Utila, a diver's
paradise
March 19th 2010
For Centuries,
Privateers in search of Spanish gold and Payan artifacts, have
funded expeditions to The Bay Islands. Scouring it's beaches,
hills and caves in pursuit the treasures, hidden by the Pirates
of Olde and the Sands of Time.
With the advent of
SCUBA diving a second wave of privateers arrived, now searching
below the surface for the same treasures. No one knows the total
of what was found over these many years, but it is certain that
there are many secrets yet to be revealed.
Utila, the smallest
of the three Bay Islands was no exception. Legends of jeweled
swords, Templar influence and buried gold are in the stories
passed down over the generations.
Today the essence
of this bygone era can still be captured on a simple walk
through the streets of East Harbour, on a walk to Pumpkin Hill
or by spending a day on at the Utila Cays where the first
settlers staked their claim.
The age of the
privateer has faded into Utila's history and a new type of explorer
has arrived. This time, not to horde or plunder, but to dive and
relax.
On Utila, SCUBA
diving has always been the top attraction for adventures travelers
who seek unexplored coral reefs and unique cultures, just
beyond, the edge of the known World.
Below the surface
the modern day treasures of Utila are now attracting people from
around the world. 
Turtle Harbour
Marine Reserve is now a world famous dive destination outside
the influences of modern man. The mangrove bordered harbour is completely
undeveloped and serves as one of the main hatching areas for
many aquatic species.
Just outside
Turtle Harbour, the great walls drop dramatically to a
depth of over 2000' and beyond. This geological fact brings some
of the great beasts of the sea to the surface just off Utila's
coast.
Whale Sharks, the
world's largest fish, are more commonly spotted off the coast of
Utila than anywhere else in the world. Divers travelling to the
north side often have the once in a lifetime chance to swim with
these gentle beasts.
The South Shore of
Utila has wonderful diving also. Sites like Labyrinth, Black
Coral Wall and Airport Caves provide divers with stunning wall
dives, a great variety of fish life and soft corals.
For
wreck divers, the Halliburton provides advanced divers with the opportunity
to explore this 150' sunken vessel which ten years ago was
lowered to a depth of 110' by the local dive operators. Now the
ship has many corals and large grouper, snappers, moray eels and
other sea creatures calling it home.
Diving on Utila has
always been affordable and now there are more options available
than ever. For a resort vacation The Utila Lodge, Laguna Beach
Resort and Utopia Dive Village offer the all inclusive experience. These
resorts offer 7 day packages with diving and all meals included
starting at $750.00/week plus taxes and reef fees.
There are ten dive
operators in Utila Town offering a range of accommodations,
packages and prices. Ecomarine
Gunter's Dive Shop offer ten tank fun dives for $180.00 and
PADI Open Water Certification for $229.00 including shared
accommodation and two fun dives after your course). There are
also some larger operators like Utila Dive Center who offer courses starting at $299.00 with shared accommodation at
The Mango Inn and fun dives also.
There are many
wonderful options for accommodation on Utila. Whether you are
looking for budget accommodation starting at $5/day. If you
would like to rent your own private oceanfront villa or a
boutique hotel, Utila has what you are looking for. The
Lighthouse, Slumberland, Bayview Hotel and Colibri Hotel are
some excellent options.
On the surface,
Utila offers excellent dining and nightlife. You can enjoy your
sunset from one of many open air dock bars. Coco Loco and
Tranquila Bar are two of the favorites. For a real feel for the
Caribbean , Friday night at The Bar in the Bush is an unforgettable
experience. Reggae, Soca and all the favorite local music
combine to make this the #1 dance hall on Utila. 
For dining, Utila
offers fine Italian dining at La Picola, Caribbean cuisine at
Evylin's, a great international menu at the Mango Cafe and
Munchies and set menu meals at the Wooden Spoon and Dave's. For Israeli
food the Ultralight is a great options.
For budget options,
dining with Thompson's Bakery, Island Cafe and Nedi's in Sandy
Bay can fill your tummy with tasty meals starting at less than
$4.00.
If you are a resort
diver, fun diver are wish to learn how to dive Utila has what
you are looking for. This wonderful island and it's people will
welcome you for your dive adventure of a lifetime.
World powers to
normalize relations with Honduras
January 27 2010
Today the transfer
of power from the intern government of Roberto Micheletti to the
recently elected Profilio Lobo will be completed in Tegucigalpa.
Delegations from
many countries including the USA, Dominican Republic, Israel,
Taiwan, Spain, Guatemala, Panama and a range of other countries
from the Americas and Europe will be in attendance to witness
the event and give support to the democratically elected Pepe
Lobo.
ALBA (Bolivarian
Alliance) Counties are sending no representatives and it remains
to be seen whether this left wing bloc will accept the new
government after the National Congress overwhelmingly voted to
withdraw from ALBA and reversed many of Zelaya's decrees that
were made while he was in power.
On the eve of this
event, many developments have taken place including the
exoneration of Honduras' top generals for their actions during
the removal of deposed president Manuel Zelaya in June 2009.
Also, amnesty has been approved by the newly installed Congress
for Manuel Zelaya.
Earlier this week
it was also announced that Manuel Zelaya would leave the
country and live in exile in the Dominican Republic and
yesterday president elect Lobo announced that he may escort
Zelaya the airport along with the Presidents of Guatemala and
Dominican Republic.
However, with the
amnesty now approved it remains to be seen if he will indeed
leave Honduras as planned.
....Updates to this
story will be posted as available.
2009... A Year to
Remember
On
December 31st 2009 Utila waved goodbye to a year that will be
remembered for a lifetime. Infants, children, teenagers, adults
and the elderly will carry strong images from this fateful year
forever.
...
2009 was the year that we found out what was carried on the
night flights coming, so
often and so late, to Utila's Airport.
The, not so surprising
truth was that Utila became a hub station of a poli-narco war, a
remote depot where planes with 1500 kilo shipments of cocaine
could refuel on its journey to the starving noses in New York,
Washington and the rest of North America. The planes have, for
now, stopped
... On
May 28th 2009 at 2:20am everyone on Utila was thinking the same
thing. Earthquake!
The
intensity of this major 7.3 magnitude earthquake caused
televisions to fly, homes to fall and people to move to the
hills in fear of an impending tsunami. Thankfully the tsunami
never came. When daylight broke the horizon, Utila found little
serious damage.
On the
mainland the damage was more serious and much more ominous. To
many is seemed a warning of things to come.
In El Progresso, The
Democracy Bridge fell due to structural deficiencies. In San
Pedro Sula, The Supreme Court Building was seriously damaged due
to a design flaw that amplified the effects of the Earthquake.
These
disasters set the stage for the events to come with
Shakespearian foreboding.
Soon, President Manuel Zelaya, in his push
for a new Constitution for Honduras, would shake the very foundations
of the Republic.
His
refusal to accept the Supreme Court decision which deemed his
referendum illegal, his refusal to accept the Congressional vote
against his referendum, and finally his attempt to capture the
ballots from seizure and distribute them with the help of his
loyalists, caused Manuel Zelaya to be removed from power and caused
Honduras to become a Rouge State in the eyes of the
International Community.
Zelaya's actions after is exile then caused greater damage and his
insistence to return as President through insurrection, combined
with Hugo Chavez' threat of armed intervention, created siege
like conditions throughout the country.
Curfews, Border closures
and restrictions in movement devastated the economy. Zelaya's
continued insistence of return to the Presidency leaves him as a
permanent guest at the Brazilian
Embassy. It also leaves the Republic of Honduras
vulnerable to to attack economic or otherwise, from Hugo Chavez
and The Bolivarian Alliance.
...
Through all these political problems Honduras did find one great
and wonderful
distraction. The Honduras National Football team was in the
hunt for qualification for the World Cup.
While international
media outlets were searching the streets for conflict, hundreds
of thousands of Hondurans watched our squad fight
through Mexico,
beating them 4-0 at home in San Pedro Sula, everyone proudly
chanting HONDURAS HONDURAS. Every match was critical and in a
nail bighting conclusion Honduras prevailed and will be in South
Africa this summer to face the World's best.
...
Utila received its own personal ray of light when, in a gap
between curfews, the legendary reggae sensation Eric Donaldson
played two free concerts for the people
of
Utila on Chepas Beach. Everyone, young and old, attended
and felt blessed hearing Eric sing songs that have played on
every music box on Utila for the past 30 years.
Now,
with 2009 behind us, Utila is looking to the future and is ready
to face whatever may come. Good or bad, happy or sad we are
ready for whatever may come.
Peace
and Love.
