Utila info request..

[boates]

narrowing down on Spring destination,
Does anyone have any experience with Deep Blue Resort on Utila, and/or Utila diving in general?
Thinking of May 09
Thanks

[beluga]

Have you checked out this thread?

countdown to Utila trip.

My favorite sites were Haliburton and Aquarium.

[boates]

o.k. so nobody other than beluga(thanks Beluga) has been to Utila?
How do they still operate?

[Murloc]

Utila Dive Centre | Utila, Bay Island, Honduras - Central America

[beluga]

I went with UDC and Mango Inn and enjoyed it. I saw someone from Deep Blue Resort meeting the ferry. If five minutes worth of observation means anything, they looked very professional and seemed like they would pay attention to detail.

I went beginning of March 2008 which is prime whale shark season. There were sightings in Feb but not while I was there. If you can rearrange to Feb/Mar, chances are better than May,.

[Texas Girl]

You might get more responses if you posted in the Central America/Caribbean forum, instead of the trips one.
http://forum.scubatoys.com/caribbean-central-america/

We have stayed at Laguna Beach Resort twice and love them.
Laguna Beach Resort, Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

[bostondivegirl]

Just got back. I've been trying to post but am having issues. Bear with me and I will post my trip report.

[bostondivegirl]

We just got back from Utila. We stayed at the Laguna Beach Resort and loved it. The resort is about 10 minutes by boat or kayak from the main town. You can ask someone to take you there or you can take a kayak and go on your own…pretty easy. Just remember a flashlight.
Each bungalow has a private deck that you can hang out on, if there is a breeze. If not, the noseeums will bite. Each room had air conditioning and was very clean. Meals were fairly simple and buffet style. There was always salad and fruit….highly recommend the pineapple. The bar was on the honor system where you would take a drink and mark it on the paper with your room letter on it.

Every morning the dive gear was all set up and ready for you. The only thing you were responsible for was your wetsuit , fins and mask. Our captain and dive master were wonderful. We had such a good time with them.
We had 3 dives a day and 2 night dives. There was also a possibility of shore diving from the resort. If you are looking for an abundance of fish, Utila is not the place to go. It was a place to see macro marine life (nudibranchs and sea slugs) that you would normally overlook. The coral formations were breathtaking. There were walls that made you feel so small if you came off them. Amazing.
One of my favorite sites was “Little Bight”. A sandy bottom dive site that packed a punch with seahorses. We also saw a pipehorse, bat fish, yellow sting ray and lesser electric ray. I was however disappointed to see a group of new divers on their OW stirring up the sand and lying in it not taking into account the fragile and delicate ecosystem. Our dive master actually wanted to make sure that we all had good buoyancy before she took us on this dive.
The main reason for us going to Utila was to see a whale shark. But had no luck. We did however, see pilot whales and got a chance to snorkel with spinner dolphins that were playing in the wake of the boat. We also saw a manta ray from the boat, but by the time we were ready to get in the water it had already gone under.
We did see sea turtles and spotted eagle rays.
It is a wonderful place worth the trip and we have already decided to go back next year.
If anyone is interested, I have a personal blog posted. Just email me and I will forward you the link.

[mitsuguy]

here's some general info as well: Utila Official Site - Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras - Tropical Island Paradise I'll be doing my AI/OWSI at Go Pro Utila|PADI IDC|Divemaster & Instructor course|Utila and Roatan|Bay Islands Honduras Central America - Home / Utila Dive Centre | Utila, Bay Island, Honduras - Central America