Hey Blog readers!
Did you miss me?
Sorry about the lack of communication.
As you know, we were in Utila over Easter and the internet connection
was a bit spotty and, truthfully, I was really too busy diving to write! I guess that is a good thing. I did manage to post a couple of videos to
Facebook there showing a brilliant red sea horse, the Halliburton wreck and our
whale shark encounters.
Utila is one of a few destinations that I never tire of. It is remote and fairly primitive compared to
places like Cozumel or Aruba, but that quality is what draws me there. I especially love staying at Utila Lodge, an
eight room all inclusive resort. The
rooms are literally over the water, so guests can be lulled to sleep each night
by the sounds of the ocean. The food
that is prepared there daily is not fancy at all, but is nutritious and well
balanced: salads, fresh fruit, barbequed pork, baked fish, shrimp, chicken and
other dishes sure to satisfy after a day of diving. The desserts, though, were a highlight, my
favorite, though were the snickerdoodles!
The weather was fantastic: 87F plus on the land, and 83F in
the water. Kisty Engel, the resort
owner, is a friendly, fun person and was a wonderful host to our group. She and
her late husband, Jim pioneered diving in Utila, building the island’s first
dive resort, first hyperbaric chamber and setting up the first permanent
moorings. We have much to thank them for
as this island has some of the most beautiful reefs and marine diversity
around.
As I mentioned, our package included three dives per day
with two night dives. Willie, our dive
master, was great at spotting critters, such as mushroom scorpionfish, sea
horses, arrow blennie, decorator crabs, juvenile spotted drums and tiny hermit
crabs. Though dive leaders tend to ignore the sandy areas of the reef, Willie
showed us how interesting they can be by spotting tiny hooded sea slugs,
pipefish and a northern stargazer on our night dive. Each dive was better than the last.
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