila but I have no experience with this mode of travel. It is cheaper but adds fatigue and travel time.
Altons Dive Center:
Altons is a great dive and stay facility owned by skipper Alton and Lisa. Lisa manages the office while Alton takes care of boats and operations. They are a great couple and will go to great lengths to ensure you have a pleasant stay and some great diving with them. There are plenty of dive shops in the region but I chose Alton’s because they seem to have the best boats. These boats enable them to make daily trips to the north end of the island which has some dramatic walls and steep drop offs. Since this is deep ocean whale shark sightings happen here at the north end. While other shops offer diving around the island, they do not frequent the northern walls as much as Alton’s and therefore not only are their whale shark sightings less frequent, they also seem to have less dive sites available.
When I landed at the airstrip, Alton had already sent Beto to pick me up. Beto is one of the best dive masters there and he had come in a golf cart to receive me. I was taken to the Dive Center while we chatted about life on the island and diving etc.
Accommodation:
Rooms have bunk beds or twin beds and they cost 10 USD per person. When I arrived there all the rooms were taken except for a King bed room so I got a full room to myself for 10 USD / day. Rooms do not have air-conditioning. You will have a pedestal fan instead. I was warned that rooms will be out-rightly ugly but for 10 USD, the room was really pretty decent. You just need to know what you are getting. It had a bed, a table and a fan. What else do you need?
Bathrooms are shared. You buy your own soap and towels and whatever toiletries you need. This is not a hotel so a shower, a basin and a flush is what you are getting. There are three shared bathrooms in the facility.
Company:
The island attracts a younger backpacker crowd. Most people who lived with me were late twenties and a significant number were in their early twenties. A lot of them were vacation divers who were backpacking their way through Central and South America and decided they wanted to dive. Then there were the newly certified OW and AOW students. There was a lot of drinking and partying and I had to bang on peoples doors in the morning to wake them up for the dives. It is like living in your school dorm with diving thrown in somewhere.
If you want your moments of isolation, they have hammocks in which you can rest and read.
Diving:
I will begin by saying that I am really not a reef diver. I like to dive big animals and ship wrecks and that is why coral reefs are really not something that I am usually excited about. If you have been following my earlier threads, I have created a lot of controversy on scubaboard comparing dive destinations in terms of cost VS quality etc. I wanted to try out Utila to see how different it would be from the reefs in Jupiter FL and Florida Keys etc. For me, Utila was an explosion of color and small marine life compared to anything I have seen in Florida. The coral cover was awesome and the underwater terrain and landscapes were amazing even for someone who is not in the sport for the coral reef.
Interesting side note: I was diving with this girl from Australia and she had done her OW and AOW in the Great Barrier reef. She was telling me that while Australia has more sites because barrier reef is so big, quality wise Utila has dive sites that are right up there with the Great Barrier Reef. This further confirmed my belief that in the world of dive-travel quality of diving and price have no real connection. In Utila, it is possible to experience GBR class diving for under 600 USD whereas a trip to Australia would cost over 6000 USD with the airfare.
Some of my favorite sites were Airport Caves, Maze, CJs Drop off and Blackish Point.
The reefs had a lot more life than Florida Keys though big animals were not as frequent as Jupiter. In one week of diving I saw eels (spotted and green,) rays (southern sting ray as well as spotted sting ray), turtle (Hawkbill), porcupine fish and the general reef life in large numbers.
Visibility was 60 feet on most dives and except for my last dive at CJ drop off, there was never any current.
Snorkeling with Whale Sharks:
These snorkeling sessions are seasonal with the best season being March and April. Whale sharks are spotted by the bubbles or “boil” they create on the surface. Upon spotting the boil, skipper will give the signal for a whale shark sighting and you are required to snorkel up and form a two lines sitting in crotch against butt position against the other person. No scuba is allowed. When whale shark appears near the surface, the whole line starts to slide into the water one person after the other so as not to create a splash. From there on it is a stampede of snorkelers following a whale shark.
Additional Tips and Pointers:
Food is plenty and cheap but do not expect luxury or fine dining. If you are staying in Altons then you can walk to a lot of restaurants and eat for 10 USD.
Bank machines are dangerous. A few problems have been reported. Firstly they have run out of money while printing bills and people have been given receipts that they have been paid 100 USD while the machine ran out after 40 USD only. So you get shafted from whatever amount the machine runs out. Secondly, some machines have the reputation of copying credit and bank card information. How far that is true? I do not know. Bank is the safest way to take money and it is walking distance from Altons. The only form of ID they accept is your passport.
Best time to dive is March April and May because of Whale shark probability.
Bug spray and sun-screen are essential.
Besides diving there is nothing else to do. There is a big party scene going on and you can rent a bicycle to explore the island.
