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We will be staying one week in utila and one week in roatan. I was wondering what island would be best to take a wreck diving course. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Roatan has some nice wrecks, but not all of them are good for penetration. On Utila we have a wreck that is very intact and is an excellent size for penetration and for doing the whole wreck specialty course (I'm a wreck instructor). Really either location would have a good site for you, but having dove on both islands I'm partial to Utila.
Very, very few divers have done all of the available wrecks on Roatan. Most, even the long term instructors, have no idea where some of them lay.
On the North side, the reef structure causes the wrecks to be at a considerable depth, and the wind/wave action has caused them to rip apart pretty quickly after placement. The Oddysey and the Aguila are these two. Here are some very early photos Roatan wreck scuba diving - history - information They look a lot more tattered now.
On the South side, there are three wrecks, two of which are extremely shallow and in areas protected from storm surge damage. These two would be the Mr Bud and the Prince Albert. The PA is used for wreck specialty training. It lies in 35>65 fsw and is upright. The Mr. Bud is just a very open shrimper that lies in 60fsw- not an optimum structure for training of wreck penetration, but even there, the principles apply and can be taught, but the PA is a very often used wreck for this class. Here's the operator that was involved in placing it- right in front of the wreck itself: PADI Courses and Divemaster Internship - Dockside Dive Center You can do it as an easy shore dive, 24/7.
The third wreck- I have no idea what it's "given" name is/was, but it lies behind Little French Key. I would put it in the category as an "advanced" dive, penetration or not. I have been in/on it maybe a dozen times, not much fun for the average warm water pretty fish diver (like me).
We will be staying one week in utila and one week in roatan. I was wondering what island would be best to take a wreck diving course. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
I am also a wreck instructor and have been diving wrecks on utila & Roatan for years. Since you say you are going to Utila first and then on to Roatan I would suggest you do the course on Utila. The Halliburton is an excellent wreck laying on sand in 100fsw.. It is an excellent wreck to take the course and do some penetration along the way. I have certified numerous wreck divers on this wreck. I suggest Matt Awty at Coral View or Andy Phillips at Utila Dive Center. If on the other hand you decide on Roatan......I suggest Serena at www.roatansplashinn.com. Hope you enjoy the Bay Islands!!!
I am also a wreck instructor and have been diving wrecks on utila & Roatan for years. Since you say you are going to Utila first and then on to Roatan I would suggest you do the course on Utila. The Halliburton is an excellent wreck laying on sand in 100fsw.. It is an excellent wreck to take the course and do some penetration along the way. I have certified numerous wreck divers on this wreck. I suggest Matt Awty at Coral View or Andy Phillips at Utila Dive Center. If on the other hand you decide on Roatan......I suggest Serena at www.roatansplashinn.com. Hope you enjoy the Bay Islands!!!
Most here are PADI or other recreational divers, I may be mistaken but are,'t penetrations limited by depth? By recreational standards wouldn't any penetration of the Haliburton exceed standards?
130ft linear distance from the surface is the standard on the wreck penetration. The Halliburton lays on 100ft in the sand, the deepest penetration point is around 95ft, so still allowing 35ft in. If you were to penetrate at a shallower entrance of 80-85ft this would allow 50-45ft penetration. The Halliburton also makes a good penetration wreck, as the other standard is to always remain within the natural light zone (in addition to rule of 1/3 or even 1/4 on more challenging wrecks, and no restrictions) which is the case even at the furthest linear penetration, in most areas of the wreck. For training purposes there are minimal hazards as it has been cleaned like all other scuttled wrecks in the Bay Islands, however percolation and silt pockets still exist allowing the Instructor to caution the students on the inherent risks that still exist even on scuttled wrecks. If the line is not given a placement as in cave diving, there also exists the risk of entrapment in a restriction, which again reinforces to the student proper line placement and tie off techniques.
Sounds good is Coral View or UDC closer to the Lighthouse Inn. Is nitrox required? Also I have been hearing about safety being an issue in Honduras is there anything you can tell me so I can be better prepared?
udc is much closer. re. safety don't worry utila is very different than the mainland. that said my 74yr old mother just spent 10 days traveling the mainland by public bus and had a lovely time. just use common sense as you would in any third world country.
Sounds good is Coral View or UDC closer to the Lighthouse Inn. Is nitrox required? Also I have been hearing about safety being an issue in Honduras is there anything you can tell me so I can be better prepared?
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Originally Posted by sandboader73
