Ironborn
Contributor
Summary
This first trip of mine to Utila, which was also my second trip to the Bay Islands, exceeded my expectations, was just as or more enjoyable than my first trip to Roatan last year, and fueled my interest in further exploration of the Bay Islands. The underwater environment of Utila was highly rewarding for: its rich reefs, with high proportions of soft coral; the number, diversity, and novelty of its macro critters; its good number of medium-sized animals; the opportunities to snorkel with big animals during surface intervals; and its very easy and nearly ideal diving conditions. Alton's Dive Center exceeded my expectations as a dive operation, particularly its very knowledgeable, skilled, and dedicated divemasters. I found that Utila's reputation as a hub for partying youths in training had no major impact on my experience, and it should not deter older, more sedate, or more experienced divers from visiting Utila. The other guests on the boat were younger and relatively new divers, but these differences had no significantly negative impact on my diving experience. Another advantage of Utila is that it is very cost-competitive; this trip was one of my most affordable Caribbean trips thus far, and also one of my most rewarding, yielding exceptional value for the money. The main downside of Utila is the inconvenience of traveling to and from there, compared to other Caribbean destinations.
Why I Went There
My trip to Roatan last year, when I went to CoCo View, impressed me enough to fuel my interest in further exploration of the Bay Islands. In the interest of novelty, I decided to try another island, and Utila was the most obvious choice. I had gotten the sense that the smaller, more remote, and less developed islands in a given island chain usually offer better diving experiences (e.g. Little Cayman vs. Grand Cayman, Bonaire vs. Curaçao, Lighthouse Reef vs. Turneffe Atoll). I found that this observation turned out to be true in this case as well. The underwater environment of Utila struck me as similar to that of the south side of Roatan, but better in its marine life and diving conditions. Those that enjoy the underwater environment of Roatan would probably enjoy that of Utila even more. The biggest distinction between the two islands was topside, as they seemed to attract different demographics of divers, and their dive operation markets are different too. The stand-alone dive shops seem to dominate the market on Utila, whereas Roatan has a mix of resorts and stand-alone dive shops. Utila had a younger and more diverse crowd, whereas Roatan had an older and more American crowd.
(to be continued on this thread)
This first trip of mine to Utila, which was also my second trip to the Bay Islands, exceeded my expectations, was just as or more enjoyable than my first trip to Roatan last year, and fueled my interest in further exploration of the Bay Islands. The underwater environment of Utila was highly rewarding for: its rich reefs, with high proportions of soft coral; the number, diversity, and novelty of its macro critters; its good number of medium-sized animals; the opportunities to snorkel with big animals during surface intervals; and its very easy and nearly ideal diving conditions. Alton's Dive Center exceeded my expectations as a dive operation, particularly its very knowledgeable, skilled, and dedicated divemasters. I found that Utila's reputation as a hub for partying youths in training had no major impact on my experience, and it should not deter older, more sedate, or more experienced divers from visiting Utila. The other guests on the boat were younger and relatively new divers, but these differences had no significantly negative impact on my diving experience. Another advantage of Utila is that it is very cost-competitive; this trip was one of my most affordable Caribbean trips thus far, and also one of my most rewarding, yielding exceptional value for the money. The main downside of Utila is the inconvenience of traveling to and from there, compared to other Caribbean destinations.
Why I Went There
My trip to Roatan last year, when I went to CoCo View, impressed me enough to fuel my interest in further exploration of the Bay Islands. In the interest of novelty, I decided to try another island, and Utila was the most obvious choice. I had gotten the sense that the smaller, more remote, and less developed islands in a given island chain usually offer better diving experiences (e.g. Little Cayman vs. Grand Cayman, Bonaire vs. Curaçao, Lighthouse Reef vs. Turneffe Atoll). I found that this observation turned out to be true in this case as well. The underwater environment of Utila struck me as similar to that of the south side of Roatan, but better in its marine life and diving conditions. Those that enjoy the underwater environment of Roatan would probably enjoy that of Utila even more. The biggest distinction between the two islands was topside, as they seemed to attract different demographics of divers, and their dive operation markets are different too. The stand-alone dive shops seem to dominate the market on Utila, whereas Roatan has a mix of resorts and stand-alone dive shops. Utila had a younger and more diverse crowd, whereas Roatan had an older and more American crowd.
(to be continued on this thread)