We were on Utila April 28th - May 6th and since this board was so helpful to me, here's my trip report.
We flew into Teguc and with the airport closures, had to take the 7 hr bus ride to Ceiba. We followed a recommendation found here to stay at the Hotel Colonial and got a very clean room for around $15.
We had not made formal arrangements with any dive shops but while stuck in Teguc, Tex of Ecomarine was very helpful on the phone so we ended up diving with them. Before we left, Neil Ross of Utila Dive Center was very responsive via email and Sylvia at BICD was helpful via phone so I want to give them their fair due as well.
All in all, we were VERY satisfied with Ecomarine and all of the staff there. There are several long-term instructors and the more recent hires were all exceptional as well. Tex either has a great network from which to hire from or does a great job picking and choosing solid instructors and good people. I did not get to dive with everyone but a few stood out in particular. Baker leads a great dive, was very conscious of the divers with him, and finds a lot of small stuff on the reef, making sure that there was something to talk about after every dive. Besides being a very solid diver and instructor, Reto has an infectiously upbeat personality and genuine appreciation for the ocean and creatures. You can't help but get caught up in his excitement after a dive. Michael worked with my girlfriend while she was doing her referral check out dives and was a very patient instructor. While not directly involved in the training, Maya went out of her way to check in on my girlfriend and make sure she was OK. The atmosphere in general around the shop was great. At times we couldn't tell who worked there, who was diving, or who was just hanging out for the afternoon. Everyone was welcome and it was one of the more relaxing places on the island. As if you couldn't tell, we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with everyone there.
As far as the actual diving, we spent most of our time on the South side but did get up for 2 morning trips to the North side. On both of those trips we had some minor boat trouble that caused half hour delays. While the delays were a nuisance, I did not get the feeling that they were due to neglect or incompetence. One issue was a belt slipping and I can't even remember the other. The quality of the diving was good and about on par with Ambergris Caye and Cay Caulker in Belize. During the week the morning boat saw two whale sharks but snorkelers were only able to get in the water for one quick glimpse. Some of the diving highlights were a school of Tarpon, 3 turtles, a Longlure Frogfish, a huge Toadfish, scorpionfish, and many Spotted drum. The haze from the smoke on the mainland prevented a lot of direct sunlight underwater but visibility was still good, probably a minimum of 40 feet (but I'm terrible at judging). My favorite site was Ted's point due the pillars and valley topography and I would rate it a must-see for anyone there.
In short, the diving was very good, the staff were great, and I would recommend Ecomarine to anyone.
We were a little disappointed with the food on the island but I had underestimated that Utila is still a backpacker and budget diver destination, not a 5 star resort area. Our favorite restaurant was La Piccola, the hand made ravioli were better than what I get in the Italian section of Boston. (Try the Shrimp ravioli, not the lobster) Munchies was consistently decent, if not exotic. Ultralight was very good and has the best fresh orange that I could find. The restaurant atop BICD has a limited menu but the pasta dish we had was excellent. Zanzibar cafe on the Eastern end of town had a solid breakfast, be sure to try a fruit smoothy.
We spent the first few nights at the Bayview Inn before moving to Colibri Hill. We had a basic room with a fan at the Bayview for $18 and it was pretty clean. There were a lot of small ants on the ground floor so try to get upstairs if you can. The Colibri was VERY nice by Utila standards and an A/C room goes for $35 or $39, depending on what the sign says and what they feel like charging. You do get a $5 discount for each day you dive with Ecomarine so be sure to speak with Tex there if you go that route.
Phew, I had grand plans for writing an eloquent novel but that's about all I can regurgitate tonight. If anyone has any specific questions, post them here and I'll answer what I can.
Happy Diving ...
We flew into Teguc and with the airport closures, had to take the 7 hr bus ride to Ceiba. We followed a recommendation found here to stay at the Hotel Colonial and got a very clean room for around $15.
We had not made formal arrangements with any dive shops but while stuck in Teguc, Tex of Ecomarine was very helpful on the phone so we ended up diving with them. Before we left, Neil Ross of Utila Dive Center was very responsive via email and Sylvia at BICD was helpful via phone so I want to give them their fair due as well.
All in all, we were VERY satisfied with Ecomarine and all of the staff there. There are several long-term instructors and the more recent hires were all exceptional as well. Tex either has a great network from which to hire from or does a great job picking and choosing solid instructors and good people. I did not get to dive with everyone but a few stood out in particular. Baker leads a great dive, was very conscious of the divers with him, and finds a lot of small stuff on the reef, making sure that there was something to talk about after every dive. Besides being a very solid diver and instructor, Reto has an infectiously upbeat personality and genuine appreciation for the ocean and creatures. You can't help but get caught up in his excitement after a dive. Michael worked with my girlfriend while she was doing her referral check out dives and was a very patient instructor. While not directly involved in the training, Maya went out of her way to check in on my girlfriend and make sure she was OK. The atmosphere in general around the shop was great. At times we couldn't tell who worked there, who was diving, or who was just hanging out for the afternoon. Everyone was welcome and it was one of the more relaxing places on the island. As if you couldn't tell, we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with everyone there.
As far as the actual diving, we spent most of our time on the South side but did get up for 2 morning trips to the North side. On both of those trips we had some minor boat trouble that caused half hour delays. While the delays were a nuisance, I did not get the feeling that they were due to neglect or incompetence. One issue was a belt slipping and I can't even remember the other. The quality of the diving was good and about on par with Ambergris Caye and Cay Caulker in Belize. During the week the morning boat saw two whale sharks but snorkelers were only able to get in the water for one quick glimpse. Some of the diving highlights were a school of Tarpon, 3 turtles, a Longlure Frogfish, a huge Toadfish, scorpionfish, and many Spotted drum. The haze from the smoke on the mainland prevented a lot of direct sunlight underwater but visibility was still good, probably a minimum of 40 feet (but I'm terrible at judging). My favorite site was Ted's point due the pillars and valley topography and I would rate it a must-see for anyone there.
In short, the diving was very good, the staff were great, and I would recommend Ecomarine to anyone.
We were a little disappointed with the food on the island but I had underestimated that Utila is still a backpacker and budget diver destination, not a 5 star resort area. Our favorite restaurant was La Piccola, the hand made ravioli were better than what I get in the Italian section of Boston. (Try the Shrimp ravioli, not the lobster) Munchies was consistently decent, if not exotic. Ultralight was very good and has the best fresh orange that I could find. The restaurant atop BICD has a limited menu but the pasta dish we had was excellent. Zanzibar cafe on the Eastern end of town had a solid breakfast, be sure to try a fruit smoothy.
We spent the first few nights at the Bayview Inn before moving to Colibri Hill. We had a basic room with a fan at the Bayview for $18 and it was pretty clean. There were a lot of small ants on the ground floor so try to get upstairs if you can. The Colibri was VERY nice by Utila standards and an A/C room goes for $35 or $39, depending on what the sign says and what they feel like charging. You do get a $5 discount for each day you dive with Ecomarine so be sure to speak with Tex there if you go that route.
Phew, I had grand plans for writing an eloquent novel but that's about all I can regurgitate tonight. If anyone has any specific questions, post them here and I'll answer what I can.
Happy Diving ...
