I'm placing this in the "New Divers" forum in the hopes that New Divers will consider Honduras for their dive travel...
First, let me say that I just returned from Utila, one of the three major bay islands off the coast of Honduras.
I will talk a little about the diving later in this post, but first I want to talk about economics and how the US Economy and our Government have hurt Honduras and other travel destinations around the globe.
What I learned through speaking to dive shop owners and employees during my visit is that dive travel to Honduras was down 40% due to the tanking US economy prior to the coupe which ousted the elected President Manuel Zelaya and it has been down 70% since the coupe. Two of the three major resorts on Utila have closed and the Utila Aggressor live-aboard has been idled for the past month.
I want to ask all of you to consider choosing the Bay Islands of Honduras for your next dive trip. First and foremost it is important to understand that the overthrow of the government was needed and was sought by an over-whelming majority of the people we spoke to - both upper class and extremely poor lower class. The Honduran people are very proud to be a democracy and wish to remain that way - and the coupe was the only way to achieve that. Zelaya was in full-swing of turning Honduras into a dictatorship and had swindled millions of dollars in US aid which had come to Honduras for himself. More than one person reported a number around $20 million dollars being found in a mattress in his bed. An election is forthcoming and Honduras will remain a democracy. Having been there twice previously, I can tell you that my journey both on the mainland and the islands went without a hitch. The genuine and friendly people of Honduras are not at all happy with our Government for initially supporting Zelaya, but they reported the US Government seems to have changed their tune as the evidence against Zelaya has come out.
What does all this mean? It means travel to Honduras is safe and the benefits many.
The diving in the Bay Islands is probably the best in this hemisphere and the best offered anywhere in the Caribbean and Central America. The reefs of Utila are healthy and vibrant... in fact the healthiest corals I have seen in many years. Roatan has some great wreck and wall dives. Both islands offer good resorts and are very safe for travel The people who live on these islands are very dependent on tourism to put food on the table. I encourage you to help rebuild their tourism industry by scheduling a trip to one of the bay islands... Roatan, Utila or Guanaja. I'll be happy to provide you with recommendations if you PM me.
Our government and media are largely to blame for the over-reaction to the coupe. To a person, everyone in Honduras said it was tough being down 40% due to a poor US economy... but it was death when it went down 70% after the coupe and has been this way for more than six months now. It's time to return to the Bay Islands... you'll love this little piece of paradise.
First, let me say that I just returned from Utila, one of the three major bay islands off the coast of Honduras.
I will talk a little about the diving later in this post, but first I want to talk about economics and how the US Economy and our Government have hurt Honduras and other travel destinations around the globe.
What I learned through speaking to dive shop owners and employees during my visit is that dive travel to Honduras was down 40% due to the tanking US economy prior to the coupe which ousted the elected President Manuel Zelaya and it has been down 70% since the coupe. Two of the three major resorts on Utila have closed and the Utila Aggressor live-aboard has been idled for the past month.
I want to ask all of you to consider choosing the Bay Islands of Honduras for your next dive trip. First and foremost it is important to understand that the overthrow of the government was needed and was sought by an over-whelming majority of the people we spoke to - both upper class and extremely poor lower class. The Honduran people are very proud to be a democracy and wish to remain that way - and the coupe was the only way to achieve that. Zelaya was in full-swing of turning Honduras into a dictatorship and had swindled millions of dollars in US aid which had come to Honduras for himself. More than one person reported a number around $20 million dollars being found in a mattress in his bed. An election is forthcoming and Honduras will remain a democracy. Having been there twice previously, I can tell you that my journey both on the mainland and the islands went without a hitch. The genuine and friendly people of Honduras are not at all happy with our Government for initially supporting Zelaya, but they reported the US Government seems to have changed their tune as the evidence against Zelaya has come out.
What does all this mean? It means travel to Honduras is safe and the benefits many.
The diving in the Bay Islands is probably the best in this hemisphere and the best offered anywhere in the Caribbean and Central America. The reefs of Utila are healthy and vibrant... in fact the healthiest corals I have seen in many years. Roatan has some great wreck and wall dives. Both islands offer good resorts and are very safe for travel The people who live on these islands are very dependent on tourism to put food on the table. I encourage you to help rebuild their tourism industry by scheduling a trip to one of the bay islands... Roatan, Utila or Guanaja. I'll be happy to provide you with recommendations if you PM me.
Our government and media are largely to blame for the over-reaction to the coupe. To a person, everyone in Honduras said it was tough being down 40% due to a poor US economy... but it was death when it went down 70% after the coupe and has been this way for more than six months now. It's time to return to the Bay Islands... you'll love this little piece of paradise.
