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Published: June 22nd 2009
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We haven't done much worth writing about for the past couple of weeks. We're still on Utila and have moved houses from one in the little town to a nicer villa on the South beach for a week. There's snorkeling out our back door and blessed air conditioning. It's a mini vacation from our vacation. We have been diving about once a week, usually on Mondays, and this is where I must add a recommendation for Ecomarine dive center in Utila. It's part of a dive shop called "Gunther's" and is owned and operated by a wonderfully experienced German fellow named Hans. He's been diving these waters for 22 years, and know more about diving this island than any dive master you're likely to find anywhere else in the world.
When you get off the ferry here, you'll be met with dozens of people handing out flyers asking you to come dive with them or stay in their motels. Most of these dive "instructors" are young tourists who have only recently received their certifications and are trolling for students to help subsidize their stay on the island. Hans, however, is a Dive Director who enjoys teaching and taking divers out
to "his" spots, and we've been duly rewarded with some of the most exciting diving of our lives. We've seen a six-foot nurse shark, large Eagle Rays, Turtles, Whale Sharks and even elusive Tarpon. Today we were headed to our first dive site and Hans spotted a large school of Dolphins (well over 100 of them) swimming to our north, so we headed over in front of them and slid into the water with our masks and fins. We watched them swim toward us in pod after pod of dolphins, from small pups only a few feet long, to some of the largest nine and ten foot long dolphins I've ever seen. They would swim up, take a good look at us as they swam underneath us, sometimes rolling over and playing with one another to show off, I think. They certainly weren't disturbed by our presence, but just swam under and around us, within a few feet sometimes, and then off into the deep blue. We could hear the unique clicks and squeeks of their remarkable language as they swam by. It was magickal to swim with the dolphins today.
On our second dive, we saw a rare
large red seahorse wrapped around some coral, three large octopi hiding themselves in the rocks, and large ray swimming on the sandy bottom along the edge of the reef. A large turtle swam by overhead. We've been diving many times now, and it's always exciting to talk about the few interesting sites on every dive. But today's adventure was out of this world. The massive six-foot green Moray eel we saw hardly deserves a mention when it would usually be the highlight of the dive.
A day like today makes a trip like this worth every minute, every dollar, and every hassle. It's a good reason to overcome any phobia you may have (like I did) of swimming in the open ocean. I jumped into the deep blue twice to swim with those amazing creatures. This day deserves a good beer, a rum and pineapple, and family and friends to celebrate with. If you love diving, this is the place for you.
Things will pick up the next couple of weeks as we head off of Utila over to Roatan for a day or so, then onto the mainland for 10 days of touring Central America. We're headed to the Copan ruins next, then up to Antigua, Guatemala, and then probably to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, which Aldous Huxley once called "the most beautiful in the world." We'll add photos and info on that whole trip before heading back to New York on the 7th.
Till next time, Safe Travels,
Greg and Tricia
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jessica
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Dive Instructor Tourists
Hi Greg! I'm enjoying reading your blog. VERY good choice to go with someone that LIVES there and is a Dive Instructor, not some party animal with your life in their hands. I have seen far too many people go with inexperienced/what I would consider DANGEROUS Instructor's and these unorganized fools ruin the dive experience for nervous beginners. Good decision in finding an expert, never go for less, esp. if you have ocean fears (they will destroy diving for you)! I was looking to continue my dive career in Honduras... very bad timing with its political state. But I would love to work and learn from someone like Hans! I'm still at the research point of my moving plan though. Keep diving so I can see more!! :P And always be picky with your DM/Instructor's! ---a fellow diver, Jessica