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Published: October 25th 2009
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On the morning of October 2nd, we took the ferry from La Ceiba to Utila, the westernmost Bay Island and the mecca of diving backpackers. Right off the ferry, we were accosted by many representatives from different dive shops handing us their flyers and telling us their specials. It would have been a bit overwhelming had we not had any idea of where to go. But luckily for us, George had been in communication with one of the dive centers, Underwater Vision, after being recommended by 2 separate individuals: Tony, the guy who we met at the guesthouse in La Ceiba, and Tanya, an Italian girl who we met on the shuttle from Antigua to Pana, and a former employee and divemaster who had loved diving so much that after taking her classes, she stayed there and worked for a few months.
The main town of Utila is on a U-shaped bay with one main street running the length of the bay and a few others branching off. The Underwater Vision Dive Center was only a few minutes walk from the dock and we got there quickly enough with the guidance of one of their employees who was sent to
the ferry to recruit. Once there, we were introduced to the owner´s daughter, Tamara or Tammy, who did most of the computer and paperwork, and one of the divemasters, Dave, who would be my instructor. George decided to sign up for a 10-dive package, while I signed up for the PADI open water certification course, seeing as I have never dived before in my life and am excited yet anxious to start.
My first day consisted of watching PADI videos, reading a few chapters, and answering questions at the end of each chapter. The first chapter was about air being compressed as you dive due to increasing pressure so in order to stay alive and keep your body functioning, you have to breathe continuously while diving and to equalize your air spaces (ears and mask). Understandable and easy enough - they didn´t even get very specific or mention Boyle´s law. Then there was all the gear components, hand signals, and the different skills I have to learn and be able to do underwater (mask clearing, regulator recovery, etc.). It wasn´t until the afternoon of the second day that I got into the water with all the equipment for my
contained dive. The feeling of being underwater and breathing was quite strange and I don´t think I really enjoyed that first time underwater as there were so many skills that I had to do - some which was quite confusing as my instructor and the DMT (divemaster in training) couldn´t talk underwater and had to give me instructions by miming everything (and write instructions as a last resort). By the way, the mask removal and replacement is the worst thing I had to do as I don´t like having water up my nose and my contacts burned everytime my eyes came into contact with saltwater.
The fun part started the next day when I did my first open water dive. By this time, George had already done his scuba review the first afternoon and had already gone on 2 boat trips with 2 dives each. He decided to come with us for my open water dive and be my buddy. Diving open water among the coral reefs as great! On my first two dives, we saw lots of different species of fish including a school of blue tangs (i.e. Dory from Finding Nemo), a lobster, and a couple of
stingrays. We even saw a young hawksbill turtle swimming near the boat after we surfaced. I got the hang of maintaining my bouyancy by the end of my second open water dive. George enjoyed his dive with me as well (I think) so much so that he volunteered to be my buddy for the rest of my open water dives for the PADI certification, so after two more dives the next day amongst corral canyons and tropical fish, I was an official PADI diver.
We decided to take a one day break from diving the next day and George decides that he wanted to go and see the cave on the island. It turns out that to get to the cave required several hours walk in the blazing sun with little shade through mosquito-laden woods. The cave turned out to be just a hole in the ground, literally, with some water within and infested with more mosquitos. I wasn't too happy about the trip, which took the best part of the day. I did however enjoy the milkshake that followed.
On our last day in Utila, we went on our last 2 dives together. Unfortunately the wind was
quite strong during our last outing and currents were high, so it was quite rough getting into and out of the water. However, once underneath the surface, the water was calmer except for a current surge or two. That night, after a terrific BBQ dinner, we packed up our backpacks again and set the alarm bright and early to catch the ferry back to the mainland.
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Scoot503
Scott Bybee
Next Time????
Next time you make it down to Honduras you should check out D and D brewery. Bob is the only micro brewer in central America and the Caribbean.