32. 7-21st March. Pirates take over Utila!!

---

7/03/08
So we were on the small ferry to take us to Honduras by 9am after buying snacks for the journey from the small shop at the dock. Luckily we did as it took about an hour to leave by the time they filled the boat to the top with cargo and by the time the grumpy boarding officer looked through everyones passports. We met two blokes on the ferry (i keep calling it a ferry but it was a small fishing boat!) who we knew from Cay Caulker and enjoyed most of the boat journey at the front looking out to sea soaking up the fresh sea air. There were tiny islands and coral breaks along the way to kep our eyes entertained. Between us and the two other lads we managed to book a mini bus to La Ceiba which is the port town from where you catch the ferry to Utila. We spent ages in customs and then we got dropped off at a cash point to where we got a suprise. There was an guard armed with a shotgun standing by the cash point! We were all starving hungry and got pointed in the direction of Wendys. We walked in to be greeted by the usual big cheesey Wendy sign and standing directly underneath it was a securtiy guard armed with two pistols! OK then! We decided to take our food on the go and headed back to the minibus where the long bus journey began. We stopped at one point as the luggage was about to fall off the top of the bus! I think the rest of the group were willing to leave Natalie and I by the side of the road as we were singing aong to Backstreet Boys on my Ipod! We arrived at 9pm and as it was a couple asked if they could follow us around looking for accomodation as all the usual places were booked up. We found a hotel off the main street after about twenty minutes of walking around being stared at by all the locals. Myself and the three other English lads shared a room and it wasnt long till we were fast asleep after a long days travels.

8/03/08
We woke up for the ferry at 7.30am to find out it had been cancelled due to bad weather. We decided to go out into the main part of town to get some breakfast and got caught in a down pore! Within minutes the roads turned into rivers and being experienced travellers...none of us had any wet gear with us. In fact the girls were wearing shortish skirts and white shirts. Imagine the locals delight to see us running down the street! After breakfast we found an internet cafe where i spoke to my family on skype. We found out then that the bad weather was here to stay for a few days. In a town were there is nothing to do! We had an awesome dinner which mainly consisted of nachos in a boiling pot full of great tasting dips. Hoping to catch the ferry the next morning all of us were in bed again by 10pm.

9/03/08
So the ferry was cancelled once again but it was due to the wind. The rain had stopped so things were looking up. We had beakfast at the same place and a boy came into the cafe eating peoples leftovers. We gave him some money and food. We walked through the market where the boys bought some bandanas...not to sure why?! I saw another guard with a shotgun accross the road and wanted to get a 'bad arse' photo taken with him. So i asked Julia to come with me as she spoke quite good Spanish...just in case he went to shhot me! She acted as my translater and i got my 'bad arse' photo. The guard loved it!ha I spent the evening in an internet cafe but lost track of time and had to walk back in the dark through some dodgy looking streets by myself. I did have some boy racers drive past me a couple of times but I got back in one piece. We had dinner at a place by the sea and us boys were contemplating going to the lapdancing place nearbye. When we got close we took one look at it and decided against it. Not to sure we would have got out in one piece...or with any money left in our pockets!ha Once again we had another early night hoping to catch the ferry in the morning.

10/03/10
The ferry was running so we got two taxis to the port. We got there in plenty of time but due to the backlog of people waiting to go they were running two ferries that day. We missed the first one and had to wait till 11.30am to catch the next. The queues were huge! It was goot to see so many backpackers again though. Even though the day looked like a perfect one the sea was still choppy and people were being sick. I was just so excited and being a Monday i was hoping to start my course today. Our friend Howard did look pale green on the ferry though and Julia was beging to feel the affects as well. We got to Utila and i met Jason from UDC diving school where he showed me to Mango Inn where i was going to stay till i found my own place to live. I said my goodbyes to my friends as they were going with different diving school based just off the island. They were a good group and was thankful they welcomed me into their group so quickly. Anyway i had time to throw my bags into my five person dorm room, swapped names with my new Irish room mate Darren and then had to run down to the dive centre. From there, i then had to run to the bank to get the money to pay for my course. I was running around like a headless chicken! I got shown around the dive centre briefly and it became obvious then how bust this dive centre was. Very! I got rushed to the classroom where i met three other divemasters in training Bec from OZ, Julia and Melly from Germany. They were all starting today as well. We had classroom till 6pm and then were given homework to be done for the next day. I got back to my tiny dorm room knackered, where i had to climb up to my top bunk and try to revise whilst trying not to listen to the conversations going on just outside our room. I have to admit i did think i had made a mistake at this point. The first impression i got from the dive shop wasnt a friendly one!

11/03/08
The walk down to the dive shop took about 20 mins and at 7.30am you could already feel the sun beating down on your skin! I had breakfast at Big Mammas House cafe but due to their stupidy relaxed attitudes towards everything i ended up having my porage to go as porage seemingly takes about 30mins to make. So off i ran with my poarge in one hand and my fruit smoothie in the other. I ran through the dive shop and into my classroom where my new fellow divemasters and teacher were waiting for me. I didnt look to stupid at all! After siiting an exam i met up with Darren back at Mangos where he and I both agreed to try and get a flat. He spent the rest of the day walking around the island looking for accomodation. Luckily for us it was their busiest time of year so places for rent were sparce! I had my first two fun dives this afternoon which were really good. On the first dive we saw a turtle and on the second we were suppose to see a small wreck but our divemaster leading us called Susie ( a crazy blonde girl from Southamton) couldnt find it. Divemasters in training are suppose to use the equipment that is left after sorting out all the customers etc. I done so this morning and ended up diving with a damaged wet suit, a small bcd, a stupidly long weight belt with no weights and fins that were two sizes to big! Luckily for me first impressions dont mean a thing?! By the time we got back and put all the equipment away it was time to sit at the end of the pier, with a cold beer in one hand and watch the sunset. It was a good way to meet all the other people at the dive center. Got back to Mangos by 8pm where i met our new room mates, Bob and Ryan. Both Americans who sold up back home and left with the intentions of never returning home. They had a lot of bags..about 5 each! Darren had found a place with three rooms and Bob and Ryan were interested in the third room. I spent a few hours revising before crashing out. Was getting fed up already with the top bunk and wanted my own place so badly. Was longing for privacy big time!

12/03/08
My alram went off at 6am. 6am! I dont even get up that early for work back home! By 6.30am i was at the dive shop loading the boats with tanks. Let me just say that that is some good morning exercise and something i really enjoyed. Yes, im quite weird! The dives we had in the morning were wicked. Our second dive was full of awesome caves and we saw a Moray eel. Well i spotted it and pointed out to Beck which took her a good minute to see it and when she eventually did her face was about 5 inches away from its mouth. Safe to say she moved back very quickly!ha After lunch we had skill circuits and once again spent the evening watching the sunset at the end po the pier. I could tell already that this was going to be a very important part of the day for the duration of my stay here on this small island. I met Becs Scottish boyfriend (forgot his name but awesome lad) and everyone arranged to meet for dinner. Being that Becs place was nearbye i ended up getting ready round there and ended up flooding their bathroom. Oh, and their bedroom. I didnt close the shower curtain fully! Whoops! We all laughed about it though. After dinner and many drinks i walked home to find out that i had been locked out (i forgot my keys!) so i ran back to Becs hoping they would still be awake. They were and i even got a sandwhich at 1am! I spent the night on their spare bed. What an eventful night!ha

13/03/08
I woke up to the smell of scrambled eggs and within seconds of my eyes opening Bec placed a plate of food infront of me...she had been trained well!ha Julia, Melly, Bec and I had our 400m swim test at 9am which we all passed. We then had to float for 15mins followed by 2 mins without using our arms. Staright after that was our 800m swim using fins only. After a physicaly draining morning i regained my strength with Darren by the pool at Mangos sunbathing...and revising. I was back at the dive center by 7pm where we had a meeting. The meeting took place at the end of the pier with beers in our hands again. A bit different to the meetings of old back home! We had another classroom session followed by an exam and i finally got back to my lovely top bunk by 9pm. I was far to tired to go out and went straight to sleep!

14/03/08
Today wad its ups and downs. Susie and I had been sent to our sister dive center to get some more diving gear that was needed for our customers and by the time we got back the boa had left without us. We were not happy! But as i stomped back up to Mangos i met Darren who told me the good news. It was time to move into our house! Within seconds i was packed and on the move. It was only about 2 mins away from Mangos (which was good as we were still close to our free pool !) and when we walked up to our gate..yes our gate, i couldnt believe how awesome it looked. Bascially the house was huge with two floors. The downstairs was rented out to a local family and the upstairs was ours. We had our own stair case which led to our balcony and when we walked in i felt like i had died and gone to heaven. Inside was amazing. Polished wood floors, huge living and dining room, massive kitched and three bedrooms. Darren had the master room as he done all the hard work and i had one of the single rooms which felt like my own slice of heaven. You really appreciate things more after travelling for a while!ha To say i was happy would be a huge understatement! I had classroom again at 6pm where i told Frank (my tutor) about being stitched up this morning. On the way back i got really excited about something really sad...food shopping! I cant begin to explain how excited i was waking up in the morning and cooking breakast and having cereal with cold milk...mmm!! I went to sleep that night huge ease!

15/03/08
As a way of saying sorry myself and a few of the other divemasters in trainig got moved to the North side boat which is the boat with the high paying customers. Its goes to the other side of the island where the dives are suppose to be better. And better they were. I had four fun dives over the ourse of the day and two of them were classed as the best around the island. One of them was along a huge coral wall where you could swim underneath it at 25m and everynow and then you come accross a cave you can explore. One cave had a hollow pathway leading straight up towards the top of the coral wall and myself followed by a few other divemasters swam up it which was an awesome experience. Something i have never done before but something i definately tend to do again! After an amazing day of fun diving with the other divemasters i met up with my first lot of open water students at 4pm with dive instructor Claire. They were starting thier course tomorrow and Bec and I were assisting Claire. It was a big class of 9 students but was really excited to start! When i got back to MY HOUSE i went to bed with the intenion of waking up at 7.30pm to go out for a few drinks with the other lads. By this time Ryan and Bob had moved in. Even though they were knocking on my door i never woke up. I needed sleep. Im not asking for sympathy but diving is really tiring!ha

16/03/08
I had two fun dives in the morning before starting the open water course. My first job in assisting was to brush the under water mat for the confined session. I thought they were taking the piss out of me when they handed me the broom! But off i went with my snorkel gear (as the mat was only 6 foot deep) and broom and jumped in. I realy enjoyed assisting on my first session and even though i felt inexperienced still, the students look up to you as if your god which felt really weird..weird but awesome! We had a review at 5pm and Clair (the instructor) was pleases with Bec and I. I spent the evening back in my house revising at the very posh dining room table with Darren. Darren was revising for his instructor course in a few weeks time. Being a bad arse i was in bed by 9pm dreaming of the fishies!ha

17/03/08
I was at the dive centre by 7pm where we had our second confined session but this session took place on the deeper mat. Once again i had the job of cleaning it but using scuba gear. I have to admit i spent most of my time looking for fish rather than sweeping the mat! That afternoon i had two fun dives with the other divemasters which are always fun. You dont have anyone leading you, you have no students to worry about and you play...a lot! The first dive though we surfaced about 200m away from the boat...whoops! Good fun though! After another briefing we had a team meeting at the end on the peir eating pizza and drinking beer. I was suppose to go to a bbq with Chloe and Tanna (two students) and a few others but ended up staying in the comforts of my own home. Darren and I stayed up till 11pm talking about back home and future plans. The awesome thing about travelling is that you end up having conversations with people you meet after a few days that would take you years back home after meeting someone.

18/03/08
I had my first open water dive this morning with students and oh my god! Talk about tiring work. The whole dive I was jumping on people and grabbing ther feet to stop them from flaoting up to the surface (i found out that this is very common and happens on every course!). I dont remember seeing a single fish as you concentrate on the students so much! Really enjoyed it though and when we all came up to the surface you get to see the students reaction to their first ever open water dive and that alone gave me a huge buzz. From that point i could tell that this job could give me huge job satisfaction. Something ihave never felt before. There was nine students including a father and daughter. The daughter only being about 14 years old. We all met up for dinner that night as arranged earlier that day(you are expected to take the students out for nights out but thats a bonus for me!) and thats when i found out that the daughter had a crush on me. My friends Chloe and Tanna were sharing a room with them and apparently the girl wouldn't shut up about me. What can i say, she has good taste!ha We had a lovely dinner and was getting some really good vibes of the students. I might have found something that im really good at! About time!

19/03/08
We had the third and final open water dives with the students in the morning and there was a huge improvement from the day before. Once again seeing the students enjoying the alien like scenery gave me a huge buzz. I done my first boat briefing as well today which was a cool feeling. I remember being an open water student and thinking how confident i felt with the instuctors leading us so i took the role very seriously...but obviously having a laugh as well. Jessica, the videotographer always attends the final day of a course to capture the fun under the water so that the students have an option of prchasing a video of them under the water. A very good added extra that i hadn't seen before. We were suppose to have a BBQ come night time at the dive centre but due to bad weather i ended up chiling out watching tv on my living room floor. The only thing missing from our new house was a sofa...but with pillows who needs one?!ha

20/03/08
Darren joined in on my advanced course today. Most of the students from the open water course decided to take the next one which was good as they were a good bunch. The first dive was a wreck dive in which i had to give a customer all of my weights for him to go down leaving me at the surface. After getting some spare weights from the boat i luckily found the others 30m down by the wreck. I say luckily because the visibilty wasn't good and i had never been at that dive site before. We were due to have a night dive but thanks to the awful weather it was cancelled. So what else is there to do on a small island full of travellers and divers...drink! We ended up in Tranquila bar on the sea front where everyone drunk a bit to much and ended up at the end of the pier dancing in the rain. Our friend Chloe had her handbag stolen so as you can imagine she wasnt best pleased. Being gentlemen Darren and I took Chloe and Tana back to ours where we provided fresh towels and some tlc. Not saying anymore than that.

21/03/08
The girls left early in the morning as Chloe had to sort out getting a new passport etc since it was all in her handbag. Darren and I were at the dive center by midday where we had a few more dives with the advanced students. It was after these dives when i tried on a wetsuit from the shop. I should have known it was the wrong size when it took me 15 minutes and all my energy to put the bloody thing on. Needless to say it took me a long time to take it off even with help from various members of staff helping out. It would have been ok if i had been in a private room somewhere but i was on the shop floor...not great!ha The most tiring thing i have ever done! As soon as the sun started to started to sink into the sea in the horizon we jetted off for a night dive. I had a big old torch to look after the students with. I felt like the daddy!ha One of the best things i love about a night dive is the resurfacing. Especially when your greeted by an awesome night sky full of stars. I had to race home, get ready and head out with Darren to the full moon party that was being held on a large section of the beach. What a night! I ended up spending most of my time with one of the students that i met on the boat that day. A lovely lady from Germany. There were fire shows, lasers beams shooting along the beach, music pumping and people just having a great time. What an amazing day!

So i finally made it to Utila and at first i have to admit i didn't think i had made the right decision on coming to the small island. After a while though, after i moved into my house, started to get to grips with the dive center and my role there, it was beginning to grow on me. Once again the people were making the place special...the diving helped as well to be fair! There were going to many great times ahead. For that i was sure! Arrrrrrrrgghhh! (trying to be a pirate still!)

---

Photos

My new divemaster buddies!
Left to right, Melly, Me, Julia, Bec.